author / speaker / hope-filled poet
do you feel
that stretch,
the pull of flesh
that steals breath?
instinct says,
‘pull back, restrain,
always protect
come what may.’
but when it comes
to sorrow,
resisting only
adds to pain.
~~~~
instead, lean in.
embrace.
allow the tears
to flow, as many
and as often
as required. and
remember that
added space
within a heart
is never waste.Â
~~~~
–a heart that has expanded through sorrow, is a heart that can hold more love.
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
image:Natasha Reddy/Unsplash
when fragile
comes to call
a visit has often
recently occurred
by cousin ‘should’
who whispers,
foul breath upon
our necks, that
mistakes should
not be made, or
the responsibility
of the happiness
of others should
be ours to bear,
or we should
not have needs
of our own.
~~~~
he is an ungrateful
guest and the only
‘should’ we need
take notice of then
is that we should
show him the door.
then shut it firm
and tight, breathe
deep of air without
his stench and make
choices without
his crafty, filthy lies.Â
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
i heard someone speak
of their life full of
considerable deeds
and adventurous things
as if they were but dust.
~~~~
and i wondered how
they could not see
that they have not
only lived expansively
but with enormous courage.
~~~~
and I thought that maybe
in the pursuit of achievement
they had neglected to notice.
~~~~
to pick up the pebbles
of the journey and
put them safely into
pocket to handle
and polish with
appreciation and care.
~~~~
to embrace life with intention
and enjoy the things
they had seen and
experienced along the way,
not in achievements,
but in meaning day to day
~~~~
this made me sad indeed
and i reflected on my own life
and found motivation there.Â
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
i have spent too much time
in the land of in-between,
not really happy, but not
really sad. making it through
the day, but not taking the
time to fan into flame the
spark of joy that lives
within, tired.Â
~~~~
while the influence is less
than in times past,
this is the habit i strive to
unlearn completely before
any more life passes me by.
~~~~
and to do that, I must remember
to feel. not just flatten and ignore
those emotions that dwell within,
but allow them to breathe
and speak.
and listen.
~~~~
for while the mind might fear the
message they bring, no breadth
of emotion has ever killed me yet.
~~~~
no, the real hazard is that land
of in-between, that soullessly
steals away days
one-by-one, depressed.Â
~~~~
and whatever life has thrown my
way–and it has given its best–
i still have a choice of where
to reside.Â
~~~~
in-between is a place
i will always determine to leave,
for it is a thief.
its travel brochure is titled ‘safe,’
–but it lies.Â
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
i do not write today
because i need to
but because i must.
~~~~
and, yes, there is
a difference.Â
~~~~
it is not a chore to be
accomplished, a task
ticked off a list,
~~~~
but a surging within of
something painful,
beautiful or braveÂ
~~~~~
that needs the air
to breathe,
be acknowledged,
~~~~
expressed with syllables
and pauses.
and it is betterÂ
~~~~
for the poet’s health
to put it on the page
than to let it wither
and expire unnoticed, ash.
~~~~
such is both the delight
and disruption
for many kinds of creativity.Â
~~~~
—whatever your gift of creativity is, pause to give it space.
©Heather Pound 2022
perhaps a world where scientific discovery
and knowledge reign supreme, we must
remember that it is not just knowledge
in the head, but what we do with that
within the heart that really matters.
~~~~
the heart is not simply the place where
emotions come and go, it is the place
that defines deeper, lasting things:
like loyalty and empathy and sounds in
its depths the character of who we are.Â
~~~~
it is what entices us to embody noble or
beautiful things, to create art and music,
to pursue peace, to leave the place where
we live but a few small years and the
people that dwell within better thanÂ
~~~~
we found it. so, care for your heart lest it
becomes embittered or cold, lest it is driven
by selfishness alone, and reside in the place
where loneliness breeds all kinds of malice.
–desire instead to dwell in the lightÂ
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
i know that it has been a while,
that you are tired of seeing that person
that you love struggle. they are tired, too.
~~~~~
but please remember that while ‘just get
on with it’ works for some, that a person
who has experienced trauma still wears
it within their frame.Â
~~~~
it is not an experience to forget,
it is an internal fracture because
of the experience.Â
~~~~
you would not tell someone whose leg
was broken to just get back to walking.
the injury of your person is unseen
and they have likely tried to ‘walk’
on it far too long already.Â
~~~~
healing takes time. and support.
physio for the heart and understanding
as a dressing for the soul. and maybe the help
of someone who has learned the ways of healing
for the mind. there will come a time for them
to get on with it, but it will likely not be when
you think they should.
~~~~
and they might always have a limp.
but they will have grown and will be stronger
in other remarkable ways. with time.
~~~~
—-walking beside someone who is hurting is not easy, but is vital & important work.Â
©Heather Pound 2022
you are allowed to
walk away from
that argument,
that conversation
that disturbs,
that relationship
that damages,
the situation that
steals your sleep.
~~~~
you can change
your definition
of victory or success
from gaining
the upper hand,
to protecting
and maintaining
your very own peace.
~~~~
you do not need
to ruminate,
just let it go.
let it slide right off
like a non-stick
surface and take
back what is one
of the very few things
that truly is your
own–your thoughts.
~~~~
you decide what
is important, what
takes up residence
between your ears.
no one else can
do that to you—
you get to choose.
~~~~
and you may be
surprised at what
arguments,
conversations,
relationships or
situations you can
handle once you
have chosen to
foster peace.
~~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
i would have never wished
for you to go through
the waters that you did.
i wish i could have been
stronger than the wind,
more forceful than the
waves. that i could have
calmed the storm with
a single powerful word.
but you have made it
to the shore, you have
crawled up on the sand
and while you may need
to rest there for some time
that is fine. for while you
are tired now the onslaught
has shaped you in spectacular
ways that you would not haveÂ
been before. you have
had edges smoothed
and a new shape formed
that would have taken years,
if ever, without the storm.Â
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
to be accepted, to be included
to be loved for who we are
this, the deepest longing of
souls that are human
~~~~
and yet we spend most
of our time distracted, busy
getting on to the next thing
the next task
the next entertainment
ignoring that inner call
towards connection
and we wilt
and we wither away
alone in a crowd.
~~~~
throw off the bonds
that society has fabricated
of how we must conform, fit in
and go for a walk in the meadow
sit under a tree, look up into leaves
and see the light that filters there.
the quiet humming of air
the gentle way it nuzzles skin
and contemplate for a while.
~~~~
there, within creation
you will find connection
in the rhythms of nature
and remember that you
are also linked to Holy.
a balm for your heart
freedom for you mind
and a clarion reminder
that you are already
known
and loved.
~~~~
when you can breathe free again
reenter humanity and remember
that connection is best found
within simplicity.
not through who you think
is wanted, but by being genuine
with who you truly are.
you cannot find real connection
without this.
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
Heather Pound 