Skip to main content

BLUE PRAYER by Salyna Gracie


How often we lay awake in the depth of night with a longing we cannot place...

In those moments when the veil between worlds thins, we reach for our Beloved. 
The divine spirit that lives in those we love and within ourselves. In the stillness, we may ache for a far away friend or mourn the loss of one we have loved. Or maybe we reach, yet again, for the small being that depends on us for every comfort. And always, we pray for the strength to keep loving. 

Blue Prayer

In the deep contracted night
Again, I reach for you
Arms outstretched
Fingers taut
This meager embrace
Worn and weary

I reach between worlds
With my only heart
Its four-quartered arrow
Pierces the sleepless air
Tender and fierce
Like courage
Like hope
Like love
~
Collage by Salyna Gracie
Photo by Yuko Ishii

Salyna Gracie is the director of Red Lotus Dance Company. She performs and teaches Middle Eastern Dance and facilitates the Red Lotus SEEDs program which mentors teen girls through dance at her studio in a small rural town in Washington state. Salyna’s dancing reflects a commitment to personal growth by internalizing rhythms and expressing emotion through the body – dancing from the heart. Poetry and visual art continue the conversation of dance with words and images that dance on the page. You may contact her through her website 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!~ 
Labels:

Comments

  1. Catherine L. SchweigMay 6, 2013 at 5:37 AM

    Thank you for capturing, both visually and poetically, that moment of soulful longing, that often arrives at night, which I imagine all us poets and artists are quite familiar with. I love the concept of the heart as an instrument that reaches between worlds, wrapped in an arrow metaphor. This is a metaphor I am quite fond of, as it is used in so many ancient texts (Greek, Sanskrit) to express the heart's natural tendency to reach beyond itself, shooting outward, toward divinity. Thank you again for sharing, Salyna, and welcome to Journey of The Heart!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
20 comments
Read more

IN THE STILLNESS OF THE NIGHT by Ginny Brannan

 Just take a moment to pause... When life becomes rote, and frustration grows from being immersed in the same routine—different day, sometimes we need to remind ourselves that peace is still there—within our grasp— if we just take a moment to pause and enjoy the stillness and beauty around us. In the Stillness of the Night  by Ginny Brannan Late winter’s eve and all is still the lawn lies bathed in silver light— gray shadows race across the yard and climb atop the windowsill to draw my gaze upon the sight. I stare out to the moonlit night, across the deck and wooded path fresh–painted by new fallen snow. The scene infuses with delight; this gift inside storm’s aftermath. Half–buried now, the old birdbath lies shadowed deep in indigo— it waits on promise of the spring when arctic chill has finally passed and snow gives way to new green grass. With gratitude, I hedge to go; tranquility allays my soul… I turn ...
2 comments
Read more

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...
4 comments
Read more