Friday 26 October 2012

Ode To The Blank Page



We sit poised with pen over you

So much to divulge ... explain ... confess

But the sight and smell of your brightness, your freshness causes us to hesitate

It's not your fault that you fill our hearts with hope and sadness

At the sight of you, we are filled with the longing

To know the opportunity of having once again, a clean page spread before us



A new path eager for our markings to meander over it

Ones that are not weighted down so heavily

As to smear and tear with a past that bogs down and trips up


But you know there is no such possibility

You know there is no future where the past does not make itself welcome


And still you lie there spread open before our disquiet

Silent in your trust and in your vulnerability

We marvel at your courage and wonder if we could ever be so noble









Thursday 25 October 2012

Sacred She (poem)

Why do you continue to sleep this night?
Like so many others, refusing to awaken
I am losing patience with your lack of knowing
With your avoidance to feel

Hear me ... Come to me

Come back to the fore mother's womb
Know your place of origin
It is time for you to be born again of blood and lust
Time to drink deep and be nourished by Ancestral breasts

I come to you in the quietness of the night
I come to you with arms that ache to hold you
With a tongue that burns to share with you
All that has been denied you for too long


What is happening to me?

I did as I was told. I followed the formula.

Studied well. Worked hard. Fell in love..
.
Why was it all taken from me? What is left for me?


Doing and not “Being” leaves no time for the sacred
You wonder why the emptiness grows inside you?
Let me love you into growing and into knowing
The truth of the fullness of a woman

Time to leave your antiseptic cocoon
Time to touch, to burn, to feel
Time to leave the shackles of other's man made rules
And dare to create your own from having lived

So many fear the dark.
But water and fire gather in the dark places below.
The brave and bold have learned to go there eagerly
They run with pulses racing.
Their bodies flushed, warm, alive.

Hear me ... Come to me

Tonight we shall meet and touch
It is our intention to reclaim all that has been lost to us
It is our intention to give to you, all that has been denied
Dare to free your body.
Dare to open your soul.
Feel.

Hear me ... Come to me

Let me dig deep into your soul
Become one with your Ivory bones
Know the harmony of your blood's song
Find the place where I belong

Let my footsteps echo within your mind
Journey with me through space and time
Let me turn you inside out
Breathe the Breath from your sweet mouth

A pulse stilled...now throbs and rushes
A tongue denied...salivates
A covert glance...seeks to be engaged
Flesh and mind flooded with new yearning...are hungry
Woman of the heart, Let thunder roll
Dig in your earthiness,
Follow your roots to your flesh
And find us dancing in your blood

You don't have to tiptoe around your heart
Dig in. Know it. Own it.
Trust the knowing will bless your lips and your hips
And set your world on fire!

Wednesday 24 October 2012

The Fortresses We've Built

It occurs to me that often our struggles are with Fortresses we've built

Every vow and promise we've spoken
Each, acted as a sturdy wooden beam

Blessed by our passion and determination, they fastened together

Shielding and protecting those that we most cherished 
And thus created a safe haven for many tomorrows 

Is it any wonder then that attempts at deconstruction are often so difficult?



Sunday 21 October 2012

Gobble Up Cake

Prudent and gingerly is a careful way to spend one's day

Although it makes the passing of time move dreadfully slow

Gives too much time to notice hair dwindle and grey

And to have ninety nine years of that...oh please No


Taking care of our minds and bodies is a right thing to do

But seven days a week, that's a bit much to bear

We might take one day or even two

To rebel against the steady, our trials and cares

Photograph by Photographer Wendy Metcalfe-Morrison

Dance these mornings on grape laden floors

A rose in hair and one between breasts

To a Spanish guitar that makes spirits soar

With a love that knows its quest


Gobble up cake!  Eat with bare hands

Strut like a peacock in finery

Living spontaneously, every moment unplanned

For a day or two ~ limitless and free















Saturday 20 October 2012

If A Tree Speaks In The Forest

I am alive when you touch me, for I touch you

As you know me, I know you

Watch me as I lean into or away from 

One element, open to another; who in turn leans into

Or veers from my earthy scent and rough caress






We all are seeking

Yearning to explore, be explored

To understand, to be understood

To penetrate, root into and connect with life

Stretching limbs and roots into the unknown

To touch and to know we are alive


There is roughness

That is part of truth

A toughness that comes with survival

Traces are left behind when we expand into each other's worlds

We are affected by all who come to give, who come to take

Bent branches, faded foliage, scarred skin

Do these markings make us less or more






Wednesday 17 October 2012

Lay Your Head On My Lap, My Love

I believe in you and must not try to tame you

I am learning that it is enough just to sit with and lie with

That it is enough just to listen to words being softly strung together 

Rhythmic sounds conceived in mind, of heart and soul 

Giving birth to desires and prayers 


Lay your head on my lap my love

Loosen the restraints of the day

Unravel and find your rest in me 

Drink deeply of my devotion 

From the wellspring of my openness



I am in awe of your beauty and must not try to claim you 

I am learning that it is enough to trust the nature of man and woman and allow

My fingers the freedom to travel, to dance, to trace and to follow 

Your curves and caverns, seeking warmth, pulse of body and wilderness

Swallowing love's sweetness whole 

Lay your head on my lap my love 





Friday 12 October 2012

The Universal Blink

We have all been enlightened by encounters with people. Sometimes it’s an enjoyable experience (*Taking Flight*) and sometimes it is a moment that leaves us speechless.  

All we can do is Blink.

*Blink* is the universal reaction that says "I am astonished, bowled over, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, mystified, perplexed, and taken aback."

They were talking about some differences they were having, adjusting to the day to day with their kids now that they were separated.  They weren't new to the family game, on the contrary, if you were to add their two ages together you'd have a sum of over one hundred years.  

Both had been married twice, divorced once, and here they were, going through that process yet again.  You can be sure that neither was under any illusion that every discussion they would be having at this juncture in their lives was going to be an uplifting and pleasant parley.
So ... they were discussing and honestly trying to keep it clean and clear and be fair with each other but it was proving to be difficult. Past hurts filtered through and coloured their conversation with splashes of angry red and sad disappointed black.
Then came this:

Her: Look at you. You're standing there with your shields up around you and I know I'm no better. We can't seem to talk about anything any more. It's obvious that you take offence to every word I say. You can't stand to listen to me.
Him: It's no different than it's ever been.
Her: That's lovely. Exactly what conclusion am I suppose to draw from that? That you've always been miserable and unhappy living with me?
Him: *Silence*
Her: *Blink*

What do you say when you are brought face to face with the truth that he has never been happy with you ... ever?

"Some things lead us into a realm beyond words." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Tuesday 9 October 2012

IMPELLERE

During a recent conversation where a mutual acquaintance's name came up, the word "impulsive" was used to describe that person's character. Having a deeper knowledge of the person being discussed, the use of the word "impulsive"  took me aback. When we hear the word "impulsive" we assume deficit, perhaps in maturity or responsibility or consideration for others. We are quite certain we are about to hear a tale of a shortcoming and I was happy to seize that opportunity to share my perception of my friend's strengths.

The conversation made me curious enough about the word "impulsive" (I love words and my friends) to  look it up and I discovered that it comes from the Medieval Latin word "impellere" meaning to drive, to persuade or to impel.  I can imagine having these innate qualities would have come in very handy during Medieval times. They would have increased one's chances of survival and certainly the longer one survives, the greater the chance of their reproducing. So a natural consequence, of course, is that the impellere traits (dare I say abilities) continue to be passed on, a sort of genetic inheritance.

So perhaps there are those amongst us that are impellere, those that have the natural born abilities to motivate and shepherd, to affect and move, to arouse and stir .

Shortcomings or Strong points? I guess that's in the eye of the beholder.


Sunday 7 October 2012

Things that go Bump in the Night




When we clash, our automatic response is often to flick the light switch on and examine what is taking place. Makes sense,  but often our focus and examination is absorbed in what (or whom) we collide with and we forget to take a close hard look at where we are positioned when things go bump in the night.

How odd that the characteristics of others, that once sparked attraction and admiration can so quickly become seen as aberrations. Men and women who once were admired for their fire, spunk and true grit are now looked upon as difficult, self-serving and contrary. Their once upon a time "amazing" quirks, now seem to only offend and take us by surprise. 

Some say this happens because one finally sees the other as they truly are. Others say it happens when we cease to see the others as they truly are, but rather as we perceive them to be. 

Regardless … there is a danger in trying to harness souls to labels, especially if our intent in doing so is to reduce the magnitude of the other so that we can be comfortable with their presence in our lives.  

Friday 5 October 2012

Shadows Don't

Shadows don't come knocking

They just come right through the door

Caution! Prudence! They don't like to be ignored.

And if you turn your back upon their brazen stare

They'll overturn your table and every blessed chair

They'll open every window, every door, in every room
They'll hide your dust pan far away from your broom

Then what will you do with all of that mess
Left lying on your floor to be viewed by your guests

Shadows don't care if they are inconvenient


They salt sugar bowls and they'll spill juice
There's no keeping order with shadows on the loose

They don't care if company's coming and they're not ruled by time
And they don't give a tinker's dam for any deadline

And they'll rant and they'll rave through the night and all day
They're a part of the whole, and they will have their say

So you may as well resign yourself and make a pot of tea
For those will be long nights for Shadow, God and Thee






Wednesday 3 October 2012

An Unruly Queen of Hearts


The Queen of Hearts
Tired of simply baking tarts

Decided "Inner Revolution" 
Would be the phrase of the day

She summoned her court and her Knave and King
Stating "Your Queen has something not lovely but unruly to say"

You can imagine, I am sure, how the very notion of such a thing
Caused quite a stir and they all came running, dropping everything

"Please join me in my revolt against usual and everyday
Instead think farther than castle doors; and Advance! Adventure! Play!

Let us meet new folks in the world's other places
Let us dance to the rhythm of their language and beauty of their faces

Let us do it with the eagerness and purpose we hold inside
Let us do it with reverence, curiosity and pride

Let us open our eyes and our hearts and explore
Let us stretch and expand and 
Become so much more"