Author: heatherpound

On our second night in the new-to-us

campervan we slept by the water,

sunset spectacular and fully at peace

But during the night the wind began to

howl, the van began to shake and

in my nest over the cab I wondered

how much we could endure

~~~~

I ‘knew’ that it was fine. Four tons or

more of steel will not easily fall,

but this I had not experienced before,

so I did not fully ‘know’

~~~

In the morning I considered how many

times I have been completely safe in the

middle of some form of storm, but because

it was unknown worried and fretted

and lost precious sleep

~~~~

–I endeavour to do less of this

©Heather Pound 2022

Today, the story is raw

Words come out in jumbles

and full of sharp edges

uncomfortable in your mouth

I can only imagine how

your heart must feel

in the telling

~~~~

You are someone brave

~~~~

You have discovered

that the longer that the narrative

is tucked away inside

the more power that it holds

and what you must do is

simply start the flow

and that is not an unimaginable

thing when you find a place

that is safe

~~~~

–listening is an often unexplored super power

~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

image by Canva

I have always known that ‘His yoke is easy, His burden light’

but I used to think of him as the pilot, and myself the calf

Him a kind master, lovingly tending my needs and wounds

directing my steps, choosing what is best

while my neck carried the harness

~~~~

It’s important to remember though, that a yoke can have more space

Not one, but places for two necks and two shoulders to bear

binding two creatures together in helpful companionship

moving in the same direction, following the same commands

bearing the burden, doing the work, feeling the chafe

–together

~~~~

This God that I follow is of the sort that doesn’t leave me to

walk the path alone. He is not remote, out of reach, or jostling from behind

No, He dips his neck, accepts the yoke

and walks beside——

sharing my burden, experiencing my path

feeling the dust and the sun and the thirst

He willingly supports and offers His strength for both

the pleasant and the pain.

The yoke is easy and the burden is light

because HE is carrying the heaviest part of the load

~~~~

—when you think you’re alone and God doesn’t care

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

Abide

This is what I chose to do

with you

Forever and always in my heart

Choosing today, each day

to remain

This I will continue to do

as long as I have breath to breathe

I will stay

Because you have been

you are

and will always be

my abode

my home

~~~~

-inspired by John 15

©Heather Pound 2022

You can feel it clanging in your head

that uncomfortable, light-headed, perplexing noise of

‘something is not right.’ Two or more voices vying

at once for attention in your brain. It might be anger

and ‘I should forgive,’ or grief when ‘I should

be positive.’ Whatever it is, it’s not helping

you to avoid how you really feel and the ringing

in your mind will harm you in the end

~~~~

When dissonance arrives, the constructive thing

is to throw that ‘should’ into the wind and allow

whatever you think and feel be what it really is

‘I am tired of the anger, but today it needs to breathe

–and that is still okay.’ ‘Good vibes only’ sounds

delightful, but will ultimately scramble your brain

~~~~

You can calm the sound by being honest

even if your values or beliefs are not at ease

with where you are at today

Speaking the truth to self now is not easy

but is far healthier in the end and will allow

the alarm bells to stop ringing and paves

the way for peace

~~~~

-long term cognitive dissonance can damage us physically and unattended holds us back from processing our thoughts and feelings making them increasingly heavy to carry in the end 

©Heather Pound 2022

-after all, you would never hire an advisor who was wrong 99% of the time

©Heather Pound 2022

image by Canva

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

I wonder what it will take

to rewrite the story that

you hear inside your mind?

~~~

As you speak

you hear ‘victim’

I hear ‘survivor’

you see failure

I see endurance

you smell fear

I catch the scent

of courage

You touch the tears

on your face with shame

–and apologize

I understand how your

heart needs release and

how weeping is a sign of

someone brave enough

to recall and speak of painful things

~~~~

Words create stories and my hope

is that by re-weaving consonants

and vowels you may rewrite yours in

your own unique way and in your

personal time into something similar 

to what others can already see

~~~~ 

©Heather Pound 2022

There is a space where the disquiet sits

random thoughts about pandemic,

poverty and war with a few worries

of my own carelessly sprinkled in

like pepper and salt

~~~~

The ingredients simmer away whether

I am there to stir the pot or not,

and while a watched pot may not never boil

an unwatched one most certainly will

~~~~

It will overflow and splatter and burn

making quite a mess in the end with a mayhem

that could have been avoided if we had only

tended to the uncomfortable, stayed with the

disquiet and tasted of the ways that even

uneasiness can nourish our character, season

our passions and invite us to live our lives

~~~~

–We have corporately had enough and yet the world keeps on spinning and producing more angst for us to digest. But if we tend to all the parts of ourselves, we can then remember that there is still beauty and light to be found, and these are the things that we are hungry for.

©Heather Pound 2022