Tag: perspective

Where am I?

On By Piano girl4 Comments

Above or below, a scene unfolds.
Questions are a necessity.
Are those white frothy peaks
On wind-tossed waters?
Is that a tundra covered in snow?
Are those mountains in the distance?
Or simply a bank of storm clouds?
I see them from below almost every day.
Viewing from above offers new perspectives.
It requires engineering and mechanics.
Logic combined with wonder and awe.
Below, I stand firmly on the ground.
Above, I fly, unsure of my place.
Above or below, a scene unfolds.
Questions are a necessity.

Somewhere over the PNW. 💙🤍✈️

Unobstructed

On By Piano girl4 Comments

Sturdy, beautifully faded red barn
Surrounded by rolling hills of green grass
Graceful greens rolling into perfect blues
Placid blue sky dotted with fluffy white-
A beautiful scene laid out in front of me-
Postcard perfect, though,
Any photo I might take would surely
Contain unwanted obstructions –
So, I drove home, disappointed,
With only the picture in my head-
Perhaps I was searching for perfection-
What if I changed my attitude
And the direction of my gaze?
Instead of upward, maybe outward,
Downward or possibly inward?
No matter the direction
There will always be obstructions-
But new perspectives often bring
Surprisingly unexpected views

Roses in my front yard. ❤️

Personal Preference

On By Piano girl3 Comments

Which do I prefer?

Remaining on the inside
Hiding, peeking out-
Seeing, imagining
Yet, in a way,
Falsely protected-
-Or-
Stepping outside myself
Away from the walls
Originally placed
To keep out pain
And uncertainty-

Hiding may sound
Like a safer choice
Stepping out, a bit scary-

In which frame of reference
Do I see myself as an integral
Part of the world?
Not simply a bystander
But one ready to explore
Or at least willing to invite you
To climb over the walls-

I think I know the answer

Lesson in the Sunrise

On By Piano girl4 Comments


A dark cloud of apathy
Split the morning
Perfectly in half
Left to linger
The damage left behind
Will be impossible to mend-
Strange, love exists
On both sides
Of the darkness
I must believe it does-
Rays of hope
Able to burnish holes
Through the shadows
Of indifference
Affording hope even
In the murkiest of storms-
Light joining hands
Across the darkness

On a recent morning drive, I noticed an unusual sunrise. From my vantage point, a large dark cloud divided the sun’s fiery red glow in half. The clarity of the division was daunting. Yet despite the chasm, beauty existed in each half.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Simply Sunday

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Mountain Lessons

Majestic, monumental
Mysterious, picturesque
Even these words feel
Inadequate when describing
The view of the mountain while sitting in the valley-
Both are beautiful
In their own respect
And I would imagine reactions vary
Depending on the one searching-
For me, the valley is peaceful
Colorful meadows, waving
Mountain lakes, reflecting
Three-hundred-sixty-degree views
Even before my eyes move
Upward toward the peaks-
Standing on the pinnacle
Peering downward
Into the valley
I am reverent, respectful, fearful
The magnitude and elevation
Melding into a wave of emotions
I cannot explain-
Only the truth of my smallness
In our beautiful and broken world

Horseshoe Meadow
Bear Lake
Alluvial Fan Trail
Alluvial Fan view from above
Rocky Mountain National Park

Simply Sunday

On By Piano girl4 Comments

Cleaning out
Throwing away
Rearranging the old
With the new –
Changes in my
Surroundings
Open doors to more
Than simply a room-
New perspectives
For eyes and heart–
On this day, the view
From where I sit
Warrants only gratitude

A “new to me” desk.
Kids singing my favorite song.

Sunrise, Sunset

On By Piano girl5 Comments

I wonder why
The hero is
Most often pictured
Riding into the sunset
Embraced
By the warmth
Of the deepest orange
Another day done
Ready for well-deserved rest…

Instead of riding
Toward the sunrise
Layered with colors
Bright and muted
Light calling
Through shadows
To the possibilities
Of a new day, imagined
But, not yet seen

I don’t have an answer.
I only wonder if
Perhaps the sunrise
Might shift focus
To the journey
Instead of the reward

I Remember…

On By Piano girlLeave a comment 
Watching you hold her
I remember 
Holding you
No thought of
How I would feel
From this vantage
No thought of
The excitement born
From watching you 
Know the joy and laughter 
The lessons and messes -
Watching you hold her
Worried because she is sick
I remember 
Holding you the same
Praying away the struggles 
All the while knowing
They are part of our world
But only a part
One superseded by the joy
Found in the memory
Of holding you
While watching you hold her

Simply Sunday

On By Piano girl4 Comments

Have a Seat

One last sit
On the couch
Walk around the
Neighborhood
Swing on the swing
Slide down the slide-
Cleaning out
Packing up
Off on a new
Adventure-
Life’s changes
Don’t always
Provide opportunity
To savor the lasts
But when it does
May I suggest
Sitting on that
Old couch
Just a little bit longer-

Our daughter moved this weekend. Not far away, thankfully. 😉 As we talked about the specifics of loading and unloading, she reminded me of an earlier move.

The kids were young. We were preparing for a big move, and had a moving sale. Our things displayed in the front yard. I will never forget one request from the kids. Can we please have one last sit on the couch?

After all these years, I think I’m beginning to understand the wisdom in their request. ❤️

Round and Round

On By Piano girl2 Comments 
I wish I could see it
All at once
North, South, East, West
But I can’t, the expanse
Is too great
Plus, I’ve always
Been a bit challenged
Where directions 
Are concerned-
One minute
The bright orange
Of a new day
Is waving at me
In the rearview
The next, it’s in
My periphery 
As I speed past-
Of course, it’s not
Moving-I am
Right along
With this Sphere
We call home-
If only there 
Was a place
I could stand
Spin around
And around
Lay down on the ground
Taking it all in
Not for understanding
Simply for the awe