Author: heatherpound

sometimes practicing empathy

is like walking through tall grass

gathering prickles as you pass,

needles and spikes that will stick  

into skin and fester unattended.

 

so, remember this. know that your

empathy is a gift and like any sort

of ability of consequence, you must

be in charge of it rather than

it demanding you.

 

so, walk though fields far and wide,

empathize with the hurts and pain

of those you meet, spread your balm

on wounds to heal. but remember to

tend to yourself after.

 

and carefully remove your garment,

observe any prickly burs there, gently and

mindfully pause to honor the lives you have

touched that day. then fold your apparel with

care, place over a chair,

 

and return to your own life

unfettered.

 

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Oliver Pacas on Unsplash

sometimes if your heart is heavy

and you wake even in the new

day tired and more than a little

melancholy,

 

if you look outside the window

all it can take is one whole flock of

seagulls responding to the same

inner conversation

 

and lift together as one

to soar, sun glistening on wings,

 

and your heart is reminded again

that it can rise as well.

 

and it does, and you do, too,

to face with a smile this fresh day

granted.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Alimo 26 on Unsplash

it sings within your heart,

this discovery of beauty

in places you thought were

barren

 

–there was water even there

that you knew not of–

 

and although there are 

circumstances still that harm,

you are unlearning their ways

and recalling that light

 

often shines in the most

unexpected of places and

that beauty is the lyric

of love.

 

so, soak this right in.

let it be consumed by your

bones, let it chase away

the sleeplessness of nights

 

and allow it

to nourish

your soul

to replete.

 

and remember you would have

missed this altogether had you

not purposefully detached

the scales from eyes 

to fixate on light.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

how did she know

after twelve long years

of suffering

that this,

 

this one man

with nothing special

about his features, his frame

was worth struggling

through the crowd

in order to touch his hem.

 

how, after all that time

of adversity, discomfort, alone

did she have faith enough to believe

that something extraordinarily small,

yet so difficult to implement

was worth the persistence it took

to lean into hope once again.

 

and she pushed through the crowd

and touched the hem.

 

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

he sat, head hooded, sunglasses on,

with the frame of someone you

might be careful walking past

on a darkened street at night.

 

but as he slouched over keys

at the piano by the supermarket,

he produced melodies both skillful

and tender and was fully invested

in the nuances required to infuse

the song with meaning.

 

and i marveled at the courage that

it took to express his soul through music

for all around to enjoy

especially in this place public.

 

and he gave a ‘thumbs up’ but

tucked his head with shyness

when asked to play another.

 

and as you should never judge

a book by its cover, you should never

make assumptions about a bulky

looking, hooded bloke.

 

–or anyone really for that matter–

 

their heart, it just might sing.

 

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Elti Meshau on Unsplash

i see you, that soul so full of light

that you just might burst,

yet mixed with contradictions

of experience and memory

that sometimes block the sun.

 

and while today is one of those

with shadow, still your inner

light, it vividly shines.

 

i see it in your smile,

in the tender ways you operate,

 

for you have learned the secret

that shadows always fade–just wait,

that light is monumentally  

greater than the dark,

 

and you grow in the direction

of where your focus lies.

 

you have learned from

the banana and flourish,

increasingly curving towards

the sun.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Max Ducourneau on Unsplash

you have not been okay for some time

and this is okay as well.

but now you notice how long that it has

been since you have sincerely smiled,

truly been in a space to notice much at all

–and you long for change.

 

you do not have capacity for much effort,

for much beyond what you currently carry,

but i am here to tell you that not much is

required other than to gently, oh so softly

allow the door of your heart to open

inch by inch, bit by bit

 

to the beauty that is the world around.

in fact, remembering who you are,

that you are a seeker of beauty, not 

simply a container for burdens

will balance out the weight

of your soul.

 

so, release the tethers that bind.

open that door once again

and remember that the sun

still shines

 

and that being present to the

beauty is the antidote to the

numbness of your painful heart.

 

beauty is there, i promise,

waiting to embrace you

with its glorious dance.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Dave on Unsplash

sixty odd years of life and love bound

shared memories, joy and sorrow, laughter, experience partnered.

what can she do as reason unravels? as things are forgotten?

illogical demands, unreasonable ideas trying to take control.

finding solid ground in the confused space for him

perfectly reasonable to him

soul sapping for her.

 

you can say, “it’s not him, it’s something other

brain connections misfire. please just remember.”

but what if it were your lover, your partner in life, your very best friend?

would words fall so easily then?

advice feels better in the moment, but can be arrows in the heart.

 

just listen, let her speak through tears, let him tell stories when lucidity arrives.

let them know they are not alone, that life can still be celebrated

that good days will follow bad.

for what else can be done?

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Nina Hill on Unsplash

creativity is a stream

that sometimes flows

swift and sure

but also can

become clogged

with the

refuse of things

like worries

and cares

and grief

or something sitting

in the heart

that clutters and

restricts the flow

 

and we can wait

for an unknown

amount of time

for the blockage

to pass, or we can

endeavor to

help this along

ourselves by

modeling what

nature does

and sending

a torrent that

will clean and

restore the flow.

 

you can do this

by sitting down

with pen or brush

and just write

the words or

draw the scene

regardless

 

do not think about

what you 

produce, do not

revise or judge

along the way

—just put down

any words you have

or paint any scene

you see or whatever

form of creativity

you possess.

 

do this, and then

the next day

do it again,

 

and repeat as

often as

required

 

and while you

may not create

anything you wish

to keep, the simple

flood of content

can wash away,

unblock the flow

and restore your

creative stream

bubbling bright

and flowing free.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Ron Otsu on Unsplash

you bounce around, excited

your presence fills the room.

gesticulating hands, and

modulated tones

 

your face shines with

the passion you exude

as you speak of things

within your heart deep.

 

you said that you wonder

if you are too much,

take up too much space,

 

if you should draw yourself in,

become less, retreat.

 

some have suggested this perhaps,

but i think you live at just

the right volume 

 

and that this world needs

more of the enthusiasm and

vision that you bring.

 

so, please keep being ‘you’

and don’t deny us of what

you have to offer, just because

of a few nay-sayers.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash