Heather Pound

i wish i could take you

by the hand and show you

all the good,

 

all the things that you

intrinsically possess.

 

the qualities, nuances, talents,

and expressions of these

that make up who you are,

that make you unique

and likeable

and altogether lovely.

 

but the heavy truth is that

the reflection in my eyes

is not enough,

never enough.

no, you must

gather this

yourself.

 

place this in your basket,

bit by bit. and do not

filter with cruel,

unforgiving sight,

 

speaking of yourself things unkind,

things that you would never speak

out loud of others.

 

and whose voice is that whispering

to you anyway, the accent, tempo,

and unloving flavour of the words?

 

do not let that voice become your

own, resist it fierce for it is a stealer

of all that is good.

 

and there is good, much good to be

gathered within the garden of your

nature.

 

and since i cannot

make you see

-not really-

my hope is that

you will understand,

accept, embrace this

in a little while

and on your own

and may it last.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image: Fran via Unsplash

palm fronds out my window

rise and fall and flow

with the wind

and the music does as well,

notes meld and dance.

 

melody and harmony

approach each other to bow,

then whirl away,

arms swaying

feet spinning

joy obvious.

 

and as the clouds blow past

on a day not full of sun,

but not as dark as the day

before,

 

i consider the state of

my own heart as well.

and know that i will be

better off and richer

in the hours ahead for

taking a few moments

 

to notice and appreciate and

allow beauty to become my

companion of choice.

 

this i always know,

but do not always do

and now i wonder why.

 

and the music bows again

and the palms wave farewell

and my heart feels

the sun at last

and the magpie sings.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image: Ovidiu Cozma via Unsplash

you will be kept warm

at all times and in all

circumstances if you

wear love like

a garment.

 

whether today it is

stained or tattered

and torn, or clean

and fresh and new.

 

this garb can always

be mended, always

be scrubbed and

can always be

altered, regardless.

 

it will protect and

nourish and will

draw your soul

to all that is

valuable and

worthwhile and

good.

 

and while you are

clothed with this

apparel that is

finer than the

highest of fashion

shaped by mankind,

 

you will not only

wear love next to

skin, you will

exude its aroma

to all those who

have the pleasure

of being near.

 

so do not stare long

into your wardrobe

today, take space

and look into your

heart instead,

 

select the finest

garment you find,

slip it over

your head,

and step out

into the world. 

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Timothy Dykes via Unsplash

it is childish to

say that we are

sorry, but then

to not turn,

insincere.

 

not change the

direction of the

way that we

behave,

 

not temper our

actions, our

tongue, our

attitudes,

our hands.

 

no, that is not

‘sorry’ at all,

for truly being

sorry for the

thing that caused

pain, is wholly

in action, not

just a word.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Dev Asangbam via Unsplash

do not become restless.

just take a few moments

to breathe into this pause.

 

do not gallop unbridled

through this season of

transition as if this

 

unknown destination is

all that must be sought.

no, take this time to

 

locate the daisies growing

in the cracks therein and

observe them with patience

 

for within this space of

hiatus there are nuggets

of gold and lessons galore

 

and even though this is not

where you want right now to

be, you can still locate peace.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Jakob Owens via Unsplash

once upon a time there was

a girl whose heart was open

wide and who, with stars in

her eyes stepped out on the

path of life

 

it wasn’t too long until a bit

of rain began. first, it was a

drizzle and with a smile she

brushed the droplets from her

eyes with ease.

 

as the journey continued, the rains

grew more consistent. yes, there

were days of sunshine, too, but

when the rain struck hard and fast

she leaned into the wind.

 

and then the storms began, the kind

that stopped her in her tracks and

knocked her down flat, but every

morning she would climb back up

one foot at a time.

 

until one day she could no longer

rise. and as she lay, she wondered

all kind of things. how had she

failed, would she ever walk again,

and was she even worthy?

 

and she was compelled to rest. and

she learned that rest was good, that

it was okay to shelter in the storm,

that life had rhythms and that

healing is a part of these.

 

she watched as her wounds began to

mend, painfully slow but steady, and

she began to hobble. and while

sometimes she stumbled, she

discovered she was surely  

 

growing stronger than before and

learning to live with intention and

boundaries and things that were

appropriate all along, but that she

was discovering at last.

 

and while it would be nice to simply

state that she lived happily ever after,

she did develop deep and abounding joy,

and peace and contentment were often

her companion, realistically ever after.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Wolf Zimmermann via Unsplash

it is not okay

to simply

download

pain

 

prickly

with hurt

and injury

perpetuating

 

sword

white hot

it slashes

without

discrimination

 

and limbs are

severed, and

hearts bleed

fresh

 

yes, your pain

is valid, even

understood

 

but it does

not give you

license just

to strike

 

this pain that

has become

part of your

identity must

be allowed

to be more

suitably

processed

 

and that takes

intentionality

and courage

and patience

 

and these flashes

of outrage do

nothing but

add to shame

 

and haven’t

we all had

enough of

that

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image: Cathi Geisler

you hang your head in

sorrow because you do

not know the crown

unseen that sits upon it.

 

you do not remember

that there is a life lived

full and wild and free

of experiences to draw

 

upon and that your

worth has nothing to

do with what you do,

but with who you have

 

become and who you

have been when you knelt

alone on bathroom floor

before your hardest day

 

when your view of hope

was dim and uncertainty

all around, and who you

have become as you kept

 

on walking anyway, trying 

to be faithful even though

broken. you, yes you, are

still here and you are worthy

 

of things that are good, of

life left to be lived, of gifts

unexpected yet to be given.

so, do not give up, my dear,

 

raise your head, straighten

crooked crown, know when

to accept assistance along the

way and remember

 

who you are.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Lily via Unsplash

the tui comes and

perches elegant

feathers flashing

white chin bobbing

 

and i appreciate what a

stunning specimen of

feathered friend he is

before he shoots off

swift.

 

a few winks later an

altogether different

sort of fowl arrives

to take his place.

 

plume merrily bobbing

at top of head,

feather’s fluffed but

muted.

 

roly-poly and round,

i wonder how he

managed to jump that

height into bush at all!

 

and yet, this brother

quail is gloriously

turned out as well.

 

there is enough room

within beauty for them

both, different

as they are.

 

and thankfully

there is enough  

appreciation

for each of us

within infinite

variations as well.

 

likewise, let us not

be harsh around

our own quirks

and diversifications

 

for keen observers

of species human

-and i am one of these-

never tire of our

glorious and splendid

fluctuations too.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Cathi Giesler

when the future

that you want

is coming ever

slow

 

take a moment

and consider

today

 

what is good

and honest and

true. right here,

right now, in

this space

 

and i think that

you will discover

that there is more

joy today than

you think

 

more reasons to

laugh out loud

and rejoice than

you thought you

would

 

and when that

future finally

arrives, you will

find that you

have already

been content

 

more than you

ever imagined  

you could

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Dustin Humes via Unsplash