The snowy owl sleeps
through the day,
resting her wings,
her body, her eyes
She waits until darkness
falls to take flight
What path will she take this night?
The familiar line following trees
along the river and up
into the mountains?
She knows it well
But something stirs her, gently
ruffles her feathers-Calling
her out of the familiar
and into the Valley
Not a sad place, but
a place to grow –
until once again, the sun
rises and she sleeps
Tag: poetry circles
Fear and Hope
The Unknown
Thought of with excitement,
or overwhelming fear.
For me, the fear part usually
rises in the middle of the night.
Like waking up from a dream
with a sudden Gasp!
Except, this kind of fear is not a dream.
Dream or no dream, I have
no control over the outcome.
And worrying about all that remains unseen,
does nothing to enhance my state of being.
Not to say it is easy to push the fear away, but I keep trying…
Breathe.
Look out the window.
Find that glimmer of hope
calling to your soul, ready and waiting
to swallow up your fears.
Her Song
I know her song,
though it changes often.
Depends on the day’s path.
Does she choose her own?
I wonder.
When traveling through
A grove of Aspens,
her melody is gentle and sweet.
Each glistening leaf
adds a note of color.
When coursing over rough rocks
on the shoreline, her melody
grows stronger, driving forward
with each pulse of the current.
Both melodies, both paths,
inspire awe and wonder.
Listen. What is she singing for you today?
Poems from the poetry circle. ❤️
Moment of Hope
For more than a week
The words felt stuck-
Like tears caught
In the back of my throat
Unable to complete their journey
From the heart to the eyes-
Perhaps there were too many of them
Perhaps they needed to learn
To share space
To slow down-
Taking extra care to flow freely
Only once able to provide
A moment of hope
In a world heavy with fear
Only once able to speak the words
I see you
I love you
This morning, I participated in a writing circle facilitated by Ali Grimshaw. https://flashlightbatteries.blog/ It was just what my heart needed. 🩷
Complementary
Delicate lace flowing
Across natural curves
Gently draping
The sturdy frame –
A frame strong enough
To carry heartache
From great loss
While sharing joy
From great love-
Delicate and Sturdy
Words that don’t seem
To complement-
Say them out loud
Delicate and Sturdy
One rolls off the tongue
While the other lands flat-
Even the one landing is
An integral part of the foundation
From where love and joy
And heartache and grief
Have the freedom to flow
Last night, I had the pleasure of writing with Ali Grimshaw. Ali’s blog Our circle was smaller than usual, but nonetheless filled with joy. ❤️
Labels and Lists
The categories are endless
And then there are
The sub-categories
We’ll skip those for now-
Strange the ways
We group ourselves
Based on things like
Where we grew up
Our age
Our interests
Our successes
And our failures
Remaining careful
Not to give away
Any unexplainable joy
Terrible moments of grief
Or frightening memories
Thought of only when
It’s time to sleep-
What if I looked past
All of the lists
Ignored the labels
What would I see?
Another set of eyes
Perhaps-
Carrying all of life
Happy, sad, all of it
And another heart
Behind those eyes
Afraid to trust
Waiting to see if my hand
Will follow my smile
A poem from a recent circle. ❤️
Fifteen Minutes or a Lifetime
Ideas and actions
Some good
Some not so good
Often designed
To bring fame
Even if only
Fifteen minutes worth
Fifteen minutes
Or a lifetime
Eventually, the attention
Rings hollow-
I used to think
I’d like to be a rockstar
Wearing rockstar clothes
Playing piano on stage
But now, I’m grateful
That I get to be
A friend
An encourager
Someone who cries
During sad movies
And laughs at
Her husband’s jokes-
Someone who plays piano
Singing a simple song
Smiling as her granddaughter
Stands nearby swaying
Back and forth to the music…
Gravel Roads
Looking at me now
You might not guess
Where I come from
Sometimes, I even forget
But today, I choose
To remember
I come from
Climbing trees
Digging in the dirt
Making mud pies
Walking down the
Tree-lined gravel road
Leading away from home
While hearing
Don’t go past the red clay hill!
I choose to remember
Loving this place
That held my life
In love and security
Loving this place so much
When the time came to leave
I was ready to go
Not to run away
But to continue
Walking down the
Tree-lined gravel road
This time, hearing
Come back soon!
As I passed the
Red Clay Hill
Taking home
Along with me
For the journey
Sharing one of the poems I wrote in a recent poetry circle. Many thanks to Ali Grimshaw https://flashlightbatteries.blog/ for sharing her heart and creating such a beautiful space. ❤️
The Life of Leaves
This year carried
An increased awareness
Concerning the
Life of leaves
Usually, there’s
An excitement
With the appearance
Of new buds
A sweet sigh of relief
A sure sign of
Surviving the cold-
And, of course,
There is always
Oohing and Awing
Over their magical
Color changes in Fall-
But this year…
This year, it was
The bright green
Of newly opened leaves
That filled me with
Joy and hope-
Just like the smile
In my granddaughter’s eyes
Another poem from the writing circle. Thank you, Ali ❤️ https://flashlightbatteries.blog/
Circle Poems
Sharing two poems from a recent poetry circle. ❤️
Listen
Do you ever feel like
No one is listening?
And I don’t mean
A simple nod of the head
Acknowledging
That your voice
Filled some space
I mean the listening
That reaches right
Into your heart
And pulls out
The words you are
Unable to say
No need to speak-
In the same way
The wind gently
Moves through
A row of pines
Pulling hellos from
Their frail needles
Carrying the greetings
Carefully to my ears
And I listen
No need to speak
Don’t Listen
I saw feathers
In the clouds today
White and wispy
Beautiful against the blue
I couldn’t stop
Looking at them
Wondering where
They came from
A lovely swan
Gliding on the water
The wings of an angel
Offering comfort
All these lovely thoughts
And then…the voice
What is wrong with you?
Those are just clouds
With scientific names
Perhaps you should
Do some research…
Hmmph-no, thank you!
I think I’ll keep
Looking for more
White, wispy feathers
Floating against the blue
Expecting Unexpected
Morning drives
Typically, uneventful
Leave at a certain time
To arrive at a certain time
The same certain time every day-
Despite the routine
Most days my heart hopes
For the unexpected
And when it appears
It is always in the same spot
How does that still count as unexpected?
Grazing quietly
In the field
Looking up quizzically
As I drive by
Or hopping through the grass
Showing off fluffy white tails
Any number of soft brown deer
Passing on a surprised smile
An audible gasp
Pure unexpected joy
Another poem from a recent poetry circle. ❤️
Piano Girl 