FROM A BELOVED FRIEND by Emilie Walker

These are some of my poems for a trip I took to Bolivia in 2013…

It was the first time being back in Bolivia since 2003, so was like a homecoming. In 2013, I had just left the spiritual yogic community I taught meditation with, feeling a pull to be more integrated, listening to my internal guidance and not so defined by organized spirituality.

It was a time where nothing felt stable and maybe because of this, there was a quality of life that felt more in tune with the mysterious. Even though I had been away from Bolivia for ten years, returning felt like coming home, on a soul level. The first poem is written about my friend Dorian, who was my host brother. The second poem is about Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, a place with ancient, healing energy.

From a Beloved Friend

by Emilie Walker

Bubbles of life playfully call to be remembered as

Faces emerge from memory

Gentle and awake

Brave, friendly, curious, alone

All these images wake up now

Dancing together on this ocean floor

In a comingling of time and space

A delicious remembrance of highs and lows, greens turning brown, pinks

held by the graceful embrace of gold, red reflecting orange while

blues melt into the sweetest of lavender skies

And then he pulls me to now.

Life is about love he says

Thats all.

He looks into my eyes

Drags on a cigarrette

And spills forth

God consciousness, unnassuming and worn down by life, something else

takes over now

Those tattooed arms wrap around

These small shoulders

A juggler turned healer

He turns to me now and with his gypsy soul whispers:

find some way

To express this love

In everything you do

And you'll see life is love

Thats all there is

I've found my way

These children

Are part of me

Now my dear,

Te toca a ti...

It's your turn.

Isla del Sol

You've been here before

whisper the stars

The apus smile...

The water silently agrees.

And I nod, yes, yes...

I imagine that is so.

Ancient stories filter

through starlight.

Circles upon circles of happenings

come and go...

Dissolving into the silent morning.

I keep walking

I breathe....

From this space the sun rises.

It's arms full and welcoming,

saying with a deep, clear voice:

"Come home, my dear, come home."

I sink and watch,

with eyes closed, breath held, heart beating,

As the space inside lights up...

Full, bright,

enveloped by the sun.

Emilie Walker lives with her dog Luna in Athens, Ohio. She loves to write poetry, create collages and hike in the woods. She offers heart centered meditation workshops with Grateful Heart Meditation, which also offers playshops for teachers, spiritual trips to the Andes and creative gratitude workshops.

~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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