Heather Pound

i hear the clock tick, saying:

-get-

-on-

-your-

-way-

jobs to be done, things to accomplish

but still

—i pause

to take in the day, this momentary peace

~~~~

i learn to take the pause, remember to be present

just look out the window:

the motion of the clouds

the soft movement of the palms

their fingerlike wave of ‘hello’ to the morn

with soft pink floss embracing the blues

the sky also wakes

~~~~

i let eyes wander to soak it all in

connecting me to the now, first

~~~~

i remember who i am is not what i do

you can do lots of things, but not really be

if we focus on the step that’s coming

we miss all of the now

then i wonder do we really even live

~~~~

this space, the foundation

the thing that carries me

my connection to the source

~~~~

the clock still ticks, but now it speaks different:

-stay-

-present-

-be-

-still-

—take the pause, devotedly and often

©Heather Pound 2022

living much of life ‘on alert’

hoping we are enough

to get through what is next

instead of soaking in the moment

~~~~

enjoying the now

gathering the goodness

of what each hour has to offer

relishing the flavour, the texture

~~~~

—what trauma may have stolen

is dreadful

but the last laugh is coming

and is ours to reclaim

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

today

look at someone you love

and say:

~~~~

“you don’t need

to do a thing

or be a thing

or achieve

any single thing

to be valued–

you just are”

~~~~

repeat that again to some

people that

mean the world

from a heart that truly

believes it for those

that you adore

~~~~

then look in the mirror

and say it again—

for that is also true

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

we often think that courage looks like

scaling mountains or leaping out of planes

~~~~

it might be fighting the fires of danger

or standing up for someone when the crowd retreats

but it is also opening the heart again after hurt or loss–or worse

~~~~

it is following a dream or risking rejection once again

it is finding a spark of hope in the darkness

or choosing to see the good in the mess

~~~~

but sometimes courage is simply just getting out of bed

~~~~

—no matter what your courage looks like today, it is worth celebrating!

©Heather Pound 2022

i remember feeling fragile during summer

perhaps more so with the scarlet in the trees

so when winter came, i closed the window

waiting for the surge of cold to pass

~~~~

and cozy in my blanket, cup of

tea in hand–i pause

~~~~

not peacefully at first, because accepting

the need for rest is perhaps the most

difficult, but important part of healing

~~~~

even the trees know that seasons change

and healing comes

the sun will shine

and all things bloom again

~~~~

—rhythms of life can be learned and the need for rest is not failure or weakness

©Heather Pound 2022

she watched her friend and smiled

cheering her on, enjoying her success

~~~~

an engaging woman on her own

but in her smile for her friend

~~~~

from the heart that lived within

–why, THAT woman was radiant!

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

©Heather Pound 2022

someone i admire was asked

how they came through the hardest

times and made it out the other side

~~~~

the answer was simple, they paid

attention to beauty and no matter

what else came their way

~~~~

beauty was always there, always

available, always free–if someone

takes the pause to see

~~~~

it’s as if they said that while

famine, war and shame exist

—there is also THIS

~~~~

no matter what the world throws our way

no matter what happens within

the confines of our frame

~~~~

there might also be a tree of brilliant yellow

right outside the window or a cat curled  

tight upon our lap for warmth or a bird

~~~~

serenading in the garden just because it can

with dew upon the daisies in tall grass

so, while there is evil and ugly

~~~~

–and make no mistake, there is–

there is still always, now and forever

always also THIS

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022

when you say that you

cannot see the way forward

so how can you have hope

~~~~

i reply that if you can see

the outcome, then hope is

not needed, no, hope lives

~~~~

in the place, the space, the

part of you that can believe

in possibility and better things

~~~~

especially when you cannot see

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2022