Poems From The Porch
A black bird just flew to the top of an indoor waterfall, took a dip, then flew away.
Now the gardener is watering the profuse growing things in this botanical wonderland, a benevolent act of stewardship and a demonstration of the reality of interbeing.
The air enveloping us feels moist and fertile, providing a nurturing presence all its own.
Heavy water, loud and plunging, yielding to the flow, is meeting resistance and going around, allowing things to be as they are.
There is a diversity of green in this place, none seeking legitimacy or meaning, no one needing a reason to show up.
I am grieving a secondary loss today, mourning the confident, purposeful part of myself, otherwise known as “kick ass” me.
My conditions and attachments are emphatically apparent.
I am like a balloon floating free, untethered and profoundly vacant.
What would it take to inhabit the space again, to relinquish the need for meaning as a humble offering from an open hand, now unclenched and willing to receive the gift of beingness?
If I want to go, then go I must until I come home to myself.
This self-discovery expedition is not a running from, but a running until;
until the pain is bearable, until my heart feels safe enough to open to herself, until I don’t need a reason simply to be.
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.
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