He is rhino tough,
destined for greatness,
intimidates foes
She is rabbit cautious,
freezes in his shadow,
a prolific creator
They debate the meaning
of existence, unlace
personas, find harmony.
(Image mine)
Category: perspective
Horizon
Life stretches out before us
and all I see is construction –
so many unknowns ahead
Search the horizon
for reassurance
that the road is worthy –
destination in view
In truth,
no matter our choices,
it is peace we seek –
not found beyond,
but within.
(Image my own)
Shifting to Acceptance
In illness, I am passenger –
no matter how venturous
mind’s reach, the raw truth
is that limitations confine
This is not a sentence
for some perceived crime,
but a re-framing – attitude
shifting to acceptance
Choice becomes thoughtful –
time allows for that now –
and gratitude takes hold
in every corner of “I can”.
(Art my own)
Eagle and Crow
Eagle arrives
and I am at once
small, insignificant
Breath held
I am stillness
basking in majesty
Till ubiquitous crow
calls his cronies,
chases eagle off
Everything gains perspective.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own.)
Seasonal Defiance
Cast my shadow over white banks
assert presence: proud, defiant
Will find beauty in deserted places
and colour in the monochrome
Haunted by a Winter state of mind
resolved to stretch despite chill.
(Image my creation)
Aspire to Ascend
Oh, to soar above the clouds
for just one day –
free-floating, empowered…
What perspective would flight reveal –
the illusion that is civilization?
the fragility of our walls?
Still, let us aspire to ascend…
without regard for the fall…
(Image my own)
Every Day Serenity
Serenity every day,
I pray from the frayed edges
chaos rattling, pains howling
Laundry waits in piles
of incompletion – like my life –
demands eroding worth
Hush! I scold the voices
of discontent, the discord
exhausting – I am trying!
Serenity! I pray,
my hands are burdened,
my psyche losing ground
I stop and close my eyes
follow breath in and out
will myself to calm
Serenity steps in –
a moment of respite
available every day.
(Image my own)
Paradoxical
Once, with confidence,
stated my name –
clarity claiming
wisdom as mine
Today, sun burns,
accusing-bright,
I avoid conversation
question what is sane
This paradoxical state
of fluctuation, is it right,
and who among us is steady
enough to know for certain?
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson
Image my own)
Sufficiency
Disability corners me
twixt two directions –
the hurried rush
of ambition’s call
and the gentle nudge
of wisdom settling
Confined to four rooms
I am distanced from –
invisible to –
the weekend warriors
whose self-satisfied grimaces
race by my window
I remember that push –
not enough hours to the day
not enough money to succeed
never thin enough, fit enough
always grasping for more…
Legless and exhausted,
I am disqualified
from competing,
immersed in retrospection,
luxuriating in perspective –
I’ve always had, indeed,
continue to have
everything I need:
a home I can navigate,
the endless beauty of nature
and the care of loved ones.
Abundance, I’ve discovered, is attitude:
recognition and acceptance
that life is sufficiency
(I’ve derived this poem from a post by the same name, dated October 2014.
At the time, I was five months into the losses that were Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
Image my own)
Syntax
Trade you an ‘n’
for a ‘v’, I said
to the moon
to the sun
to the bird
at my window
All obliged
and now
my lonely day
is lovely,
lovely,
lovely.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson
Art my own.)
One Woman's Quest 