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LISTENING TO MY INNER VOICE by Carolyn Riker

It was a moment of indelible clarity, staring out into an expansive sea; sunlight refracted and wisdom was felt...

Waves were both gentle and at times simultaneous crashing with my inner turmoil. And yet, I felt comforted; nature and I were in harmony.

I took long, quiet and lonely walks on the beach. Tidal pools were exploding with life and would soon return to the sea; a symbolic push and pull. Life and death. I felt it all beneath my shaking feet. It was there I surrendered and listened to the deep, deep wells of my heart.

For two days I visited the sand, the waves and the expansive voices of the universe. I listened to the wind as it blew steadily and my eyes were constantly watery. By the end of the second full day, I had become one with the ocean and acted on the insights given to me.

I had to leave a difficult space and situation.

I needed to reconnect to the pieces of me scattered; individual grains of sand mixed with battered bits of brilliant barnacles. My heart could not bear one more moment of incongruity. I had been living a lie, condemning my soul and unknowingly suffocating my creativity. It took a remote beach to find my soul’s quest and to hear my inner wisdom.

Listening to My Inner Voice
by Carolyn Riker

I let you into my heart;
a secret sacred space.

My trust in you was assuredly there.
I prayed, it wouldn’t be misused.

I gave pearls of veracity;
melodiously wrapped within my quiet self.

We were parallel lines drifting;
no longer converging but repelling
my synergy fully depleted.

I could give no more, knowing
superficial corrodes my intuitive helm.

My soul lamented, until I finally understood…

I must navigate the depths of the stars, land and sea.
My time had come to return to my dreams and be me.



Carolyn Riker, MA is a private tutor, writer and a poet. She is also a Certified Instructor for Journal Writing and provides workshops. Carolyn finds comfort and balance in her kids, nature, music and her sweet cat Copper. She can be seen sipping soy lattes and nibbling on dark chocolate. She’s a regular columnist for Rebelle Society  and Elephant Journal. She also has a personal blog here. You can also visit Carolyn’s facebook page here. 








~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~ 

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