water tapping

Here is my poem for Poetry Thursday:


Water Tapping

Water taps wanting to come in
To sit in the cozy warmth of my little cottage
Is it too much to dream of having a little cottage?
That my senses would be filled with licorice and light?
Oh, I wish I had a cottage surrounded by amber and wood
Rippling with secrets bound up in wordless moments
The cottage would be mine to play and whisper and shout
I would whee and whoop and hollar in my all-alone space
It would burst with time and notions and color
My cottage would rock me to sleep
Through brassy harmonies and smooth sighs
It would support my legs in the present
And retreat when necessary
I would not need a holiday from my lovely cottage
In no way need to vacate my magical space
Made of marshmallows and teardrops
The tea would brew and the coffee would steep
Among flowers and bright purples waiting
To embrace me like a fine rain

things I do

I thought I'd catch you all up to speed about the "things I do" section on the side of my blog. There are many bloggers out there who know what this is all about, but I know that there are many people who read my blog who aren't as familiar with the lingo. So, here are the things I do:

1. Poetry Thursday: Poetry Thursday is a website that gives a weekly prompt and people on blogs everywhere write poetry on the topic. See my poems here. Is today Thursday already? Wow- I better write a poem!

2. Kindblog: I am a member of a group of bloggers who follow an ethical and moral code that states: By posting this badge, I'm declaring that in addition to humour, intelligence, wit, sadness, snarkiness, passion, exuberance, peace, stillness, excitability, anger or any other emotion you may witness on my site: 1) I will never intentionally hurt other people, whether I know them or not, whether they blog or not, whether they're celebrities or not, either through my words or my images. It's just not my style; and 2) I hope that by the time you've clicked away from my site, I've helped in some way to make your day just a little bit better.

3. Blogger Chicks: I am a part of a group of women bloggers. There are tons of blogger chicks out there. Check out the list on the side of my blog. Isn't the logo cute?

5 things

5 thing I enjoyed this weekend:

1. Lovely lights lit up in little houses with lively laughter

2. People in a square fitting like a circle, gathered like presents around the tree.

3. Time and joy with my nurturing family

4. Mochas made with marshmallows mmm...

5. Orange scarves on heads with wild curls

I was thinking about the light this season. It seems practically impossible not to notice the lights around us. The darkness creates a backdrop for the lights that makes their shine incredible. Yet another reason the darkness can be beautiful. It frames light in a way we almost can't describe. We can only enjoy...

all tied up

I've been tied up for the last week or so. I guess those hard days got to me. But, I'm back and ready for my life as a blogger to continue.

The topic for today is buttons. I have been seeing lots of button projects on various blogs. I'm really excited about this idea of collecting them and creating crafty things with them (pictures to come!) The idea of buttons happens to fit in perfectly with the idea of being all tied up.

What happens when the thread that is holding our buttons starts to fray? How do we handle it when our thread is pulled too tight? What if our buttons don't match? Do we even want them to match?

Sometimes I want all of my buttons to be black or white and sometimes shades of blue and green seem to fit my mood. There are moments when big yellow buttons are exactly what I want to show and other days when I wish they were invisible all together. There are so many possibilities wtih colors, shapes and sizes.

I guess I like to just be aware of my buttons and know that I have the power to change them.

Okay, that's it for me. I'm all buttoned out :)

Hard Days

You know those days? The ones that you know will be tough from the minute the alarm goes off. They happen. And they have been happening to me lately. So, I have created a list of tools to get through those days. If you have any to add, please leave them in the comment section. The winter solstice is coming. The days will become longer and more light will surround us. There is something so comforting about cycles. Even though there are hard days, the inevitability of easy ones remains.

Tools:

~ drink lovely cups of tea
~ listen to soothing music
~ enjoy thoughtful blogs
~ read fabulous books
~ write poems
~ allow myself to receive love from my good friends and loving family
~ watch candles glow
~ look at pretty pictures in cookbooks

in the arms of leaves

On my walk today, the song "Arms of a Woman" by Amos Lee kept running through my head. I was thinking about the flowers and how they are loved and protected by the leaves. The deep greens and smooth shapes have the pleasure of growing alongside such beauty. The purples and yellows are wrapped gently in the arms of leaves.

Who are we the leaves for? Whose arms are holding us? Do we let them?

Can we be our own leaves? Wrapped in self-love and our naked arms?



Try it. You may just find some comfort there...

Our Characters

Fernando Pessoa is an accomplished author. It is thought that 25,426 documents constitute his archives. The interesting thing about him is that he created multiple characters- at least 72 of who are known. Fascinatingly, these characters are not in his books, they are writing his books. They each have their distinct personalities and biographies, some of which are close to Pessoa’s and some differ greatly. He wrote poetry and nonfiction from the voices of these various “authors,” including the wonderfully written collection of prose manuscripts, The Book of Disquietude by Bernardo Soares.

The idea of Pessoa’s characters is enthralling. I would venture to say that most of us have not consciously created characters outside of ourselves, yet our three-dimensional personalities are intricately complex. It is not possible to express all of our layers and facets all the time, nor would we want to. Therefore, we inevitably have many character traits hiding within us at any given time. What aspects are sitting below your surface?

Sometimes it’s hard for me to know that there are parts inside of me that others cannot see. At the same time, I know that there is purpose in the way we work. It allows us to function and enter various situations without pressure and vulnerability. There is comfort in staying a mystery and being the only one to fully understand who I am. There is choice and selectivity within my world and it is a special privilege for someone to be allowed to witness the parts that only come out in intimate moments. I thank the people that allow me this privilege in their worlds. I cherish these people who share their depths and make up the richness of my life.

encourage the unspoken

I just returned from a magical weekend away with my mom and my sister. We talked and talked and talked- mainly because I couldn’t stop :) When you spend extended time with someone, you have enough time to get past the catch-up. This weekend, I had the honor of hearing new and interesting ideas and beliefs- not only from my two lovelies, but from myself as well.

How do we get to this place with those we love, when we are so busy and only have time for weekly conversations or coffee when we can squeeze it in? We all have so many thoughts and opinions about the world around us. Even when we do spend time with people, we can get so trapped in our daily lives and problems, that we don’t allow ourselves the space to explore our thoughts about religion, spirituality, meaning, philosophy, or our passions. We may not even take the time to discuss our thoughts on the color orange, how many books we have on our shelves that have gone unread, the first thoughts in our minds when we first wake, or the meaning behind the pictures and quotes we surround ourselves with.

I hope to encourage these conversations that so often escape our attention. To push the boundaries we set up to function on a daily basis. I believe that we can catch up with joy and relish our exploration of what lies beyond.

A Poet’s Process

Poetry Thursday’s prompt this week is: If These Walls Could Talk. I struggled with this topic for some reason. I kept thinking about all the things that walls could say. They could be encouraging, understanding, imaginative, solemn, silent, etc… I thought I would show you my different attempts and the final product. It came out much differently than I would have thought, but the poet’s process is to let the muse flow.


*******

I get you, you say
But there are so many parts of me, I reply
I see you, you say
But I am hiding, I reply
I hear you, you say
But I am silent, I reply
I accept you, you say
But I do not accept myself, I reply
I have faith, you say
Thank you, I reply

*******

If these walls could talk
Then I could engage
With their wisdom and sage
They could announce their reds and blues
With conviction and delight

*******

If these walls could talk
My feet would not sink through clouds
I could know their secrets
Their moments of witness
I could hear the truth
And tell it
I could play with struggle and realness

*******

(beginning of a sonnet)

Hush now, I will tell you a fairytale
A magic cottage sits among the trees
Swarming with stars and moons avail
I beckon you to enter if you please
The walls will join us for a cup of tea
And speak of hidden secrets deep inside
Of solitude and yens to flee

*******

Be quiet, they would say
Listen to the creak of the rocking chair
Wait patiently for the scream of the kettle
The beckoning whisper of the couch

*******

Newly constructed, my painted skin reflected
The naiveté in your blushed cheeks
I observed cups of chamomile and girly giggles
The stillness of sweet intimacy covering harsh histories

Slowly, silence grew louder, echoed harder
Frustrations fell in chipped pieces from my ceiling
My walls unwilling participants
Of broken china and crushed bones
I witnessed cycles spinning fast
Into knees begging for kind acceptance
Needing relief to reach the core
Where all goodness settles

I wept for the innocence lost from your eyes
Watching it linger in the air for a brief moment
Before its final escape through the screen door

Hush now, lean against me
I will hold you, for time has made me brave
Let us quiet together
And sigh.