Heather Pound

i have watched you for years.

watched over you from the 

moment of your first breath.

delighted at your first word,

first step.

~~~~

i have done my best 

to guard you, 

keep you safe, 

while also aspiring 

to instill a sense of 

wonder at the world around

and an understanding

of your importance in it, 

courage.

your talents, abilities, 

a joy to you, 

a gift of fresh air to others. 

~~~~

but now it is up to you.

i cannot walk your path,

cannot dream your dreams,

hold your hand, plan your way.

this is part of letting go, 

and you must take the reins.

~~~~

and i

must not block the way. 

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

image:Mantas Hesthaven/Canva

i am water.

unsettled

shaken

ripples

on surface,

difficult to

navigate

for myself

and others.

tossed by

the wind,

currents

and tides

unpredictable,

unsubstantial,

agitated.

~~~~

but like the sea

i can still

by restless activity

paused,

purposelessness

bridled,

intentionally

seeking rest,

ceasing of

nervous motion,

calm enough

for waves to 

soften, 

dispel.

time spent

seeking peace

and finding that

grace is still there,

always there,

even for me.

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

image:Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash

do you feel

that stretch,

the pull of flesh 

that steals breath?

instinct says, 

‘pull back, restrain,

always protect

come what may.’

but when it comes 

to sorrow,

resisting only 

adds to pain.

~~~~

instead, lean in. 

embrace.

allow the tears 

to flow, as many

and as often 

as required. and

remember that 

added space

within a heart

is never waste. 

~~~~

–a heart that has expanded through sorrow, is a heart that can hold more love.

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

image:Natasha Reddy/Unsplash

when fragile 

comes to call

a visit has often 

recently occurred

by cousin ‘should’

who whispers,

foul breath upon

our necks, that

mistakes should

not be made, or 

the responsibility

of the happiness

of others should

be ours to bear,

or we should

not have needs 

of our own.

~~~~

he is an ungrateful 

guest and the only 

‘should’ we need 

take notice of then 

is that we should 

show him the door. 

then shut it firm

and tight, breathe

deep of air without

his stench and make

choices without

his crafty, filthy lies. 

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

i heard someone speak 

of their life full of 

considerable deeds 

and adventurous things

as if they were but dust.

~~~~

and i wondered how 

they could not see 

that they have not 

only lived expansively 

but with enormous courage.

~~~~

and I thought that maybe 

in the pursuit of achievement

they had neglected to notice.

~~~~

to pick up the pebbles 

of the journey and

put them safely into 

pocket to handle 

and polish with

appreciation and care.

~~~~

to embrace life with intention 

and enjoy the things

they had seen and 

experienced along the way,

not in achievements,

but in meaning day to day

~~~~

this made me sad indeed

and i reflected on my own life

and found motivation there. 

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

i have spent too much time

in the land of in-between,

not really happy, but not 

really sad. making it through

the day, but not taking the 

time to fan into flame the

spark of joy that lives

within, tired. 

~~~~

while the influence is less 

than in times past, 

this is the habit i strive to

unlearn completely before 

any more life passes me by.

~~~~

and to do that, I must remember

to feel. not just flatten and ignore

those emotions that dwell within,

but allow them to breathe 

and speak.

and listen.

~~~~

for while the mind might fear the 

message they bring, no breadth 

of emotion has ever killed me yet.

~~~~

no, the real hazard is that land

of in-between, that soullessly 

steals away days 

one-by-one, depressed. 

~~~~

and whatever life has thrown my

way–and it has given its best–

i still have a choice of where 

to reside. 

~~~~

in-between is a place

i will always determine to leave, 

for it is a thief.

its travel brochure is titled ‘safe,’

–but it lies. 

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

i do not write today

because i need to

but because i must.

~~~~

and, yes, there is 

a difference. 

~~~~

it is not a chore to be 

accomplished, a task

ticked off a list,

~~~~

but a surging within of

something painful, 

beautiful or brave 

~~~~~

that needs the air

to breathe,

be acknowledged,

~~~~

expressed with syllables

and pauses. 

and it is better 

~~~~

for the poet’s health

to put it on the page

than to let it wither

and expire unnoticed, ash.

~~~~

such is both the delight 

and disruption

for many kinds of creativity. 

~~~~

—whatever your gift of creativity is, pause to give it space.

©Heather Pound 2022

perhaps a world where scientific discovery

and knowledge reign supreme, we must

remember that it is not just knowledge

in the head, but what we do with that 

within the heart that really matters.

~~~~

the heart is not simply the place where

emotions come and go, it is the place 

that defines deeper, lasting things:

like loyalty and empathy and sounds in

its depths the character of who we are. 

~~~~

it is what entices us to embody noble or 

beautiful things, to create art and music, 

to pursue peace, to leave the place where 

we live but a few small years and the 

people that dwell within better than 

~~~~

we found it. so, care for your heart lest it 

becomes embittered or cold, lest it is driven 

by selfishness alone, and reside in the place 

where loneliness breeds all kinds of malice.

–desire instead to dwell in the light 

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

i know that it has been a while,

that you are tired of seeing that person

that you love struggle. they are tired, too.

~~~~~

but please remember that while ‘just get

on with it’ works for some, that a person

who has experienced trauma still wears

it within their frame. 

~~~~

it is not an experience to forget, 

it is an internal fracture because  

of the experience. 

~~~~

you would not tell someone whose leg 

was broken to just get back to walking. 

the injury of your person is unseen 

and they have likely tried to ‘walk’

on it far too long already. 

~~~~

healing takes time. and support. 

physio for the heart and understanding

as a dressing for the soul. and maybe the help 

of someone who has learned the ways of healing 

for the mind. there will come a time for them 

to get on with it, but it will likely not be when 

you think they should.

~~~~

and they might always have a limp. 

but they will have grown and will be stronger 

in other remarkable ways. with time.

~~~~

—-walking beside someone who is hurting is not easy, but is vital & important work. 

©Heather Pound 2022

you are allowed to 

walk away from

that argument,

that conversation

that disturbs,

that relationship

that damages,

the situation that

steals your sleep.

~~~~

you can change 

your definition 

of victory or success

from gaining

the upper hand,

to protecting

and maintaining 

your very own peace.

~~~~

you do not need

to ruminate,

just let it go.

let it slide right off

like a non-stick 

surface and take

back what is one

of the very few things

that truly is your

own–your thoughts.

~~~~

you decide what 

is important, what

takes up residence

between your ears.

no one else can

do that to you—

you get to choose.

~~~~

and you may be 

surprised at what 

arguments, 

conversations,

relationships or

situations you can

handle once you 

have chosen to

foster peace.

~~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022