EXPOSED by Maureen Lancaster

As the new year begins I contemplate the way clothing has always been one of my greatest hiding places...

Recently that's all changed though, as the last vestige of my old ways has been gratefully shed and I stride around naked in my own home. No escaping the reflection as I pass by the various mirrors in the house. No need anymore. Left behind are all those years of self-criticism, of seeing only the fat, the wrinkles, the sags. Yes, I’ve slimed down, I’ve trimmed up but it’s not only that. I’ve learned to honour this vessel that I inhabit: to finally look to its needs and desires. I’ve started to look after my physical self and not just my soul self, for the two are connected.

Exposed…*

by Maureen Lancaster

No longer able to hide, I find myself fully Exposed…

Every day I see the real me

Xray vision no longer needed

Purposefully I gaze

Over every inch of me

Satisfied, hard-earned

Excited with what I see

Determined never again to hide

Now, when searching through my closet for items to wear, greeting me are articles of clothing

made to enhance, to make me feel womanly; those no longer simply made to hide my form. Resolved to enter my senior years younger than ever before, the reflection I see in my mirror now incorporates All of Me…

A new start, a new pledge

Leaving behind the old

Learning to embrace the new

Opening myself to my

Fabulousness

Much is yet to explore as I

Embrace the potential that is fully ME

The greatest gift that I have given myself this past year has been to return to my beginnings...I came into this world as a naked and open vessel with which to mold and to grow. Years of conditioning and experiences clothed this vessel under too many layers that stifled urges to unfold the natural beauty that lay buried ever deeper within. Like the proverbial butterfly, my cocoon has been shed and discarded as I’ve discovered that I Can Fly…

Cast away my chains

And opened my wings

Never again the same

Free

Letting myself say

Yes to what The Universe has given me

For now I am exposed, all of me, I can fly…

* A series of Acrostic Poems (Acrostic - a poem which the first letters of the lines spell a word, other the subject of the poem)

Maureen Lancaster: Maureen is a spiritual woman who shares her life journey through her writings. Not considering herself a formal writer or poet, she started writing as an outlet for healing and finding wholeness following widowhood with her first book, Revelations of a Singing Bowl. Currently she shares her poetry about loving relationships, both with others and with oneself, on her Facebook page, Musings of Love. Maureen, a spiritual intuitive, also shares her love of all things metaphysical on her Facebook page, High On Spirit. Finding herself continually inspired by the poetry and lessons that she sees within everyday occurrences, she hopes that her words will resonate with others who may struggle from time to time on their journey; for coming to the understanding that we are not alone was one of her most valuable lessons. Revelations of a Singing Bowl is available as a free abridged iBook.

~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!~

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