[Silxie]

This is a place to collect those treasures that make everything make sense. These are poems I find myself reaching for often, sometimes having to dig into PMs or hit up Google. Feel free to post and share the poems that inspire you.

Shaking the Tree

Vine and branch we’re connected in this world
of sound and echo, figure and shadow, the leaves
contingent, roots pushing against earth. An apple

belongs to itself, to stem and tree, to air
that claims it, then ground. Connections
balance, each motion changes another. Precarious,

hanging together, we don’t know what our lives
support, and we touch in the least shift of breathing.
Each holy thing is borrowed. Everything depends.

~ Jeanne Lohmann
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

The Elephant
By Rudyard Kipling


I will remember what I was. I am sick of rope and chain-
I will remember my old strength and ally my forest-affairs.
I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar-cane.
I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs.


I will go out until the day, until the morning break,
Out to the winds’ untainted kiss, the waters’ clean caress.
I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket-stake.
I will revisit my lost lovers, and playmates masterless


(thank you Bajin)
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

This is the poem from Nelson Mandela's inaugural speech. But apparently it is originally from a course in miracles.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

I've posted this before but...

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Mary Oliver
http://www.allspirit.co.uk/maryoliver.html
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Fasteddy]

Very very simple one, but it makes me feel happy

Two little clouds one April day came sailing across the sky,
they banged their heads and both began to cry.

The sun came up and said, "Never mind my little Dears,
i'll send my sunbeams down to dry your fallen tears".
_________________
Take good care and stay safe,

Eddy
Sheddy

[Silxie]

LOL Thats awesome Eddy!

Here is another one...


I am what I am
It is what it it
There are no mistakes.

Tom Robbins - Villia Incognito.
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

Another way that you love your enemy is this:

When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy,
that is the time which you must not do it.
There will come a time, in many instances,
when the person who hates you most,
the person who has misused you most,
the person who has gossiped about you most,
the person who has spread false rumors about you most,
there will come a time when
you will have an opportunity to defeat that person.
It might be in terms of a recommendation for a job;
it might be in terms of helping that person
to make some move in life.
That's the time you must do it.
That is the meaning of love.

In the final analysis,
love is not this sentimental something that we talk about.
It's not merely an emotional something.
Love is creative, understanding goodwill for all men.
It is the refusal to defeat any individual.
When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power,
you seek only to defeat evil systems.
Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love,
but you seek to defeat the system.

loving your enemies - martin luther king jr. - 1957
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

SNOW



Nobody stuffs the world in at your eyes.

The optic heart must venture: a jail-break

And re-creation. Sedges and wild rice

Chase rivery pewter. The astonished cinders quake

With rhizomes. All ways through the electric air

Trundle candy-bright disks; they are desolate

Toys, if the soul's gates seal, and cannot bear,

Must shudder under, creation's unseen freight.

But soft, there is snow's legend: colour of mourning

Along the yellow Yangtze where the wheel

Spins an indifferent stasis that's death's warning.

Asters of tumbled quietness reveal

Their petals. Suffering this starry blur

The rest may ring your change, sad listener.



MARGARET AVISON
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

Welcome Morning

There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry "hello there, Anne"
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.

All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning,
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.

The Joy that isn’t shared, I've heard,
dies young.

~Anne Sexton
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[allanesem]

Thank you so much for sharing these Silxie, I hope to put a few here myself in the near future.

*hugs*
Alla

[Silxie]

your turn next Alla!

Little birds
Now at my doorstep little birds
Flit here, and there, collecting the seeds I hung.
The wind picks up in the cedar with a roar.
The bees struggle homeward, heavy with their sweet burden.
Dandelion helicopters lift off and twirl across
My waiting garden soil.
Everything has taken wing.
I was going about that simple business of loving and living.
I was winding my way through days of joyful belonging.
Now everything has taken wing,
Unsettled itself,
The sudden freedom fresh and sharp
Seeding itself randomly on my soul.
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

-I Hope you Dance, by Lee Ann Womack


I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[allanesem]

On my worst days you bring me laughter
On my best days you lift me higher
How our paths crossed one evening, as most do
Playful bantering, light conversation
You were in my heart all a long
You were part of my soul but I didn’t know it
Although we lived so far from each other
We both knew we were one
Soft touches, soft kisses we were one
Distance was a nuisance, but we were one
Soft words spoken
Your voice so soothing
Your heart so caring
How you have touched so many lives
I long to hold you
I long to be held
I long to hear you
I long to be heard
Soothing, serenity how long can it last
Not as long as one may wish
Serenity shattered
Sickness prevailing
Fighting for all life is worth
Life slowly fading
Distance is a nuisance
I long to hold you
I long to try and take the pain away
I long to see you smile
I long to hear your laughter of joy
I hear the pain
I feel the tears
I hear the comforting words
How could this be, we finally found what we have been searching for
I feel the rage within
I feel the sorrow building
Even when you are in pain, you try to take mine
Even when you are feeling sorrow, you try to take mine
I feel helpless, but know you are not alone, we are one
Distance is a nuisance
Can I give you all that you have given me?
You have helped me live, yet you are dieing
I would gladly give you all of me, so you can live, yet you won’t take it
I know if the roles were reversed you would try to do the same and so would I
We are one
Your touch how soft, yet I cannot feel it
My ears long to hear your voice, yet I can no longer hear it
My heart aches to feel yours, yet it is no longer beating
My soul feels lost without yours next to it, yet you are still here
You still shine brightly for me
I grieve for the loss of the physical touch
I grieve for the loss of the physical sound
I grieve, yet I know you are still here
Your soul is with mine
I reach for you and you are there, we are one
I am your sunshine,
You are my treasure
You have touched my life and given me more then you ever know,
I only wish I did the same for you.
By the goddess’ will we will be together again.
_________________
Alla
Druid (Taxi, Medic, Friend) at your service

[allanesem]

I know the above isn't very inspirational, but I hope that everyone looks at their loved ones and gives them a hug, kiss and remember life is short and to be able to see all the lives one may touch and what a kind word can do to uplift someone's spirit.

Believe in yourself, believe in hope, be as happy as you can be and don't sweat the small stuff
_________________
Alla
Druid (Taxi, Medic, Friend) at your service

[Silxie]

/hug Allanese
It gave me shivers to read. I know anyone who has been separated from someone they love would feel the same.
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

The Filigrees of Air

The filigrees of air that brush our clothes, through like,
touch the space between us with gladness.
We are rulers;
We wear our friendship as a warm purple robe,
and speak in silver threads.

And I have mentioned your name
to the rain and the wind.
They have agreed that you are lovely.
In black eyed laughter the son is dancing;
His steps are no more joyful than your smile.

In the greenness of the grass I sometimes feel
that you are as far above me as the flower is above the root
But in these moments you
laughing, tell me of how
the rain and the wind are playing in myself as in you.

You are brought to me in the scent
of rain on pavement
We run and laugh together
We talk and dance
We are sacred in the season of our love.

- Tammy Schwartzentruber,
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Silxie]

Have I Done Any Good?

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

[Chorus]
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

Will L. Thompson, 1847–1909, alt.
_________________
I am a vessel of story arcs, spill me out any way you wish.

[Layla]

I was recently given this by a good friend and former classmate. It seems so appropriate for how I feel about the spirit of the people I've met and come to know in Tunare's Benevolence.

-----A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day
and said,

"Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the
middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the
table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the
holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They
appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long
handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible
to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could
not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and
suffering.
The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly
the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the
large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people
were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here
the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, "I don't understand."
It is simple," said the Lord.

"It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed
each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

Remember that I will always share my spoon with you .