Heather Pound

in order to vanquish fear

it must be admitted

rather than ignored, denied,

 

shoved down. too proud

to recognize, tentacles

wrapped around tight

 

and tighter the longer

that its presence is unheeded.

avoiding feelings such

 

as these is a perilous sport.

instead, make space, and

while you would prefer

 

not to give it a home long

term, it is visiting now.

it has lessons to teach and

 

as you acknowledge and listen,

leaning right in, this is where

understanding and freedom lies.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

 

image:Jeffery Erhunse/Unsplash

tomorrow is a new day, yes,

but this instant,

right now,

is also a beginning fresh.

 

and that sense of failure

is simply that, something

that your senses notice.

 

but with each and every

minute,

moment,

second,

you can let that feeling go

and start over once again.

 

and face the rest of today

with renewed hope,

even after mistakes

are made, by just

taking a breath

and starting anew,

again.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

 

image:Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash

just because you are 

beneath the surface

surrounded by water

entire,

~~

does not mean that 

you have sunk to

the bottom, irretrievably 

entangled in rocky cave.

~~

you might just be

mere meters beneath 

the cover of waves,

~~~

and only a few small strokes

of fluttering feet from 

the pure air that sustains.

~~

so, do not peer down into

the depths, discouraged.

instead look up, up to the light,

seek the warmth of the sun.

~~

be encouraged by its nearness

and you will break free from

the smother of a space you

were only intended to visit. 

~~~

and return to the habitat

you were born into, a place

where you can freely live

and breathe and flourish.

~~

–grief is just a stopover, but never a home.

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Mourad Saadi/Unsplash

never have i ever 

stopped loving you.

not even for one minute

not even for one second.

i never have 

and i never will.

~~

and now that you are grown

and living on your own

please remember

repeatedly

that i still do.

~~

your heart may come to 

wonder about your value

as the world around 

pecks at skin,

and its message 

‘not enough’

soaks into bones.

~~

but please do not forget 

that you are accepted 

unconditionally,

and loved

completely

and cherished

extensively,

and now and forever

i endlessly

believe in you,

always. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Daiga Ellaby/Unsplash

the walls loom high

insurmountable.

and while i know 

you have the way

i am not sure that you will.

~~

you part the sea, 

you flatten walls,

you move mountains

–and you have 

for me. but in this instance

~~

the battle has gone on 

far too long. and i am 

tired. and while i know that you 

do everything in your time,

i wish your time was now. 

~~

but then it occurs to me 

that just like in every part 

of life, focusing on the problem 

is exhausting.

plotting the solution 

~~

is overwhelming.

and that life is best lived 

today, now. so, i stop 

and breathe, extend my hands

and remember, that in this moment 

~~

in time you are always right here. 

and that no matter how long 

or high or wide this wall, 

that right now, even now, 

with you i am on holy ground. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image mine

whatever you do today

challenge yourself to

move towards the light,

wherever its glimmer 

may be found. 

~~

and all that you must do

is find enough strength

within limbs to stand

and move 

~~

even just 

a little.

~~

and when today’s light

fades, then slumber. 

~~

but when tomorrow you 

wake, seek for its gleam once 

again.

~~

as long as you are moving

towards the light, then each

day is a victory small that 

accumulates into weightier

things.

~~

and on days where tired eyes

cannot open to see, remember

there is still grace, absolute grace.

~~

–light-seekers will always get there in the end. 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Joshua Hibbert/Unsplalsh

carrying stones so heavy that you have 

stumbled for far too long to maintain balance, 

you have done your best to heal.

~~

and while the finish line may seem too long 

and far away, you have come an incredible

distance– i want to remind you of this.

~~

–when the journey is long, look back now and see how far you have come.

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Ricardo Frantz/Unsplash

lately i have been ‘behind.’

behind in chores, 

behind in housework, tasks,

in communication with others,

in things i want to learn, and things

i want to write. 

~~

this, however, is because i realized 

that i have been behind in other 

fundamental things far longer than 

advisable. things like staring at 

the sea, noticing toasty sunlight

on my skin,

~~

letting thoughts unravel. a kind of

hibernation that does not require

production from mind, body or soul, 

and embraces badly needed rest 

that is finally attainable in the season

at hand. 

~~

and i know that i will be better, and 

more productive and more interactive 

and more importantly more ‘whole’ 

because of allowing myself to get behind 

in tasks, but focusing on vital things 

nevertheless.

~~

—rest is an intentional activity too. 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Dan Burton/Unsplash

we walk down the gravel hill

within the tunnel of trees

and i nearly slip and fall

and you chuckle and say 

that i should follow instead

the example of the old

rally driver i am with

who knows where on

the path the grip lies

and you would be right.

~~

–listening to someone who has been there and knows about the path you are on is advantageous.

©Heather Pound 2023

my image

the storm is rising, forecasting

days of torrential rain ahead. 

~~

i walk down by the beach and

lean into the wind, struggling

to stay upright, grinning at other

humans as we pass by, brave.

~~

hair flying, clothing dancing.

~~

and then i glimpse the perfect

sight of hope in the face of tempest.

~~

sails rippling and smiles wide, 

they run towards water and choose 

the elements as their friend. 

~~

laughing at its efforts, they 

harness instead. letting wind carry 

them across ocean in pure, 

intentional joy.

~~

so, i stop, sit, and watch them 

for a while, ponytail whipping my face, 

and welcome the challenge stirring within

~~

that this is how to face the season ahead. 

not retreating, not hiding, not afraid,

but shoulders squared, embracing 

the beauty within the storm. 

~~

©Heather Pound 2023

image:mine