We are goddesses of the sea
hand holding hand
arms outstretched
an expectant embrace
We watch the incoming waves
and guess when will they arrive,
when will they break and crash
Sometimes our timing is just right
and we jump right over the wave
that matches our leap
We dance with the sea
It’s a game of catch and be catch
The future blooms
The impossible dreams
of yesterday
have a way of unfolding
with song
and a bird’s wing
the future blossoms
still unseen
It did not deter or quiver.
In jubilant chorus,
They chatter above the orchard
willing unseen blossom
turn to fruit
Transforming what was barren and bare
Into green lush unfolding.
Patience is what I heard that day
Patience and the impossible will unfurl
and unfold like a new blossom bursts
and reaches towards the sun
Just one leg in its glorious journey
becoming and unbecoming.
In jubilance, I hear them sing
I am breath and heart
Breath is my life force
my heart alchemizes that
force into fresh blood that
sustains me
It makes me light up
from the inside
Even in its natural course,
I can take the reins
- so to speak –
I can open up my lungs
with deep, mindful breaths
It may seem like it’s
automatic
a response
a reaction
The process is not that
complicated
Try it now.
Inhale slow and full.
Do you feel fulfilled
if not just for this moment?
Exhale even more s-l-o-w-l-y
like exhaling through a straw
Extend that breath
and empty your lungs
Trust that you are safe
another breath is on its way
- for the lucky ones -
Put your hand on your heart
and feel that beating jewel
in your chest
It is your life force
your birthright to this body
Today comes fast
tomorrow uncertain
Feel your light
It is your gift.
Grandmother’s dress
Mom kept a cedar chest
made during the 1940s.
It was a time capsule of hidden treasures
I, unfortunately, never got to meet my mom’s mother.
I only had stories, pictures, and the
cedar chest’s contents
My most treasured item was
my grandmother’s maternity dresses.
She had two from the forties
– one brown, one blue –
both with the same floral pattern
The telltale sign it was meant
for an expecting woman was the picture
of a stork on the tag inside
The dresses were soft and well-kept
How I wanted to try on that dress!
And to my delight, my mom gave me permission!
The dress slipped easily over my head
and hung comfortably on my shoulders
I pranced around the house
My one connection to the one
who carried my mom
I began to wear the dresses to school
with my sandals or my Docs.
I walked everywhere
to and from school,
through downtown,
to my afterschool job
And my grandmother went with me.
I imagined her at my age
17, walking through downtown Arctic
How few things change.
I imagined her life, full of potential
that moment when you’re still a girl
before falling in love
before expectation
and married life
She was with me
and I was with her
as we walked miles through town together
I still have that dress
it will always be a treasured item
Nowadays, I am less carefree
to wear it about my daily life
But maybe one day
I can take it out, touch it
with my hands, slip it over my head
and prance around, once again
[ Happy birthday, Mom! This poem is for you!! ]
Music creates memory
Music can instantly transport me back
to when I first heard it
what was I doing;
who was I with
Music expresses emotions
beyond what simple words could
imbue with their colorful hue
I long to be a song that
lingers on your tongue
that tickles your ear
to be magically transported
is a strong and powerful act
Music can withstand any distance.
The point from me to you is
suddenly irrelevant
Just the reverence of a melody
Music can transform a stranger to a friend
what was unknown and unheard
now here with us, trance-like
we hear and feel its lull
Some are moved to the dance floor
Others moved to tears
Some a loving embrace
A smile forms on our face
We are forever changed.
Who were you?
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?"
― Danielle LaPorte
Rest big or small
a cozy space
to breathe
a lavender-scented mask
luxuries but not necessary
I am grateful for this space
this cozy place to rest
I am the author of my story
The captain of my ship
I steer toward calm waters
I hold steady during the storms
They come and go
as is life’s journey
rest is my anchor
rest is my healer
So long ago I read the quote,
"I am my own healer"
Little did I know it would be
many years – decades –
before that intention became my reality
I choose rest
Today it is my birthright
to heal and feel
I am one with the earth
Baby & Mama birds
Baby starling with its
soft downy feathers
- fluffy fragile thing -
It waits on the ground
only a week from
leaving its nest
Hungry mouth
always in need of
nourishment
Greater than being sequestered
no longer in its shell and
strong enough to walk
awkward
but tuned to its parents
its survival depends on it
what seems fragile and tiny
has already overcome so many feats
It answers the call
Bursts disrupt the silence
a happy reunion
of chatter and feeding
Fledgling follows the call
until the need for nourishment
once again becomes too strong
All too quick
the hungry mouths
have not met its full
A growing baby bird
demands it and its
parents answer the call.
Happy trails lay ahead
A future I can see as clear as day:
It’s filled my lungs with fragrant lilies
and bold bright violets
that blanket the earth and soften under my feet
Each one precious and beholden to me
My heart no longer a stranger
a beast banging on my chest
shouting its replay of gripes
They can’t reach me here.
In the meadow, in the valley
I fasten a fallen flower to my chest
and we wander down
this happy trail together
The Goddess Within
Goddess energy
life giver
collaborator
compassionate communicator
makes community & unity
I embrace the goddess within
She and I tread lightly
and listen wholeheartedly
hand in hand I am led
and together we heal this land
Healing Insights 