Scenic Wonder

Poems From The Porch

Petite, yellow wildflowers hanging on tenaciously to the cliff’s edge

San Juan river steadily carving time into the rusty sage and grey stone

Low-hanging clouds meandering nearer and nearer

Gusty wind heralding the approach of a storm

Sand mountains appearing like scoops of Neapolitan ice cream slowly melting together

Two inky ravens lifting and lifting without a flap

Turn the page

Dawn showing pink on the horizon

The rising sound of water navigating the canyon

Soft breeze stirring with the sun’s smile

I am musing on interdependence

and how forces of manifestation brought me and this scenic wonder together — merged for us to co-arise in this very moment.

And then my heart grins, recognizing that I, too, am a scenic wonder offering myself in appreciation and awe.

Perhaps Gooseneck Canyon is reveling in me, too.

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Engaging With The Poem

Poetry can be a doorway to the soul and your own creativity. Throughout the ages, the written word has been used as a means to access personal truth and as a vehicle for prayer through the practice of sacred reading (lectio divina). I encourage you to try this beautiful practice and let its truths to be self-evident.

How To Practice Sacred Reading

Read+Reflect+Respond+Rest

READ the passage through slowly more than once, noticing how it feels in your body and the response of your heart.

REFLECT: What word resonates with you? What phrase speaks to you? What overall personal meaning comes to you? Allow yourself to follow a tangent.

RESPOND by making space for the prayer of your heart to manifest. Write down the words and/or phrases that resonate with you, and allow them to arrange themselves into your own poem or prayer.

REST with your eyes closed, perhaps using the word that most resonates with you as your mantra for silent meditation.

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Dear friend, May your mind be peaceful and calm, may your body be relaxed and comfortable, and may your heart be filled with love. Thank you for reading. Blessings and gratitude, Ani