Heather Pound

What does it cost us to be kind?

Not a whole lot really, other than

not fostering offence, or the building up

of anger. Avoiding letting bitterness

take up residence and getting wrinkles in

the process. So, there you go,

unless you want to pay a lot of

cash for face creams and the like,

and vigorously put exhausting effort

into gloom-ridden things,

embrace the less expensive,

less taxing option

of choosing to just be kind,

not only in what you do

but in what goes on inside

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2021

Who are we trying to impress

as we stumble along, faltering

under a gigantic load that we

were never ever meant to bear?

It’s as if we are trying to prove

to the heavens above that we are

strong enough to do each and

every thing completely on our own

—folly

~~~~

Perhaps this is the definition of

a heart filled with the wrong

kind of pride. I can be proud

of you, but if I am puffed up

with pride in me then I won’t

see my feet clearly in front of

me and will quickly tumble

and drop that weight that

I should have asked for

support for right from the start

—community

~~~~

Or maybe we think that we

need to carry the weight to

prove our value, feeling

worthless or ‘less than’

Attempting a feat such as

this is going to damage us

in the end, wearing us down,

doing the opposite. Asking for

assistance might just give

us a glimpse of how others

are actually be prepared to help,

showing us that our value

is not dependent the things that

we do, but on who we are instead

—acceptance

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2021

Welling up inside, unexpected,

an uncomfortable balloon expands

Momentary worry because of wondering

just how big this feeling will become

~~~~

This time it was the angels that come out

once a year to decorate the tree,

each one lovingly penciled with our names

He carved them quite some time ago

with hands that now have been with the angels

for four years past. Him, the person

that first defined ‘safety’ in my world

~~~~

A memory of funny face and playful wave

making light of a terrible moment

knowing that this would be

our very last glimpse

of each other in this life

His body failing, my own family

calling me back to the other side of the world

The wooden angels remind me today

of this last great gift of kindness that he gave

~~~~

Grief is a funny beast, sleeping longer

and longer the older it grows, but then

waking up to roar even if just for a moment

Profound sadness, intertwined and softened

with love and laughter—and memories

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2021

I know what it is like to watch the pain of someone that you love,

wishing with your entire heart and soul that you could,

with your own two hands, reach into every crevice,

each cell and atom of their body—and heal

But alas, while humans can do many amazing things,

we cannot accomplish this.

~~~~

So, I am not here to give you any well-meaning,

planned out words of wisdom or platitudes of hope,

these you have already encountered enough. I am just here

to listen to whatever needs to escape your worn out,

tattered heart, and offer a safe and quiet space

–for rest. If you wonder how I have managed to

keep on breathing in circumstances such as

these, I will happily offer whatever thoughts I can,

but only if you ask. Until then let’s just–be.

~~~~

 —What people often need is a kind heart to be there with them. This is a powerful gift. Don’t be afraid to simply offer this.

©Heather Pound 2021

©Heather Pound 2021

Image: Canva

Have you ever skipped a stone across a lake,

water smooth as glass, defying the power of

gravity with every jump, even for a moment

A spontaneous celebration erupting when the

bounces reach a number even close to ‘ten’

~~~~

I doubt that the stone minds those moments

of not truly connecting to the earth. People

do, however, when they tell us something

deeply personal, and we are as

inhospitable as the water to the stone

~~~~

This, the pattern of conversation that

much of society favours, not really hearing,

and thinking about what we will say next,

rather than deeply listening, senses engaged

Either caught up on our own opinions

or worrying about how our answer will be

perceived. More about us than about the

person that we are with, if we are honest

~~~~

And we should be honest, because to be seen,

to be known, to be acknowledged, to be heard

is one of the deepest longings of the

average human heart

~~~

Creatures of community, we walk through

entire days withholding the greatest gift  

that one person can offer another

–to stop and truly listen

Senses simply and empathetically

focused on the life of another

Their needs, desires, thoughts and joys,

now valued just because another person

stopped—and heard

~~~~

©Heather Pound 2021

When the workmen dug beside the road a year ago or more

the digger damaged branches on the tree that has lived far longer

than I have been alive. But over the winter, I had forgotten this

even though I commune with her daily while at my kitchen sink

~~~~

But now the sun is warming and new life trims the bare

with leaves of lace, unspoiled, green and dewy fresh,

and the gash in her new season dress is once again—obvious

The branches that are broken, naked and unmoving, are

almost like a limp. While otherwise tall and graceful

she waves at me when the wind passes through

~~~~

Do you walk with a limp like this old sister fair?

Do you sometimes see the glaring wound more than

the beauty of the whole? Wish it were gone, will it away

and discover this might be an impossible task?

~~~~

Some of us walk with an unseen limp, a part of who we are

at times it is more obvious, but regularly

it reminds us to stride more measured,

pacing ourselves for the road ahead, not just a single event

~~~~

And this, while irritating, can invite us to notice

things that we would have otherwise rushed past

Worthwhile, kind, and beautiful things

there to be gathered like colorful blooms  

waiting beside the road  

~~~~

And while we may resist this journey

the best way forward is one of acceptance

embracing all the parts of who we are

moving forward as a whole

—cherishing the whole—

even with a limp

~~~~

—-This is the way to live with peace. And quite often our limp becomes a valuable part of who we are. If your limp bothers you today, embrace it and let it teach you to walk differently. It may not always be with you, but you will be different because of what you have learned.

©Heather Pound 2021