Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The mirror impulse


For many years the empath in us 
May manifest like this: as a reflective surface,
 Only mirroring back 
What we think others wish to see. 
With time, we learn to open up, 
To speak our truth and ask for what we need, 
But that impulse is still there; 
To hunker down, take shelter behind the mirror, 
And hide what we truly think and feel.

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Change, triumphant


Looking down from above 
At the rivers, like cracks, 
That have carved and are carving 
The mountains around them,
 I’m reminded again 
How much power there is 
In allowing the flow; 
That change will always win out 
Over staying the same.

Monday, September 25, 2023

What we learn


The heights we long to scale 
 Can prove challenging: 
There’s many a slip along the way, 
And the slide back down has a chance of being 
Terrifying or exhilarating. 
But once we’re back on solid ground, 
What will we remember about the journey?
 The joy? The pain? 
 Or the friends we made along the way?

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Happy Sunday!


May your Sunday contain moments 
Of beauty, purity, and grace…

Saturday, September 23, 2023

The soul, exposed


Nature, like life, is a sculptor of sorts, 
Chipping away at the accretions of time 
To expose the essence within. 
And as I stare at this amazing work, 
I seem to see a face emerging — 
A mouth, an ear, the beginnings of a nose… 
Could this be the soul of the rock?

Friday, September 22, 2023

A colorful path


There are those in life who seem destined 
To walk a more colorful path; 
To see more, attempt more, and accomplish more 
Than falls to the rest of us. 
Be humbled and inspired, 
 But not discouraged by their adventures: 
 Though our colors may be more muted, 
We, too, have charm and value, 
 And an impact all our own. 
We, too, can work in our own communities 
 To help the world become a better, kinder place.

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Dealing with grief


"Don’t worry,” my mom used to say to me,
 “There’s always plenty more fish in the sea,” 
Whenever I was distraught about 
 A betrayal, rejection, or loss. 
Of course that never takes into account 
The unique attributes of the fish that was lost 
Or the dwindling numbers of fish in the sea. 
But she, because of an early hard loss of her own, 
Was terrified of emotion, and so 
She chose to belittle, not honor, my feelings, 
Lest they trigger memories of her own. 
Perhaps that’s why so many of us 
Deal so poorly when faced with the grief of others: 
We’re simply attempting 
To protect our own hearts…