Photo by Matthias Oberholzer on Unsplash
the owner of the fashionable shop
told me that wearing one necklace
was unmodern, one must layer them
and that to layer a necklace
there needed to be not two of them
but three
i listened, nodded my head
and left the shop
all the more determined
not to do this thing
because layering just two of them
is enough to keep untangled
isn’t it, let alone three!
so if there is something someone
is telling you is the only right
and respectable way, that you
must follow their opinion based
advice to be adequate
stop to consider the source
and what they may gain or not
by your acquiescence
they may be honestly trying to help
(but this doesn’t automatically
make them correct)
or they may simply be trying
to sell you another necklace
heather pound 2025
Photo by Sherise Van Dyk on Unsplash
morning rays filter through the atmosphere
mixing patterns of blush and amber
seasoning with saffron
that in a matter of a few minutes only
transform into zephyr blue
as all along the birds and cicadas sing
and i, who used to slumber through sunrise
know these days that this
is something worth rising early for
and that a few more moments of stolen sleep
do not outweigh the soul-filling sustenance
gifted by the beauty of a storm-less dawn
--intentionally filling my cup
heather pound 2024
How do you fill your wellbeing cup? Does the way you live provide that naturally or do you, like myself, tend to get caught up with the tyranny of the urgent and realise at times you are trying to push on with very little left to give? My cup is filled with moments of connection: with the beauty of the natural world, time spent with people I love, with creativity (mine or sitting with someone else’s), time spent with the Holy or sometimes just reconnecting with myself.
Do you know what fills YOUR cup? If you’re not quite sure, perhaps it’s time to be intentionally curious and foster this practice–before you find yourself empty.
photo by Lino C for Unsplash+
you feel as if you’re sinking
sand shifting under feet
waters rising fast
and in your eyes i see the fear
but i want to reassure you
this is not the place
that you were in before
and you as well
are not the same
i have watched you grow
and because you only see
day by day you might not
recognise this to be true
but from where i sit
i see the picture large
and you, my dear
have changed
with intentional movements
that became routines
as small as they might up close
from your perspective seem
they have made a difference
and if the waters rise up high
(even for a day)
i know that you will float
and perhaps even have strength
to swim
until the tide
recedes again
heather pound 2025
Photo by Gustavo Zambelli on Unsplash
he hears the engine
of our son’s car as it arrives
i hear nothing, every.single.time
i know the lyrics of songs i’ve
never consciously even heard
while walking through a store
and my selected music refreshes
and feeds my soul like parched soil
now blessed with frequent rain
he cannot hold a tune
but loves tuning a motor until it sings
and knows sight unseen
what kind of engine drove past
(i don’t even understand
how an engine works)
we are different, yes
but are also the same
both with our own melodies
that beckon our ear
and our relationship involves
choosing to value differences
like these
celebrating the uniqueness
of our beloved, even the things
we do not understand
supporting each other’s passions
not because we are naturally
necessarily interested—but
because we are very interested
in the individual that holds them
------------------------
Our list of differences goes on and on but what makes us work is embracing each other’s uniqueness and the things we both bring to our life together that would not exist without the other!
heather pound 2025
Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash
have your eyes ever lingered upon
an object framed by open door
sunlight streaming from behind
and when you looked away
eyelids shut tight
the outline was there still?
i want to remind of you of this
so you will focus on light
wherever it is found
pause, gaze, soak it in deep
then on days when you observe
horrible evidence of darkness
you will also hold outlines
reminders of the beautiful light
that your aching, tired heart can
cling to until light bursts forth again
and it will, i promise you
it always
will!
--darkness can never overcome
those who embrace the Light
heather pound 2025
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
a couple of years back storm clouds appeared
and in a very short space of time
unusually large quantities of water
dumped from the sky, sudden
parts of the land were overcome
and places that had looked the same
as long as residents’ memories recalled
became far too saturated
and gravity
swiftly won
soil, rocks and trees slid down hills
covering over roads and paths
and reminded the humans
they can build and create
but that nature is mightier still
sometimes people experience this too,
personalities that have always appeared ‘stable’
are suddenly drenched by circumstantial storms
and are weighted down, down, down
until burdens prevail and damage occurs
and that person may not be ‘themselves’
for some time…
awkwardly scooping at mud, despondent
frantically searching for pathways
not apparent
so just assure them
this is okay
that like a landscape
they just need some time
they will find themselves again
and if this is you
please be patient
because you will find yourself, too
-weathering storms is a part of life
and even landslides grow flowers
with time
heather pound 2025
Photo by Boon Panthalany on Unsplash
you ask what you can bring
what you can contribute
what you can do to have:
a goal worth following
a story worth telling
a life of meaning
and you think the answer will be:
a lengthy list of tasks
mighty feats to test your strength
rules that must be followed
patterns observed religious
but the answer surprises
completely takes you back
since the Person you have seen
perform impossible things
stands before you simply
saying—
‘all the work that you must do
is to
believe’
sounding far too simple really
but belief
is the root
that everything else
grows from.
and if not wrestled with
is the place
where issues of faith
begin
---john 6:29
heather pound 2025
i made the wedding late
all 150 guests waiting
by only realising when
i began to dress myself at last
that while i brought the dresses
for the bride and all the bridesmaids
i neglected to bring mine
the day before this, as i sat in automatic
car wash (after the rehearsal)
my husband rang to say the police
had called to inform that shortly before
i had filled my car and just driven away
stealing petrol up the road
distracted
there are quite simply days like these
and we might as well laugh
(at least in hindsight)
at those moments when minds
that often support us well
glitch
and things that others whose
thoughts are currently flowing free
might roll their eyes and mutter
“well there they go again”
but, hey, my promise to you is this:
if your behavior is suddenly
peculiar
unusual
or odd
I will not think of you as……less
instead i will wonder what stress,
what tiredness, what thing
you just might now carry
that’s now producing this
---absolutely everyone makes mistakes
heather pound 2025
Photo by Serafima Lazarenko on Unsplash
Heather Pound 