The Eyes Have It

Sitting cross legged
Cool earth beneath you
Nursing your wounds
They've begun to heal
Even the very deepest, known to so few
They've watched you bleed
Fragments of your story
Float in their minds
Pieces of a life
Blown by the wind
You knew no other way
Simply to be
Without cover
Now eyes, seeking yours
Wordless questions
Spoken soul to soul
Reasons fall away
Justifications meaningless
Past, this moment, tomorrow
One
Not one thought, no pillar
Empty of even a single structure, or thread
Carried from the beginning
Many would say
Everything is the same
But no
Oh, no
Light and dark
Dwelling together
Paths forged
Keys
Revelation
Connection
In this infinite lack of separateness
Altered within and without
And so
The entire world
And all within it
Are also changed
You meet their eyes
They're still wondering
What will you do now
Loving them
You stand up
Smiling
And step into the brightly colored street

Tree Of Life (One Dance)

Sacred night
Trust the Mother
Stars, twinkle
Scents on the breeze
The wind, whispers to you
And you follow her
Leaving your shoes behind
Laughing, running wild
The tree
It is so beautiful
Branches reaching high
Into the night sky
Leaves, glowing
Shimmering like the stars
You join the others
Around the tree
Each aglow
Alight, energized
Circle around the tree
Bodies swaying
Chanting
Arms raised
Knowing
There is freedom here
Power
Faith
Healing
A current
Highly charged
It flows
All are joined
Dancing with the others
Never have you felt so light
Your bare feet meeting the grass
Cool, sweet delight
As you land after leaving the ground
Breathe deeply
Sweet honeyed nectar
Life's true rhythm
Hearts, like drumbeats
Matched to the Mother
You are young
You are old
You are birthed upon this place
And you die
Yet
Always
Have you existed
Soul's flight
Spirit's soaring, diving
Swimming through the current
As the movement slows
All are one
And in the silence
There are no sounds
Save those of the wild things
You all stand
Encircling the tree
Breathing
Existing
Knowing
Swaying
This Oneness
Is

Light

October 23, 2013. I wrote the following poem after reflecting on all the ups and downs we all deal with everyday, and how inspiring some people are, just by being who they are. I hope you enjoy it.


There are things we do
To keep body and soul together
Seemingly unavoidable necessities
Robbing us of time and energy

Our world
Some things seem so senseless
The eyes see, the heart hurts
Frustration and anger
At injustice, abuse and willful blindness

Then, there are the things we do
That make our hearts beat faster
Bring the smile to our eyes and not just our lips
And keep that light on inside of us

In the end
We are so much more
Than the sum of those necessaries
Each soul uniquely beautiful
With a specific gift
Only that one can share

In our day to day actions
The way we walk through our days
We can bring light, or stay closed off
We can help, or we can turn our eyes away
We can keep trying, or we can give up

The journey is so much better
When we surround ourselves
With those who inspire
Our days, our moments
Spent both on our passion
And on our survival
Sifted through the truth of each life
We must never forget
That what we do
How we walk
What we share
It DOES matter

The Day The Leaves Wouldn't Change

Beautiful autumn leaves
Crisp air
Birds, the hardy ones that winter here
Singing and flying from tree to tree
Natures cathedral
The scent of all things living
Breathe it in
Connection
Leaves, some on the trees
Some crunchy, underfoot

What if the leaves
Had refused to turn color
Insisting on staying green

The green time was good!
Energetic, warm and beautiful!
Why would we change?

But in this shift of energy
The most beautiful colors are revealed
Unparalleled anywhere else
A new way to be
A time to harvest
Enjoy the abundance
That was planted and has grown
Becoming something inspiring
New joy and new creation
Each day unfolding
In the sun

Yes
In time, the leaves will fall
They will become part of the fertile soil
And be reborn again
In all things
The energy, the mark
Of what they have been
What they ARE
Still a vital warm part
Of all that is

Creation
Connection
Continuation

Being

The Kiss (for dh)

If there were eye contact
There would be a kiss
It would carry everything
Past, present and future
A most intimate exchange
Pain shared, burning intensity
Tears, hands and arms
To hold fast
A lifetime lived
In just a kiss, an embrace
Joined for all time
To know and love thus
The greatest gift of all
Metered out, day by day
Honored in the heart
Carried through all actions
The reason to continue
A star lights above
Smiling down
Hold the thread
Beautiful lovers
Never despair
For so few
Are blessed as you

Nature's Music

No need for headphones here
I close my eyes
Just listen
Bird calls
Crickets
Frogs
A turtle kerplunks into the water
Leaves falling from the trees
Hitting other plants as they land
Dozens of sounds
Someone's breath, in and out
Oh, that's me
A part of this place
For just a moment

Another Little Golden Key

Two beautiful souls
Survived two very different hells
Failed by their parents
Uncaring communities
Judged, rejected
Found each other
It will be us against the world
Nobody will hurt our babies
The way we were hurt
And Oh!
We were loved, so loved!
And protected
Within our little cocoon
It was the sweetest, safest, happiest place
We were three
Fighting to survive
And then we were four
Oh, beautiful boy
You can still make me smile
Just by walking into the room
And so we four kept fighting
Belonging absolutely nowhere
Except to each other
Socially inept, separate
The world didn't like us
People are scary, they don't care
That was the feeling inside
Just keep your distance
And never show anyone what's inside
Except those rarest few
That's how it is
The four had new challenges to face
And so the little girl decided
" I am fine "
And everyone believed it
But inside
Fraud, faker!
"I don't belong"
Puzzle piece that doesn't fit
Anywhere
Seeking, needing.....
Choir and Chorus
Church
Friends
Work
Food
Fads
Online
Never whole
No answers
Floating
Endless stops and starts
Always too afraid to finish
Failure
Driving people away
"Tell me I'm OK!"
Until finally
Realization
Seeing it for the first time
No more excuses
It's just how life unfolds
And how we react
People do the best they can
In each moment
Muscle memory
Now you've told YOUR story
And in the telling
Another tiny golden key
A key to freedom
Letting go
A key to moving forward
Under your own power
No blaming
Owning it
And carrying yourself
No longer a burden
You can look UP
Look OUT
Look at OTHERS
How beautiful the world is
Self acceptance
Without self obsession
Finally
The confusion and chaos
Done
Cosmic charm bracelet
With little golden keys
Jangles as you walk
And you smile
Because freedom feels so good

HELLO WORLD
Let's enjoy this day
Together

The Same Beautiful Day

Places that are a part
Of our fabric
Suspension of time
Am I 8
Or 48
Little girl
Candy apple
Daddy's hand
Sunny day, fall breeze
People laughing
Woman
Bag of crisp, red apples
Husband by my side
People laughing
Sunny day, fall breeze
I am 8
Or maybe 48
It's all the same beautiful day

Ordinary

People
As they are
Ordinary
Breathing
Alive

A Comfortable Place

A place of warmth
Innocence
Acceptance
Sweet camaraderie
Devoid of expectation
Happy to simply be
No baggage
Companionship
Relax
Do nothing
Simple conversation
Or comfortable silence
This is where life is lived

Unforgivable

A shift
Risk taken
Everything on the line
Never before

And then

You weren't there
You didn't see
You didn't catch them

And so they fell
Far
And landed
So hard

There was no intent to harm
You didn't know

That doesn't change anything

Simply
Unforgivable

Long Way Back To Hope

Some things
Seemingly
Cannot be fixed
No matter how much
We hope
Regardless of the penance
And so
We keep the pain and regret
The lessons learned
And yes
The good and the beautiful
Altered
Seeking needed rest
Each morning
Awakening
New day,  ours
Days that test our patience
Days of happiness
Events that energize
And some that wound
The unexplainable random ones, too
But we can choose how we walk
Our actions and reactions
They belong to us
Seeking joy and solace
Sweet comfort
In the simple
And hope
In the small things
Hot steaming coffee
Reading a great book
Time in nature
Unexpectedly finding sweet music at a discount
Your friend's greeting
The stranger holding the door for you
And in these tiny everyday moments
While you breathe in and out
You discover
Ever so slowly
That maybe you are alive
After all

Closed

I'm leaving this up for now.
But I am taking some time off.

Thanks,

Beth

Done

Eighteen months
Before that
A lifetime
Tiny, closed, flawed
Invisible, inadequate
Wierd
Never good enough
Living to please
No self
Changed the channel
Open
Wanting to soar
Dream!
Hope
So Beautiful
This new feeling
But in the end
Messes made
Friends lost
Every encounter
Turned bad
Made ugly
By weakness
Insecurity
Time to own up
I did that
I made a mess
Upset people
Messed with their peace
Broke hearts
Hurt, angered and lost friends
Nothing good from it
Knowing now
That open field isn't for me
Not while I'm still broken
When you're not whole
You fuck everything up
No, not for me
Until I own it
Fix myself
No
Still flawed
Psycho
Fucked up
Nut job
Not to be allowed out
Flawed
Right now
Is for being small again
Crawling back inside
Find the warm darkness
Hide
Be small
Staying safe
And yes
Not making waves

Maybe someday
But not now
No
Not anytime soon

Dark

A stretch of highway
Driven daily 
Now a place of discarded tokens
Representative of hope lost
No journey to be made, no access given
Next to the coffee, a bracelet
Loud music playing
A morning just like all the others
The car window opens
The little object flies out
The car continues on without slowing
Rain falls
And "Believe" sits in the mud
By the side of the road
Forsaken
And this time
Faerie goes dark for good
No climbing back for it
Like all the other times
Unpleasant smile tugging at her lips
Eyes dark, relief in the letting go of that which is futile
Gossamer wings turn to ash
If there were actually a hell
It's honesty would be preferable
To the illusion of a greater good
Perhaps in the end
It is all random
It matters not
The light has gone out

Connection

To feel anything
One from the other
Pain, even anguish
Preferred over invisibility
Picking each other's wounds
Washing in the other's pain
Seemingly ignorant of the truth
Shared joys
Open, unconditional
Heart's balm, soul's hope
Love, support
Gratitude for the day
And what it brings
Picking up the thread
Connection

What It's Like In There

Our very nature
Causes us to call out
Question, examine
Throw off comfort
Seeking truth and knowledge
Restless
A double edged sword
To be sure
A thin line
Sanity or his untamed twin
Moments of pause
Nature's lessons
Simple rhythms
In the everyday
Are the peace
To our restless souls
A balance and a balm
For the wild places
Of our spirits

Sun Kissed

Warm sun
Kissing skin
Turns hair to gold
Heals the body
Simple gift
Free

Breathing

Always, compelled to look
Delighted
All of the beautiful growing things
Letting the colors, the green seep in
Connecting, alive
Here for but a single moment
Permanent impermanence
Erase all
Single moment's inhalation
Release of breath
Excess expelled

Pause

Simplest of days
Sunshine
Blue sky
Green and alive
Breathe life into me
As we share this place
A book, a blanket
Pause