For an Instant

There was a kind

of strength

that came out

of my deepest pain

and mixed with the

tenderness

shattered pieces of

my own heart had

worked so hard

to push down —

because they sensed

the amount of truth

they would cry out

was too much

for any one piece

to hold —

but they were never

seperate, really.

This strength found

a way

to reach up

just once more

when it had been

pushed down

too many times

to count.

This strength stood

and looked

at all that was

painful and terrible —

straight in the face.

And it vowed

to feel its own part

in it.

It agreed to keep reaching

because it had felt

the reaching back

of a hand

holding that same fear

that shook

in its own —

if only for

an instant.

In Exchange for Beauty

My deepest posture

became one

of reverence.

I found my deepest

self could endure

much shaking

on the surface.

It could honor all

parts of the whole,

without clinging

to a set of ideas

I had thought

myself to be

for a while.

It was no longer

about winning.

It was about

finding a way through

a natural process,

where I had the

chance to participate

in my own evolution —

reaching for a hand —

encouraging others

through my willingness

to face

my own hidden pain

that was entangled

with theirs —

setting down

a false

sense of self

and bits of pride

in exchange for

natural beauty

and connection.

It was the hardest

and most simple thing.

Hope

At a certain point,

the only real option

was going to

the source —

risking it all

to find something

worth holding.

It meant looking

within

and finding

that one thing

I could say

was sacred,

that one thing

worth holding

if everything else

I thought I had

understood

turned out to be

untrue.

I had to know

if there was

hope for any of us.

I had to know if

there was something

to be found

in us

that was capable

of holding

anything pure

without messing it up.

And it turned out

there was.

Sacred Space

I began to

listen a little

more deeply,

noticing without

forming thought

too soon.

I found myself

safely grounded

in the sacred space

of my heart.

I could feel

when truth was

spoken

and recognize

my own true

voice rising

out of the silent

spaces I had longed for

and feared.

And I knew I could

filter it out of

any amount of noise

and clutter.

A Quieting

There was a quieting

that came out of

my willingness

to look a little deeper,

not further into mind,

but further into

the heart.

And from there,

I could see

more clearly.

There was relief

I hadn’t found

in other ways

and a tenderness for life

in all of its forms

that held me securely

in my deepest heart

and moved me

to continue on.

Beautiful

There was something

beautiful

in allowing life

to fall

quiet for a moment —

allowing the surface

to not be

as my mind

would have it.

I understood

most deeply,

in the quiet times,

the value in following

my heart —

even if it whispered

subtly,

without words —

even if it was

my only connection

on earth —

even if it led

to just one meaningful

thought.