ON A CLEAR DAY by Sarah Carlson

On a Clear Day

Sliding once again into 

restorative, silky waters

she lays back,

allows natural buoyancy to 

hold her steady and balanced.

So many beautiful 

words have flowed through her 

and into the world. 

She knows they represent

the truth of healing.

With a profound realization
 that she had to fully trust
 her own memories 
 of the wound

in order to deeply embody
  those truths,

she again feels something 

novel and familiar.

She feels herself.

All the way in,

all the way out. 

No need to apologize

or try so very hard.

That's what's happening now -

unlearning the constant sense

that there must be effort 

in order to earn

the right

 to be who she is. 

Letting go the habit of

 waiting with bated breath

to see if she made a mistake

or failed.

Trusting the clarity that's present 

on a clear day,

while knowing clouds

will come and go,

but that she didn't cause the clouds.

They are simply there

and will pass. 

She can and will continue
to settle more and more 
 into the comfort and safety
of being

 at home
in herself.
On those clear days,
any day really, 
it's okay to simply be.

Sarah Carlson has many pieces to her whole, as most of us do. Those pieces include: mother, teacher, daughter, friend, widow, sister, skier, bicyclist, hiker, coach, drummer, and poet. Sarah lives in the western foothills of Maine where opportunities to make connections amid the splendor of the rivers, lakes and mountains are plentiful. She began writing and combining her poetry with photographs of her experiences in the natural world as part of healing from the sudden loss of her husband, Barry. More of her poetry can be seen on her blog here. Her book, The Radiance of Change, (found here) can be purchased on line through the independent bookstore in her hometown of Farmington, Maine. She just published her second book of poetry and photos, In the Currents of Quiet, available here.  

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