the end of the rainbow

All of us have bodies that hold our pain, our emotions. Some of us have bodies that tell us when they cannot take anymore. They say it so loudly to us, it can be debilitating. I am one of those people. My bucket is full, so every little drop added overflows my bucket and eventually, the bucket can’t take anymore. I wrote the following while noticing how tense my body is after a recent health…

When you lose most things that held up your identity, that is truly disorienting. But, it is also widening. Those containers could not hold you. If you are water, you were ready to burst, and with each expansion, you became something grander: a creek, a lake, a river, an ocean. I think it is painful to leave. To lose. But I also think you have lost the labels and the structures, not…

This is an unfamiliar landscape and there will be moments that remind you of dangers passed It is ok if your heart beats faster If you want to hide because you see a marker that looks similar to one in that time As you walk you will see this land is different but most of all You are all together changed In a way that makes this unfamiliar land scary but safe You are…

Perhaps you fear the wild within because those who tamed you did The domestication of your early years silenced that wild beauty making it seem dangerous unlovable unwelcome wrong But as you grow connect live you will find that the wildness within the raw and natural beauty of yourself is your greatest gift Be patient as you learn this embracing something others told you to…

How do I stay anchored yet open? Like a Tree A tree anchors with Her roots She anchors to thrive stay strong upright It keeps Her alive and steady In Her leaves Her blossoms Seeds She opens She opens to the sun The wind The rain Parts of Her may fall Parts of Her will bloom And some parts of Her will fly to distant places and anchor somewhere new

I looked up this question today: why do some plants have shallow roots? I was not thinking about plants at all. I was thinking about people and my relationships with them. I was wondering why they could not go deeper with me or with themselves. Why there was a wall for themthey could not pass, to be more interested or invested. I turned to nature for wisdom. Plants have shallow roots when…

People have often used my goodness and dismissed my soul They have always known how to channel my helpfulness or land safely in my kindness but the things that make up me are not welcomed downright odd and deserve ridicule I find myself otherwise invisible used or ridiculed Yet still I am me and always will be That might just be the naturalist the poet the…

Where is the poet? Crowded out by noise and action She sees but can’t fully feel There isn’t space She hears but can’t fully listen There isn’t time She needs these: Space Tine Feeling It is where her seeds are watered and begin to blossom It is where the darkest night inside her becomes speckled with star light She needs poetry more than words rhymes more than literature It is…

Feeling safe after trauma does not happen all at once but in steps like the knitting of a blanket to cover you or the building of a bridge to cross Sometimes it may come instantly with certain people who already feel safe Through hugs or words or presence but most of the time it will come without much notice Just a moment your shoulders relax your mind quiets Those times you…

I seek companions who notice the stars Those wildflower investigators and wondered-eyed bug observers Companions who pause to watch a bird a snail Who stand in awe as they look up at any tree Who trace the edges of a cloud marveling at their mastery These kindred spirits are of my kind living quietly among the trees and honestly sometimes they are the hawk itself the babbling…

You may not be beautiful like a rose my dear But beautiful like a Magnolia leaf The beauty of which is often taken for granted but if it was not longer the world would mourn You are beautiful like a prairie the sea of grass in golden light that moves in waves when the wind blows Only certain people certain eyes notice but their noticing becomes awe in the sight of you You are…

The reason why you feel so much is because there are ecosystems within yoy Oceans that can rage Glassy calm lames Deserts full of red rocks Snowy tundra Mountain tops Of course there are days you feel a lot and sometimes you don’t understand them It is because the beauty within you supports a diversity of life and it is wild and natural inside

Maybe I can plant my worries like seeds but rather than grow them I will trust them to the earth and let them be Then who knows what they may become Some may never grow others may surprise turning into something beautiful and naturally few will be exactly what I thought they’d be But the very act of entrusting them to nature, soil, wild in itself will help free me

It is ironic what the world says is wasted time Smelling flowers laughing with friends sitting by a window All of which enrich our lives I would rather sit with my cat, Jovi and watch the birds with her than most things in the world And that would be a waste of time according to some But love & joy connection & peace stillness &wonder are never wasted times

There are many invitations in a day Invitations to rest, by a window, with a book, holding a hand Invitations to notice, the bee on the flower, the shape of a cloud, the smile of a stranger Invitations to be present, to the colors, to the moment, to the person Invitations to work, to care for your home, to help others, to cook, to grow Invitations to create, to write poetry, paint sunsets,…

It has always been true, that significant seasons, ones of pain, growth, courage, transformation, are hard to share with others in a way that they, too, see the miracle that grew within you. I just recently closed the book on a season of true pain and significant healing. And I want to mark it with meaning because it matters to me, even if others can’t quite see it how I do. I wrote this poem…