Tag Archives: silence

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Nothing by David O’Meara

I wanted to write something profound. Something uplifting and fun to help lift our focus… I’m sorry it just isn’t there tonight. So I offer you this poem written by Canadian poet, David O’Meara. However, what I do want to add is that we do have the perfect opportunity at hand to have those deep conversations that we may not otherwise share. Take care, everyone.

Nothing

"Nothing," he said, "it's nothing."
Then nothing was said.  Silence; nothing.

What she asked had come from nothing.
Sweet nothing, really, was all he said.

They cut their links like little wires, said
nothing about it afterward, nothing.

All over nothing.
So never to talk of what they said

until all that was ever said
was nothing, and so nothing was ever said.
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Spring Equinox

internet photo of a Hawthorn tree
Today I am sharing from Sharlyn HiDalgo's "The Healing Power of Trees."  In her book March 21 - April 17 is Hawthorn Month Here is a sample of what she says: "Despite the jubilant celebration of spring's arrival, this month is a time to quiet oneself and go within.  ...it refers to personal sovereignty in which we reclaim our personal power and pay attention to our own inner life.  Fasting, ritual cleansing, and refraining from one's usual habits and patterns is encouraged.  We may want to seek retreat and silence in order to reconnect with the divine and the unseen worlds."  How timely!!
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Take Time

Take time to listen
messages are there
what is it you have asked for
requested through prayer

If you don’t listen
how will you know the reply
rushing along through your days
won’t provide answers; tell you why

Rustle of leaves
breezy applause
nature acknowledging
she approves your cause

Geese honking
vee formation across sky
possibly directing
what you ought to try

Sighting playful squirrels
scampering, on the run
when was the last time
you let go, just had fun

Rippling water
continuous flow
changing patterns remind us
we too move rapidly but also need to move slow

Take time for silence
a gentle part of your day
take time to listen
answers are coming your way

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Bullfrog Baptism

I was alone on a cloudy day
a weary fog
pregnant with plump moisture
sagged in the valleys
brushed treetops with the weight of its burden

A pungent odor permeated the thick air
as I walked outside
the smell of rot and decay
wrinkled my nose

I tried to ignore it
but the damp air trapped it
close to my body
penetrating my clothing
seeping into my pores

I walked faster
my heels clicking sharply on the gravel
crunching beneath my boots
perhaps speed
would allow me to escape the stench

Rounding a bend
beneath wet trees
releasing captured rain drip by drip
I heard a bull frog
and stopped to listen

In the stillness
I realized the foulness I smelled was with me
I tore off my jacket
flooded with relief
delighted I had removed
the offensive article

But as I continued along the path
the rotten smell slowly came back
it was as though a skunk
had sprayed me along the way

With each layer of clothing that I shed
I experienced a brief respite from
the sense of putrid death

Finally I stood naked
tears mixing with a gentle rain

I stood naked
no longer able to deny
where the smell was coming from

On my knees
face in hands
I begged an unseen power
to rid me of the fetor

I poured my heart out
to the bullfrog I had heard in the bulrushes

When I finished
silence of the forest
was broken
by a chorus of frogs
They had been there all along
I was not alone

Teardrops and raindrops
had cleansed me with the outpouring of emotion
I had unwittingly experienced
a rite of passage
No longer did I need to run from myself

This forest baptism
ablution by nature
with bullfrogs as witness
had purified my heart
my character
washed away my funky malodour
so I could recognize
sweetness and beauty within

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Amethyst Whirlwind

A brief meeting
left me sad
a wistful cloud
following a flurry of activity

She arrived unexpectedly
colorful
purple
vibrant
and chatted rapidly
fidgeting
unable to stand still
not a moment of silence
Her arms moved like a captured bird
fluttering
floundering
feathers ruffled

She had grown beautiful
since our last encounter
I wanted to speak
soundless words
left my lips
stampeded by her staccato speech
trampled

As quickly as she arrived
she disappeared
a rush of good byes
no meeting of the eyes
out the door
an amethyst whirlwind departure

I wanted to laugh
to cry
to retain some of the dynamic energy
but the moment passed
I remained
deflated
the buoyancy of the encounter
drifting away
with the closing of the door

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A Dream

I dreamt I was
walking a path
full of mazes and illusions
twists and turns forking in alternate directions
temptations to wander and explore

I met a wizard
a small man with white hair
a wizened face full of wrinkles
that gave witness to the passage of time
yet his dark eyes still held
a boyish look, an impish playful twinkle

He seemed to be holding a secret
he was bursting to tell
I could not continue
along this strange path
without having to go around
this little man

He spoke
voice level gentle soft but earnest
No one comes to me unless called

I thought it was an illusion
I had heard no call
but as I attempted to pass
one hand went up
fingers pointing to the sky

A beautiful book appeared
filigreed cover glowing
with swirls of blue and green and gold
moving like flowing water
Next the cover looked
like a glorious peacock feather
with the eye of the feather staring directly at me

The timeless druid
asked me to write
I had no pen
but my thoughts went to the parchment
as the book unfolded before me
words leapt from my mind
to the waiting page
they danced and twirled and spun
beautiful pirouettes
a ballet of ideas and fantasy

I giggled as I orchestrated
this lovely performance of words
not sure how it was happening
but grateful for the wizard’s magic
his guiding slight of hand
allowing me a glimpse of creativity at play
with reverence I gently closed the magical book

The wizard had been watching
this sublime act
so his words upon acceptance of the book
were completely unexpected
Don’t eat crackers

When this comment was met by my stunned silence
he continued saying
the meaning of the words would be clear to those
needing to hear them

It was a strange dream