Coming back to life
From the cracks in the ground
Where I had buried my awakened self.
Rising slowly from the ashes
Tending to my own weeping wounds
Rescuing the parts of me long lost
To the contingencies of human experience.
Learning to savor life
Armored, apprehensive, autonomous,
But with a soft and tender heart
Healing from the inside out.
I am nothing if not teachable,
So teach me, dear soul,
Remove the blinders from my eyes
Bring awareness to this naive mind
Allow me the rewarding experience
Of transforming ignorance
Into openmindedness.
I am nothing if not reachable
So help me to reach you, dear soul,
Show me how to create a safe sanctuary
To invite the relief of painful processing
Welcoming in words unfiltered and brave
That I may see the gray area
That lies within your truth.
Even tired eyes
And burdened shoulders
The ever-present worries
And the downward pull of health
Cannot take the light away from me.
No person, event, or condition
No barrage of unrest
No persistent attempt to derail
Could ever silence the hope in me.
As we float along,
We learn the capacity of our fortitude
Understanding our limitations
Deciphering our soul’s longings
As we surrender to the flow of life
Unsettled but uncontrolled by circumstance
Keeping an inner anchor steady
When the rapids rage
When the rain pours
When there is no other choice
Than to allow the stream to carry us
Until we reach shore.
I stepped into the sunlight
And all at once
My soul began to thaw
As if it had been parched for light.
I am learning to stand
On my own trembling feet
Expecting nothing, wanting nothing
Just relieved to be alive
Still able to feel sunshine on my face
And hope for humanity in my heart.
Courage grows even in starless spaces
Ignited within, glowing fervently
Burning brightly even as shoulders stoop
Urging forward even as fingers quake.
When the bitter cold sets into our veins
When the glare of ice and snow begins to disenchant
Our hearts start to pine for the first signs of spring
To thaw out the winter from our souls.
We are beings of hope in times of darkness
With a natural pull toward regeneration, rebirth
Gravitating toward any possibility of newfound light
To carry us through the bleakness and gloom.
While you catch your breath from the last upward climb,
Look behind you at the precarious path you have scaled.
Each individual step may have been perceived as insignificant
Yet put together they equal thousands of diligent steps upward
A steep and necessary evolution of body, mind, and soul.
While there is still mountain left ahead to climb, do not be afraid;
You will face that challenge as you have the others before
With bravery, fortitude, and determination with each step.
Isn’t it strange that we cannot break down
Until we are finally safe?
Holding onto our hypervigilance
Until we can give our hearts permission
To quietly break.
Do not be mistaken, I am strong
But if you would not mind
Can I lean my head on your shoulder
That I may weep with someone kind?
You seem so gentle a presence
In this world of ice and stone
I will pick myself up tomorrow
But today I do not wish to grieve alone.
The Therapy of Words