I don’t know about you
but my brain tries to resist
sadness and doesn’t want
to listen to it’s quiet,
insistent roar
~~~~
It’s as if the mind is convinced
that if it pretends that sadness
doesn’t exist—
that it will ‘poof’ it away
Let me tell you now, however,
that that little fox of a thought
will consume the whole henhouse
if allowed to run free
~~~~
Grief is not something that
will dissipate unattended
It is a wound that requires
tending and gentle care
for healing to softly come
And will fester increasingly
without acknowledgement
—letting sadness out to breathe is uncomfortable but necessary
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2022
I live in that bewildering place ‘In-between’
Not knowing when I need people—or when I just need me
(Stage 1)
From chrysalis, safe and warm, slips out one wing ready to fly
But wait, I’m not quite ready, I need a bit more time
Wing back in, relieved
Alone is great
Hiatus is healing
Peace
~~~~
(Stage 2)
Fear. Of. Missing. Out.
They did that without me, really?
I ‘so’ would have gone
Spread my wings with joy, dancing
People are the best, the thing I need
This pupa thing is lonely
Constricting, claustrophobic–let me out
~~~~
(Stage 3)
I say, “Yes.” It’s amazing
Slip off to sleep smiling, pondering the next exciting thing
Making plans with my people, thinking about meeting new ones
Why didn’t I do this sooner, know that this is what I need?
Like a house on fire we chat, lingering over laughter
The feast is plentiful, the talk satisfying, the topics run deep
A bountiful banquet of benefit, togetherness is best
–My wings frantically fluttering with freedom
Begin to
Wither
~~~~
(Stage 4)
This morning I just can’t fly.
I can’t ‘do’ people, they exhaust me.
Spent
I grab my cocoon and slip back in.
It fits just right
Nurturing
Why did I ever leave?
~~~~
-Sometimes introverted and sometimes extroverted.
©Heather Pound 2022
These bodies that I birthed into existence
Precious like no other
Growing, changing, spreading their wings
I want them to fly, but still—
~~~~
These hours that we linger in the same space
Laughing, talking, just simply being
These are the moments worth savouring
~~~~
I drink in all that they are, filing away snapshots and smiles
Mental pictures to pull out later and savour
A steaming cup of cocoa on a brisk winters night
Nourishing warmth to my soul
~~~~
Bittersweet memories of giggles and tiny toes
Now walking slower, more measured, grown
Soft cheek became angled jaw–yet none the less adored
A masterpiece of heart and womb
~~~~
Fly little bird, fly
But remember where you can come back to rest
I’ve sheltered you from the storm before, I can do it again
Spread your wings, grow stronger, but always know
There’s a safe space in my arms
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
~~~~
If Christmas is a difficult day for you, please let it become this, a reminder that YOU are a treasured and priceless gift. The King of the Universe and I both firmly agree on this!
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
As I have sat and listened to people talk about
their lives, and I ask questions such as, “What
would it be like if you were able to let this
thought or feeling go,” they almost always give
a similar answer around something to do with
—peace
~~~~
Peace is a powerful notion for a heart that is seeking solace.
All of mankind can relate, at least on some level, to this.
But perhaps peace is a also precursor,
a doorway emotion that leads to other wonderful things,
but must be experienced first to amplify the sound of the rest.
A baseline of calm necessary before joy or delight
or other goodness can fully arrive
~~~~
Maybe that is why Someone Divine once said,
“My peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,”
knowing that this is a significant gift
with power to soothe souls who are crying
out in desperation for many other things
—but first of all for peace
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
—-The Light of the World came, lived, died, and rose to offer us the miraculous gift of peace. Merry Christmas from my heart to yours!
Your hope might be planted deep in the soil,
cracked and waiting for moisture,
and while that might not be pleasant on
this morning or the next,
one beautiful thing about the storms of life
is that they always bring the rain
And before you know it,
hope–the thing that your thought you had
forever abandoned, will saturated
from deep, dark sleep awake
and you might just be surprised at how
quickly it sprouts again
You may not believe me today
or even tomorrow—but you will again
I know I can promise you this
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
Some people call this this ‘silly season,’ but perhaps we can all learn a few things from my cat!
©Heather Pound 2021
It’s taken me a while, but I’m learning to embrace
something that everyone feels,
but some of us live half their lives–or more
not being able to do
It was almost the ending of me
~~~
The expression, or even the recognition of
our very own needs
Did I say ‘own’? Shock and gasp!
Is that even acceptable, selfish at the core?
It’s silly, isn’t it to see everyone else’s,
but ignore our own
~~~~
This. The issue of many women that I know
Issuing out their lives for everyone else, expected
Bleeding for those around them,
but dried out by the doing, yesterday’s tea leaves
left at the bottom
~~~~
We can resent those that we love
because they don’t acknowledge our needs,
but how can they when we
don’t even know what they are?
Or pretend that we’re fine when, really, we’re empty
~~~~
Pour into your own cup first
because we can overflow
but it’s impossible to let others sip
when there’s nothing left there to start with
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
Coffee cup in hand, early morning light,
pondering the tasks ahead,
just another day today, right?
But stop, what looms ahead is fresh and
clean and powered by a stunning thing
called—choice
~~~~
A myriad of possibilities ripples up and
down the tunnel of time. Exquisite freedom
and yet responsibility, wrapped up in a
gleaming bow of mist and sunrise,
making each and every day
significant
~~~~
So be present in the things that you choose,
choose them today rather than allowing
the day to choose you
~~~~
©Heather Pound 2021
Heather Pound 