Heather Pound

as you wake today, pause and wonder

how did these lungs just breathe

and this heart keep beating

even as you slept unaware?

 

and how the sun crept over

the horizon to warm your home

and heart, notice this

 

none of this is a small thing

they never are

and none of these should be taken

for granted

 

notice and you will realise

that your own quiet life

is always, forever

a miracle

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

i want to wake up this morn

with eyes open, shades lifted

to look around and fizz

with wonder at it all.

 

this soft chair, cat curled on lap

my beloved sits the next chair over

sun streams in windows bright

a full day beginning with the option

 

–to focus on either light

or shadow

 

and, oh my, isn’t there just so much light?

 

Heather Pound 2024

photo Ales Krivec via Unsplash

you look down at the cracks by your feet

ugly and difficult for the ants that scurry

there–but you see from above.

 

you see that the breaks in cement

do not extend far enough to upset

the balance of the path

 

it is still safe, it is secure

it will not shatter sudden

 

you can step over or around

or even walk sure-footed

right upon these cracks.

they are finite, they will end

a more even surface is

but paces away.

 

so when life has developed cracks

splinters, boulders or anything that

might restrict your path

 

do not look down—look up

up to the Eyes that can see

what yours cannot. and to

the heart that knows what

it is to walk daily down here

with us

 

yet sees things clearly

from above

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Wayne Robinson on Unsplash

what is this weight that you carry,

head drooped, shoulders bent

with the effort of it all?

 

before you stumble,

fall exhausted from the

strain—stop

consider, please.

 

surely, at least a portion

of what you’ve gathered

is not your burden indeed.

 

you have the option

the necessity even,

to lay down your bundle

to pick-and-choose

before you one step

further take.

 

to consider:

am i weighed down by a problem

that is not mine to solve?

 

if so, then lay it down…

 

is it worth the effort

required to keep walking

with this particular pressure?

 

perhaps it is time to let it go…

 

is it within my power, do i have the ability

to change this?

 

if not, then throw it up into the wind

like a dandelion gone to seed….

 

and watch it

     b

           l

                o

                       w

away.

 

            –freed

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Marek Szturc on Unsplash

simply for the love

he catches the wind

over the waves

skimming side to side

one wing at a time

grazing the surface

completely without fear

 

instinctively knowing

the ways of the sea

the currents

both of the water

and the air above

the tools he chooses

 

and wouldn’t you choose them too

if all that was required

was to spread your wings

to soar?

 

            –the albatross we saw

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Rodolfo Mari on Unsplash

come to life with expectation

that what has been

is not what always will be,

that you are older

wiser and carry

more strength than before.

 

come to life with curiosity

hands outstretched to

grasp what arrives next

and next with courage

not rushing but

not holding back timid.

 

come to life with stability

seeking to walk with

steadiness, knowing and

learning more about who

you are and accepting

responsibility for the aroma

that remains in your wake.

 

come to life with intentionality

taking what you have received

and doing the best that you can

with knowledge that grows and

becomes wisdom flourishing.

 

but perhaps most of all,

come to life with grace

never forgetting that you

are only one part of the

ensemble that makes up

humanity

—but that you are also a

treasured part of these.

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Jean Gerber on Unsplash

i once lived in a place that was hard

impoverished—its people often

wore this as lines upon their faces

 

in this environment my soul

was starved for beauty,

distracted by the suffering of humanity

around

 

until i began to zoom in my gaze

to anything beautiful no matter how small

the colour of a wall, the carving on ancient door

a flower that blooms between cracks in cement

 

and i noticed and learned and grew to appreciate

what was there to be grasped

rather than being constantly distracted by

all that was not

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Victoria Strukovskaya on Unsplash

i saw a whole pod of dolphins today

twenty odd strong, they leapt across waves

and two pigtailed girls playing a clapping game

with smiles and grins

more complicated and lengthy than

the ones i used to know

 

and people passed with ready smiles

as gentle waves rolled on and on

and all that is light and right with

the world felt near

 

and while i know that elsewhere things may

be dark—and frequently are

today i drank only of the brightest and best

filling heart and mind and soul

with beauty

 

when times like these come, grab them

and on days when they don’t…

remember and hold close

the days you drank the light

 

Heather Pound 2024

when your life that was once whole

appears as porcelain plate

upon the floor, shattered…

 

take heart

 

this is not the end.

you still can breathe

you still can think

you still can gather

pieces together.

 

but first,

allow all the

things that are

to just be, accept them.

observe them laid out there

 

then listen to the pieces

as they speak

 

telling their stories individual

acknowledge what insight

what caution

what savvy and understanding

wisdom

they already retain.

(these lessons are uniquely yours)

 

then sweep them up careful

to keep in safe place—as treasures.

 

these are parts of you,

your gifts, your learning

your legacy, heirlooms fashioned

to be passed down to your

children’s

children’s

children

 

these pieces of your life

although currently smashed

upon the floor,

they matter

 

–this is not the end of your story

 

Heather Pound2024

Photo by S. Tsuchiya on Unsplash

this place you are in at present

(and perhaps have been

far longer than you wish)

is sparse and bare.

 

it is acceptable to bring in

a comfortable chair

a cozy lamp

a hot cup of tea,

anything you wish

to make yourself

a bit more at ease.

 

but do not renovate

repaint the walls

strengthen the frame

decorate even.

 

you may be here for a while

and you might just visit again.

however, please remember this…

 

grief is a stopover

never a home.

 

—do not settle in for longer than needed.

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash