change – One Woman's Quest

The Leap

Freezing drizzle
and aching joints
elevate doubt

We are forging
into unknowns,
claiming change

His motivation
drive for both –
I quiet objections

Faith, I have in him
Trust, I have in process,
Hope as my beacon

Many a storm
has passed our way –
the choice is easy

Stay and rot
or risk and thrive –
hand in hand, we leap.

(Four years ago, Ric and I sold our house and all our possessions and headed south in a motor home. Both of us had experienced life-altering medical crises, and the alternative – staying put and waiting for the next health challenge – was not appealing, so we took the leap. After two years, we returned and settled in a small community not far from family. Health continues to be an issue, but armed with the memories of our travels, we face each day grateful for our choices.)

Image my own.

I Dance

Forgive the dance –
it’s what I do –
step forward,
slide back,
shuffle, then
lose the rhythm
and start again.

Reaching forward
heart securely tucked,
something embedded –
cellular perhaps –
invites the struggle

and so, I dance –
yesterday, a warrior
today the fool
tomorrow only knows

multi-faceted,
roughly cut,
a gem
of an undefined hue
I will always try again.

(Poem first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II, entitled “Forgive The Dance”, October, 2019. Image my own.)

To Be a Flower

Cornflower submits
to Time’s deadlines
so, why am I always
gasping to catch up?

Is it strength, or failure
to amplify pressure –
expectations set on high?
Oh, to be a simple flower.

(Photo my own).

Heron Reflection

Silent as the Great Blue
Autumn hues creep
shifting the landscape
altering my mood.

Do feathers quiver
at the ensuing chill
or is it merely human
this seasonal affect?

(Heron Reflection first appeared here August, 2019.
Image my own.)

This I Know

Eventuality
of gravity
is bona fide
Flesh is not iron

Minds, however,
can strengthen, if
nurtured with
open compassion

Spirits plummet
and revive, buoyant
as the grace that
serves them.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson.
Image my own.)

On Moving Forward

Curious by nature
and driven by hope
we push forward

Spring ourselves
from mud-mired traps
of psychological undoings

Focus on a horizon
where sunrises
and sunsets
offer glimpses of glory

Optimist and pessimist
alike, daring to believe
that the beckoning future
bears equal promise.

(Image my own)

The Moment is Now

Whoa now!
Don’t settle too quickly
Opportunity is about to knock

What’s that you say?
You’re not ready.
All this work you’ve been doing
all these seeds you’ve been planting
Really? You’re not ready.

Too late
the door is open
and you will have to contend
with possibility, and I warn you,
it will not arrive alone

For success is certain
to stir adolescent reaction –
inappropriate entitlement

Oh, you say you’ll keep it simple
but emotions are organic
and the tea is spilling –
complexity a given

So, stop with the excuses
Breathe and pace yourself
This is your moment
Embrace it accordingly.

(Image my own)

Platitudes

New perspective sorely needed
current one rubbing raw

How can I cope with change
when life fields me no support?

The Hangman leers
his upside-down frown
mocking self- pity

I sense a barrage
of platitudes
headed my way.

(Image my own)

Discernment

Absolutes are not to be believed
conditions multifarious, fluctuating
consider the messenger
weigh the message

Have faith in outcomes
unknowable, in resources
within, follow progression
not digression

Wisdom knows the way.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)

Strategy

Acts of vandalism
are not deserved

Grime of violation
does not wash off

If change is target
then create intrigue

Highlight inequity
demonstrate alternatives

Crash and burn
ineffective as hell.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson.
Image my own.)