Author: heatherpound

just because you are 

beneath the surface

surrounded by water

entire,

~~

does not mean that 

you have sunk to

the bottom, irretrievably 

entangled in rocky cave.

~~

you might just be

mere meters beneath 

the cover of waves,

~~~

and only a few small strokes

of fluttering feet from 

the pure air that sustains.

~~

so, do not peer down into

the depths, discouraged.

instead look up, up to the light,

seek the warmth of the sun.

~~

be encouraged by its nearness

and you will break free from

the smother of a space you

were only intended to visit. 

~~~

and return to the habitat

you were born into, a place

where you can freely live

and breathe and flourish.

~~

–grief is just a stopover, but never a home.

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Mourad Saadi/Unsplash

never have i ever 

stopped loving you.

not even for one minute

not even for one second.

i never have 

and i never will.

~~

and now that you are grown

and living on your own

please remember

repeatedly

that i still do.

~~

your heart may come to 

wonder about your value

as the world around 

pecks at skin,

and its message 

‘not enough’

soaks into bones.

~~

but please do not forget 

that you are accepted 

unconditionally,

and loved

completely

and cherished

extensively,

and now and forever

i endlessly

believe in you,

always. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Daiga Ellaby/Unsplash

the walls loom high

insurmountable.

and while i know 

you have the way

i am not sure that you will.

~~

you part the sea, 

you flatten walls,

you move mountains

–and you have 

for me. but in this instance

~~

the battle has gone on 

far too long. and i am 

tired. and while i know that you 

do everything in your time,

i wish your time was now. 

~~

but then it occurs to me 

that just like in every part 

of life, focusing on the problem 

is exhausting.

plotting the solution 

~~

is overwhelming.

and that life is best lived 

today, now. so, i stop 

and breathe, extend my hands

and remember, that in this moment 

~~

in time you are always right here. 

and that no matter how long 

or high or wide this wall, 

that right now, even now, 

with you i am on holy ground. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image mine

whatever you do today

challenge yourself to

move towards the light,

wherever its glimmer 

may be found. 

~~

and all that you must do

is find enough strength

within limbs to stand

and move 

~~

even just 

a little.

~~

and when today’s light

fades, then slumber. 

~~

but when tomorrow you 

wake, seek for its gleam once 

again.

~~

as long as you are moving

towards the light, then each

day is a victory small that 

accumulates into weightier

things.

~~

and on days where tired eyes

cannot open to see, remember

there is still grace, absolute grace.

~~

–light-seekers will always get there in the end. 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Joshua Hibbert/Unsplalsh

carrying stones so heavy that you have 

stumbled for far too long to maintain balance, 

you have done your best to heal.

~~

and while the finish line may seem too long 

and far away, you have come an incredible

distance– i want to remind you of this.

~~

–when the journey is long, look back now and see how far you have come.

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Ricardo Frantz/Unsplash

lately i have been ‘behind.’

behind in chores, 

behind in housework, tasks,

in communication with others,

in things i want to learn, and things

i want to write. 

~~

this, however, is because i realized 

that i have been behind in other 

fundamental things far longer than 

advisable. things like staring at 

the sea, noticing toasty sunlight

on my skin,

~~

letting thoughts unravel. a kind of

hibernation that does not require

production from mind, body or soul, 

and embraces badly needed rest 

that is finally attainable in the season

at hand. 

~~

and i know that i will be better, and 

more productive and more interactive 

and more importantly more ‘whole’ 

because of allowing myself to get behind 

in tasks, but focusing on vital things 

nevertheless.

~~

—rest is an intentional activity too. 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Dan Burton/Unsplash

we walk down the gravel hill

within the tunnel of trees

and i nearly slip and fall

and you chuckle and say 

that i should follow instead

the example of the old

rally driver i am with

who knows where on

the path the grip lies

and you would be right.

~~

–listening to someone who has been there and knows about the path you are on is advantageous.

©Heather Pound 2023

my image

the storm is rising, forecasting

days of torrential rain ahead. 

~~

i walk down by the beach and

lean into the wind, struggling

to stay upright, grinning at other

humans as we pass by, brave.

~~

hair flying, clothing dancing.

~~

and then i glimpse the perfect

sight of hope in the face of tempest.

~~

sails rippling and smiles wide, 

they run towards water and choose 

the elements as their friend. 

~~

laughing at its efforts, they 

harness instead. letting wind carry 

them across ocean in pure, 

intentional joy.

~~

so, i stop, sit, and watch them 

for a while, ponytail whipping my face, 

and welcome the challenge stirring within

~~

that this is how to face the season ahead. 

not retreating, not hiding, not afraid,

but shoulders squared, embracing 

the beauty within the storm. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image:mine

it has taken quite a few years, but i think i am now close to

seeing myself the way that you have always seen me:

competent, kind, talented, even a little bit wise

—and equal, especially this,

something i had never really be offered before.

you chose a partner, someone to share life with

but also, to discuss deep topics and to make decisions 

—together.

~~

this, the precious gift that you presented on the day that we wed

but something that i did not dare to dream that you actually meant 

for quite a few years.

my history, my culture, myself, always in the way,

but you have made me believe 

not only that i have the freedom to do significant things

but that i have the abilities needed as well

and you are happy, nay jubilant, to cheer me on.

~~

and would you believe, that i, who can usually say

just what i want when it comes to thoughts on a page

struggle put into words just how much this means

and how much you mean to this heart set free,

and how deeply and ardently i appreciate

the gift that is being yours, this healing,

and for the relationship that we now have

but you always intended

—as partners

~~

©Heather Pound 2022

image:Dương Hữu/Unsplash

how incredibly tenacious

as a tree you must be

to sprout, and grow

and even flourish

whist clinging to 

the top of a rock

and battered by 

the wind and waves

~~

–life lessons from nature

©Heather Pound 2022