Journey of the Heart

  This poem comes from that meeting ground deep within that doesn’t ask the questions… Rather, its observes, as we make our journey from the light to dark, and back again, that knows we are all intimate with both. The voice is of a witness to the changes that take place when the soul stirs and signals the tides of emotional change. Photograph: Tammy Stone In the Dark of Light by Tammy Stone In the light I play, porous and awash under sun, where the colours are more than they are, strewn upon the ground in their wildest symmetries – and I am emerging into all that I am, until the sun sees through me and I can’t bring my body to hold its luminescence – I close my eyes and wait for nature’s rhythms to carve smooth this rupture. Colors and shapes dance ecstatic before my eyes to their own echo, and in this shadowy place I retreat, not quite unafraid, having birthed in its swell of   memories, certain now that the absence of ...

This one was written during an online course entitled "Writing the Womb" lead by Isabel Faith Abbott… The prompt was "What am I becoming?" and a description of the birth process of myself as a writer was the answer. The words describe how it was to both be born as and becoming a writer in my own right, without censure or limitation as to the outcome.  What Am I Becoming? by Julia W. Prentice These words are pregnant, Heavy, gravid Swelling outward They weigh upon lips meant for kissing, But are never spoken. Forced upward through constricted throat They hang like breasts, full and pendulant. They bulge, Expanding to the breaking point Barely able to be released Crowning toward the page Spilling out Each raw phrase Exhilarating, terrifying Cried out from newborn mouth Birthing a new me My womb has carried them For countless days Much longer than nine moons And now they have emerged What is just now becoming? ...

It may be difficult to appreciate challenges as they arise… Yet they often are the catalysts that push us to dig deep and discover aspects of ourselves that we may have been unaware of. This poem was born in a moment of appreciation for those who have challenged my sense of worthiness in the past, for they have been my greatest teachers, and indirectly, have led me to a path of transformation, self-responsibility and self-love. It was my way of saying to each one of them: from one soul to another, I thank you, I appreciate what you have done for me and I honor you. For all the times... I thank you! by Sandra Allagapen For all the times You let me down, I thank you It helped me discover my inner strength For all the times You criticised me behind my back I thank you It taught me to ignore gossip For all the times You turned away from me I thank you It encouraged me to allow new people into my life For all the times You copied what I had a...

This poem was birthed one evening as I was preparing dinner for my family… It had been a pretty chaotic day and I was feeling frazzled. I had just lit a candle, hoping to wind down a bit, and was watching the sunset through my kitchen window. I slowed down my breathing and focused on gratitude, replaying the day, pulling up all the beautiful moments.  After a few minutes of doing that, I was struck with the inspiration for this poem. I stepped away from the stove for 60 seconds to grab a pen and write while I cooked. This poem was the result of that session. I added the last four lines later that night, as my kids were sleeping and the moon was at her peak, lighting up the sky with her beauty.  "The Guardinans" by Flora Aube I AM by Jamie Burgess I am a smile from a kind stranger at the end of the day. I am the contagiousness of laughing children, a reminder to live while still alive. I am warm sunlight washing over the darkness. I am the heart ...

  It always astonishes me that every time I think I have learned something… I soon have a chance to learn it again, usually in an intensely more profound way. And so it was this past week as I was driving across the great Dallas Divide in the San Juan Mountains. It was newly spring, and the mountains were in a state of incredible change. And somehow, that change began to take place in me, too …  Wilson Mesa at the San Juan Mountains While Driving Across the Divide, It Occurred to Me by Rosemerry Trommer Perhaps when we finally see there is no point to making things look any better than they are, then whatever friction we’ve found in the world is met with rose oil and the great heavy gears cease to grind and spin with silent ease. The only sustainable plots are the ones no one has planted— ones in which flowers, grasses and trees rise up on their own. They know when to sprout, when to bloom, when to seed. Poet...

T his poem appeared like a star on a dark night… It was written in honor of my dear friend Stacey, who is indeed my, "Star Sister.”  Sometimes poems surface to remind others how special they are to our shared paths. Poems can shine like beacons on dark nights, and sometimes even those who often shine the brightest need a little reminding of their light.  Star Sister by Krista Angelique Katrovas Though we are not sisters by blood, we are sisters of life, which often runs deeper than shared DNA. You are my Star Sister. You shine brightly as you serve your elders, when others choose to walk away. You bring joy to their final days, and ride the waves of emotions that the end of life brings, like those Floridian waters on your long board that you surf, “Surfer girl, Surfer girl.” We laughed at your getting stung by a jellyfish in your eye because of how humorous you made it all sound. You focused on the rarity of such a...