Heather Pound

the interweaved tension of

hope bright for all that is future

yet calm acceptance of all that

is now–this balance

is difficult.

 

a teeter-totter relationship,

of matching the weight on both sides,

perched upon the fulcrum of life

that sometimes

rattles and shakes.

 

if ‘the now’ is not counterweighted  

by ‘the hope’ of something finer,

something joyful, wonderful

and full of meaning,

 

then despair can invade with

force torrential crashing down

when life

gets hard.

 

but if hope is the focus alone

always only looking forward

it adds pressure to the now,

the now that needs acceptance

as is for peace to be present

 

or tension expands and eventually

builds around all that currently is

until white-knuckled, holding on

becomes part

of survival

 

both must be acknowledged, both

embraced, both offered the light of day,

 

both as real as the air that we breathe,

unseen except by the force of what they

can do

 

and the balance of what these two

together can achieve

is powerful,

is peaceful,

is healing

 

is worth the effort to intentionally

maintain and might be profoundly

harmful

if neglected

 

-we need them both, balanced 

Photo by Niklas Ohlrogge on Unsplash

i wake to the wonder of a world

still spinning, a tiny dot in the

vastness of space

 

and listen to birdsong drifting in

air, songs that have been sung

by multitudes, but are still beauty

discovered within the throat of one

 

and breathe air fresh, the breath

that life gives, abundant and 

cycling ever new.

 

i marvel then in the way my limbs can

move, i still rise and walk and

grasp and think.

 

and while nothing has changed,

everything is yesterday same,

today i am filled with wonder

 

and think that everyday

i should pause and notice many things

such as these.

 

because life is infused with beauty

and every day is marvelous,

worthy of the pause

to notice and honor.

 

so, look tall and wide and far

and high until your heart is

permeated by beauty as well.

 

it is always, always available

and is even closer than you think.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Oleksandra Bardash on Unsplash

i tend to float away

up, up, up into the atmosphere

like a helium balloon on string

 

not even noticing down below

to see what the body that is

left behind is doing.

 

lost in the clouds i drift, and

sometimes ponder deep and

thought provoking things and then

 

often i create. but sometimes it is

worry and cares and thoughts that

distract, dominate and eventually

 

distress. so, in moments like these

i must shake my body awake to reach

up tippy-toes high, fingers stretched

 

to grab ahold of strings

 

and pull myself gently back down

to earth, with kindness and care

and then offer myself the ointment of this

 

present moment, noticing all that is miraculous

within. because while beauty may be observed

from clouds, feet-on-earth grounded is

 

the space where all five senses engage and

that combined lovely may be absorbed into bones,

while perspective is gained, breath upon breath.

 

the here-and-now, this moment, is where

balance is restored. and while later i might

begin to drift away again,

 

that tether will remain.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Diya Pokharel on Unsplash

it is no small thing

to wake with sunshine

in your heart

 

to feel fresh morning rays

and anticipate the day to come

 

to experience peace in the early,

misty light-

 

this is my ardent wish

for you.

 

that the nightmares are gone and

do not bleed into the day. that the

things that are past are

historical alone

 

and do not pertain to your present.

 

you have worked so very hard and

come incredibly far, and while this

thought might

sound insignificant

to some,

 

to you it would indicate healing

deep and wide and strong

and free.

 

so, may this morning arrive soon,

and may you face that day,

and the next,

and the next

from a place of rest.

 

i believe in possibility

and i trust this day

will come

 

even if you cannot

                  —yet.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash

try not to fall into traps

of thinking that leaning into

something that disturbs you,

that you can do nothing about,

 

and letting the ‘upset’ build,

is actually doing something

to impact the problem.

 

it is not. it is simply robbing

you of peace that your soft

self is in desperate need of

wearing and does absolutely

nothing to impart change.

 

other than to change YOU,

adding to stress, stealing

calm, thieving away

precious moments of life.

 

so, where do you trust? How

do you make sense of good

and where does your hope

come from?

 

because the bigger your

trust, the stronger your

peace. this is where the

source of true strength

and influence lie.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Ahtziri Lagarde on Unsplash

we are like

droplets of water

clinging to leaves

 

who sometimes

feel we are only just,

barely holding on

 

but in the quiet rays

of early morning fresh,

we sparkle and gleam

 

even in those very first

beams of dawn, and transform

into an element of beauty,

 

glorious to all who pause

and take the moment to notice,

we simply required the light

 

to shine

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Y S on Unsplash

i pour the coffee

while the kitchen clock

that ticks too loud tocks

 

and settle into my

comfortable chair

while you sit in your

spot that is closer

to the window.

 

and although we

don’t say all that much

we are aware that the

 

other is there. and i glance

outside often as the

morning rays paint

pictures in multicolor

beyond the windowpane

 

and think to myself

the importance of things

like these,

these rituals.

 

moments that mark

the days, that slow

the galloping pace

of time. the anchors

that remind us that

we are right now,

right here and

introduce

peace.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

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