THIS IS LOVE by Carolyn Riker

At the moment of writing this poem I was thinking of gratitude...

...which is a word with multiple entities. As I listed what I was truly grateful for, I felt love like I've never felt before.

What triggers my emotions? I can hardly begin to define. I will see a flower, hear a bird, feel a smile, touch into music and viola! Something mystical happens. I'm transported through clouds and wind and what flows out happens to be words.

Love is elusive and difficult to translate. The love I try to express in this poem is multidimensional and permeating of the soul. It's an unconditional love where one can feel safe. It is as expansive as it is real. As we open to this universal love, we are connected as one.

Imagine all the stars touching each other. We are but a speck in infinity. We are the stars, the filaments that tether this love. I'm enraptured and humbled by this cosmic concept. It brings me to my knees and fills me in more ways than I can say.

Therefore, I realize this is something I must share. I send love through this poem and pray it'll find you and touch the corners of your heart this new year, and always.

Photography by Dragan Todorovic

This is Love
by Carolyn Riker

Art by Natalia Stahl

I will hold this mystical moment.

I will tenderly stroke the words with my virtual pen

I will tease the wispy tendrils

That rise from within

The dots connect to the stars of my heart

I will reach into the core of my soul,

To translate an unspoken language

I feel the words sing.

Incense burn clarity in the corner less chambers of my heart.

Music and movement expresses the pause of beginning and end.

She shares what has been heard,

A lineage passed through a sea of thoughts

Art by Greg Spalenka

It is love:

shapeless,

timeless,

universal.

Birds sing,

after a storm

Trees sway,

to the cascading vibrations

The ground breathes,

to unite our hearts

Stars pulsate, as we give birth

to answers we seek.

I dance with my heart as I breathe.

I hear the lyrical hum of mother earth.

I bend to the folds of nature’s arms,

as she wraps warmth around my soul.

This is love.

(2013)

Carolyn Riker M.A., LMHC is a counselor, teacher, writer and poet. She’s been a regular columnist for Rebelle Society and 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. She's authored a book of poetry and prose, Blue Clouds, and co-edited an anthology called Hidden Lights. 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!~

IMAGINE A WOMAN by Patricia Lynn Reilly

This poem invites you to look upon yourself with loving kindness… Gazing at your own true reflection, you will discover that everything you have longed for “out there” is already within you! I invite you to love your creativity fiercely. Faithfully plant seeds, allowing under-the-ground dormant seasons, nurturing your creative garden with love and gratitude. In the fullness of time, the green growing things thrust forth from the ground. It's a faithful, trustworthy process. AND it takes time and patience. Blessed is the fruit of your creative womb! I invite you to trust your vision of the world and express it. With wonder and delight, paint a picture, create a dance, write a book, and make up a song. To give expression to your creative impulses is as natural as your breathing. Create in your own language, imagery, and movement. Follow no script. Do not be limited by the customary way things have been expressed. Your creative intuition is original. Ga...

STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou

Six years ago, I had the privilege of listening to Maya Angelou speak live on the value of poetry at the University of Florida. I share these reflections with you again today, in honor of her birthday. I was relieved to get one of the last seats available for this rare event, having arrived at five for Maya Angelou ’s free speech at eight. The historically long line began with people settled into beach chairs in winter coats busying themselves on tablets, or eating sandwiches for dinner. As helicopters hovered above and newscasters below, I felt the excitement of realizing that thousands of people were gathering together to hear an eighty four year old black woman recite her poetry! Maya Angelou speaking at University of Florida on Feb. 27, 2013 When the curtain rose -after an overflow of hundreds were sent away- we lucky ones on the inside greeted Maya with a standing ovation, as she smiled sweetly, beginning her talk using metaphors from nature. Maya asked...

MIRABAI'S POETRY by Caitanya Dasi

Much of the mystic love poetry from India revolves around musical and theatrical expressions that portray the loving relationship between the soul and God… One such celebrated relationship was that between princess Mirabai and her divine beloved, Krishna. Born in the sixteenth century into a noble Rajput family, Mirabai married into a family that did not take fondly to her devotion to God. Consequently, she went from royalty to mendicant, and decorated her spiritual path with poetic songs. I first heard of the great poet, Mirabai in the early 1970’s while I was living and studying bhakti yoga at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, California. As I had a background in the performance arts Mirabai’s life instantly spoke to me. Her fusion of spiritual sentiments with song resonated with my passion for music, drama, dance, and the devotional path to loving God. In 1968 I serendipitously met a devotee by the name of Mirabai, who taught me that the perfectio...

Journey of the Heart

Search This Blog