Heather Pound

you hold out your hand

and say, ‘come.’

 

quiet and simple,

the invitation ripples

through my mind

 

and i remember then

that while the waves

are high and the waters

deep, that you are always

greater still

 

and that while there are

many mountains now that

i have climbed, that i did

not face a single step alone

 

and so once again, i put

aside fear and doubt

and more than a little

bit of pride,

 

while fully knowing and

accepting that

this will lead me beyond

my abilities alone,

 

i step out on the water

and fix my eyes on the face

above the waves.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Matt Hardy on Unsplash

then after the winter,

i went for a walk in spring

and noticed signs of life

all around.

 

sparrows and seagulls and

even a flock of black swans

at the far end of the beach.

 

water sparkled and people

passed. trees bowed their

greetings and the breeze felt

like the start

of something new.

 

and my heart sighed deep

and long with the reminder

that i am, too,

connected.

 

and the cobwebs that had

gathered in winter loosened

and melted away in sun.

 

Heather Pound 2023

it’s uncomfortable,

this part of you that wakes up again

with pins and needles sharp and has

you stamping the floor to bring back

circulation.

 

this part has raised its head sudden

and fierce, and while you know that

it must breathe, you worry that

it will take over entire.

 

but this is only a portion

of who you are,

remember this.

 

you are so much more than this place

that carries this sadness, this pain.

you have parts that co-exist

that are celebratory and loving

and beat with purpose strong.

 

sadness, or whatever the feeling

uncomfortable is, is not your entirety,

not your name.

 

and so, do not just swallow back down,

you can let this speak courageous,

let it share its tale to process.

honor it well and thank it for

the role it plays on behalf

of the whole,

 

but then you can lift back up

your head

and also remember the parts that

are full of joy.

 

because the difficult emotions are

only part of who you are, but

nevertheless they

must be heard.

 

—you can release the bottled-up emotions inside that you’re afraid to feel, because they are not all of who you are.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Gianandrea Villa on Unsplash

you are a warrior, ready for battle

day by day and i ask you how you

find resilience in the midst of all

that you carry, including acknowledging

the sorrows of those that you fight for.

 

you stop and ponder before the

answer comes confident and you say,

“you know, it’s a matter of

remembering that i am not alone.

that no matter what i may face

others are with me,

 

and staying humble enough to

allow others to tend my wounds

when the fight is fierce.” for

battles are not meant to be

faced in solitude, but in the

strength of community.

 

this, the key to going

the distance.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Jed Villejo on Unsplash

the unlearning

of all the things that you

never wanted to become

 

perhaps they were thrust

upon you, perhaps at the

time you knew no other way

 

but now you have the chance

to choose, intentional.

 

you hold all of these up to light,

examine them careful and say,

‘this thing i thought was part of me

was something that i learned.

 

it’s not who i am intrinsic,

and knowing this now, i now can

learn to let it go.

 

let it wash away in water clean,

restored.’

 

what a powerful place, this space

of intention deliberate, freedom.

this position that was yours from

the beginning had you only known.

 

but now that you do, you will never

live thoughtless again.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Thomas Bjornstad on Unsplash

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