Pausing to watch
A mysterious moment
Of silent transition,
I give thanks for the beauty
Of one precious day.
Perhaps,
I’m EARTHPOET–
With words buried
In mushrooms…
Deep in the forest
Amongst colonies of trees.
..
Tied to their roots
By delicate INTENTION,
My thoughts leak to the surface,
Dangling as leaves…
….
Or maybe,
I’m MERMUSE–
Hiding in the shadows,
Diving in the moonlight.
Singing songs of the wave.
..
My MYTH dances
As bubbles…
The daydreams of dolphins,
The pearl of an oyster…
One day.
….
*This little poetic expression was inspired by my friend Andrea who posted the poem “As for Poets” by Gary Snyder on Facebook today asking all her friends “what kind of poet are you?”. My poem is my answer…
Simon you are
Like sunlight to me.
Penetrating, wild
And definitely free.
I love how you shine–
How you move and dance.
Together we’ve entered
A compelling trance.
But our love–it’s unstable,
A warm, stormy cloud…
Lightening and thunder
That’s deafeningly loud.
Together we SOAR
But also we dive.
It’s elating and painful.
There’s nowhere to hide.
I can’t trust my feelings
And just open to love.
It’s rocky…and wobbly,
Too confusing…I’m stuck.
I never thought I’d be
In such an unsteady state.
But what did I expect?
You mirror my face.
My true name is NISCHALA
Said a guru in the sky.
I must learn to live it–
Look fear in the eye.
“Steadiness, unwavering…”
This is who I am,
Said Satchidananda, the guru.
I can be it. I can.
Hold tight to a fixed point,
And float in the abyss.
My heart is an anchor
When the dragon’s fire hits.
I always have a still point
Inside I can trust.
God is within me.
I do know this much.
My love is a light
So infinite and free.
If steady in myself
I am completed by me.
You are a gift, dear Simon
To show me once again
That the source of true love
Is inside my own skin.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don’t usually publish my more personal or “shadow-side” poems, but I realize by only offering the lighter side of myself, I am keeping my shadow in the darkness. And one of my commitments, being the consciously evolving Scorpio that I am (or try to be), is to bring darkness to light and experience transformation through the depths. I also really believe that creativity or the Muse can help us gain insights and heal parts of ourselves that are stuck or confused. Writing poetry is one of the best ways I’ve found to work through difficult or painful situations and emotions. Drawing or dancing can (also) really help, but there is a special power in words…Don’t you think?
Today a samurai. Tomorrow a butterfly. And so it goes…
Note: Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga, gave me the spiritual name Nischala upon completion of my yoga teacher’s training certification in 2004. The name was “channeled” for me through his principal lineage holder Swami Dyananda, as Satchidananda is no longer in the body. Dyananda taught us that spiritual names can sometimes reflect the light and truth that we already are, but in other cases they reflect what we are destined to become through learning and growth.
Living up to this name has become a goal of my life… OM OM.
Lemon custard
Lemon pie
Better in my belly
Than my eye.
In my water
In my mouth
You cleanse my blood
Improving health.
I love your yellow–
So cheery and bright
My own little piece
Of sunshine’s light.
Round and firm
Juicy and fresh
You’re a tangy gift
Of deliciousness!
I’m living on a beautiful Hawaiian farm right now with lots and lots of lemon trees. I’ve been cooking with lemons, meditating with lemons, juggling lemons, admiring lemons, and drinking lemon water every single day. The lemons have been an inspiring and healing addition to my life! They have helped me have more energy, a stronger immune system, a cheerful mood, and they have even shrunk a cyst I have had for years on my wrist! I have been feeling so grateful to the lemons in my life lately, I decided to write this little poem.
The dream I have
Deep in my heart
Is that all may know
The work of art
That is their soul,
That is their chance
With life on earth
In creation’s dance.
Each of us has
The power to choose
To sparkle and shine
Or sing the blues.
I want to sing!
I want to love!
Focus on JOY
And stars above.
Thought IS power…
Power to CrEaTe
A life of bliss
That r a d i a t e s
Out from you
Into the world
Improving lives
With dreams unfurled…
(“Heart Birth” watercolor pencil drawing – drawn during a Thich Nhat Hanh retreat – by the author)
Daffodil–
Sweet, graceful & tall.
Like a Southern Belle
With a gentle drawl…
Fluffy, puffy
Sweet angel is she.
Purring, purring…until
OW! She bit me.
(My dearly beloved beautiful princess has the most fascinating personality…)
What I want to know…
What I want to say …
Is will you come
With me to-day?
To go for a ride
On my DREAMSHIP
Where we’ll learn to fly,
Dive, twist, and FLIP…
In the DREAMSHIP school
We navigate life
With lots of love
And plenty of s p i c e.
I like to ask,
“Are you having fun?”
Cuz if you’re not
It’s time to RUN–
Run fast and hop
On your own dreamcraft…
Create a life
With more pizazz!
Each day you open
Your dreamship doors
And step into a world
That’s entirely YOURS.
Mind your thoughts.
And your feelings, too…
The things you think
Come back to you.
Crouching
In a misty moment–
Blanketed by dawn
(and a purple velvet cloak).
I peer
Between flared fingers
At nothing, nothing at all.
My chin tilts to the side,
Eyes down, coy,
Like I like them.
It’s a look of mystery,
And even I don’t know what it really means.
What if, who is, could be?
No.
Just
S P A C E
In which I may e x p a n d and contract,
Be whatever I choose:
A spider thinking,
A tree laughing,
A fairy dining on the finest dew…
A bat lurking, sleeping, hanging, hung.
Emotions real
Because I believe in my dream of them.
N O W.
Tomorrow—will be another
Place or time.
Another emotion,
Another me.
Nothing to hold onto.
Change.
All I really have is my love…
And the magic that I make.
(Embodying the Gypsy Muse essence at a NYE party shortly after the poem was crafted. Photo credit: Kyer Wiltshire)
(I wrote this poem several years ago, but thought I’d post it today for my BIRTHDAY. Writing this poem ushered in a kind of spiritual birthday for me–the birth of my “Gypsy Muse”! At that point, it was sort of an alter ego part of my personality. Since then I’ve done much to integrate this essence into my regular, waking life and reality. No longer an alter, she is me! But, this poem is yet another example of the gifts creativity can give us. I’m so grateful for the role poetry has played in my self-development and evolution.)
Diary of a Mystic Gypsy 