MESSAGE OF THE BIRDS by Carolyn Riker

My garden is small and has very little definition....

I let plants reseed. There’s little strategy involved and that is good. I enter a different sense of time when in nature. On this day, I was trimming a massive heirloom climbing rose. There were sparrows and a pair of gold finches entertaining me. As I settle into the garden’s rhythm, it becomes meditative. The birds were speaking and I listened...

The author's garden

Message of the Birds
by Carolyn Riker

Stepping lightly through the sodden moss

The wind whispered.

It was a space between the shadows and light.

She blinked to see if she really saw, and there it was:

A reflection of her soul in the veins of a leaf,

An ancient image of color and form,

Breathing, like a fern, through her pores.

She floated to the tree tops with the birds.

Liltingly, she danced in the wind.

Wordlessness transferred to her eye, mind and soul,

The Sparrow said,

“Listen.”

The Finch tilted her head and said,

“What is here isn’t.  This is a spiritual quest.

It’s a matter of seeing between the dot and the blur, the love and the fear

It’s a space….between a leaf, a flutter and a breeze.”

And she knew…as soft and real as the moss where she stood,

Truth had been translated in their song.

Life was in motion,
Awakened and renewed.

Carolyn Riker M.A., LMHC is a counselor, teacher, writer and poet. She’s been a regular columnist for Rebelle Societyand prior to that several years at Elephant Journal. A collection of her work is available on her blog, Magic of Stardust and Words. Her poetry and prose has been featured in three books:  Journey of the Heart: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry by Women. Where Journeys Meet: The Voice of Women's Poetry and Best of Rebelle Society, Volume I: Celebrating the Art of Being Alive. Between sips of coffee or tea and navigating life, Carolyn leads journal writing workshops, tutoring and has a private counseling practice. Additionally, she’s in the process of completing her first collection of poetry and prose. With the hopes of continued lunar inspiration and stars guiding her light, the book will be published in the fall of 2016. Carolyn can be reached via her e-mail address carolynra7@hotmail.com or on facebook 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!~