I SIP SOLITUDE by Carolyn Riker

When feeling overwhelmed, I have a walking meditation through my tiny garden…

Meanwhile, dinner simmers and my to-do lists fades with each squishy indent I leave in the mossy patches. It is a space where grass doesn’t grow and busy thoughts can pause.

I have to let some things go while I savor five minutes of humble regrouping before the next carpool, folding laundry or unclogging the porcelain throne.

It’s not a fancy life – but it is the life of motherhood. I cherish each phase and it is changing rapidly.

I get a bit melancholy too but the edges are laced with joy.

My children are growing to be independent, thoughtful, and intelligent; at times stretching the boundaries to see how far they can go before the colors turn murky or wildly flamboyant.

They seek a reaction to test their newly found wings.

It’s safe at home and it’s all necessary. Still, it can be hard to navigate the tedious folds.

I often feel like a piece of origami.

I know when my writing is real; it flows from my heart to my fingertips. Especially when it comes to poetry; the words release like raindrops and I listen to the in-between-ness of a soft, gentle hum. I return to poetry when life seems disjointed and frayed. The words come at precisely the right time and heal.

I sip solitude…

as the sun sets

I breathe peace

as the day ebbs into

the flow of eve

I find gratitude

in simplicity

I lift the veil

of in-between-ness

and sigh into my ribs

I feel the moss

shades of chartreuse

the day meets dusk

the color of hibiscus tea

I watch a dragonfly

tinted cobalt and emerald

and a pair of goldfinch

tenderly dance as I

sip solitude

and savory a

moment of
peace

Carolyn (Riker) Avalani, M.A., LMHC is a licensed counselor, teacher, writer and poet. Over the last five years she has written for numerous online journals and has been in five anthologies. Her most recent book This is Love was published June 2018. Before that she contributed and co-edited, Hidden Lights: A Collection of Truths Not Often Told, which holds 53 artists sharing their stories, poems, art and photography. Her first book of poetry and prose, Blue Clouds was published December 2016. Between sips of coffee, navigating life with copious writing and daydreaming, Carolyn offers creative writing workshops, coaching and private counseling. To find out more please visit her website at www.carolynriker.com or on facebook here. 

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