The True Chapters of Life

The Day of Our Birth

We have a drive inside of us to improve the person we were born as

Striving daily to be more, to be better, to be different then who we are

This drip continues day in and day out until the dam breaks and we realize then, that we’re not only perfectly acceptable the way we are

But we’re profoundly important to this life and the life of others simply by being that wonderful creature from the day of our birth

In The Dark

God lives in our empty days
If we can close our eyes of knowledge and empty our hearts of expectations
we can see nothing less than the face of God
When we’re empty we soon discover we’re full

Darkness is our unconditional friend during our labor pains of grief
And where there is grief, there is death
And when we see death we see what we never knew
That death is the mother of beauty.

dd- December 2009

I Found My Voice

I found my voice
it’s not in my head
I found my voice
it’s not there
instead
it’s somewhere down inside close to my chest-
it’s been there all along
it seems to know best

At least it does when I listen
to its idiosyncratic ways,
since its tone lacks any judgment of my arrogant haze

I found my voice
it’s not in the words I form 
rather it speaks through a gentle nudge
and brings no expectations to perform
for anyone but ourselves

This voice is our true self
so why would we live for others
when we know our true soul

Fear and doubt don’t live inside this voice
it reveals our destined path
but
we must be ready to lose what we think we love
for something bigger then the rest

Each of us have this same voice
yet
few actually hear its call

It requires great courage to pay a price of what it asks of all

dd- December 2009

Wildflower

Wildflower you inspire me
Your quiet colors chant your innocent vibrancy
Your unique shapes echo your fascinating complexity
Your fragile manner belies your inner strength to grow among weeds

Your natural beauty flows with the wind
Sculpting you into a soulful creation of the earth
So grow where you are planted.
Wildflower you inspire me

Learning from Depression

We can be neither evasive of the mystery nor invasive of the pain if we want to get through depression.

When we go through depression we must sit in its misery even when we long to run from its darkness.

The Greeks saw depression as a visitor who brought us a gift if we’re willing to entertain that visitor and not reject him or her.
Rejecting that visitor only makes him or her stay longer.

– dd  2010

Stay with the one who sees you

not just from head to toe
but from the inside out too

Stay with the one who sees how hard you work
and loves you
who sees how deeply you love
fear and feel
and loves you

Stay with the one who sees the tangled knots of your heart and sits down with you
to untie them
and loves you

Stay with the one who pays attention to what lights you up
who would bring you the sun
just to watch your eyes revel
at the sight of the dawn

Stay with the one who sees you
as you creep into your shell
and loves you

stay with the one who sees you
blossom out of your shell
and loves you

Stay with the one who sees you grow quiet and
asks “how can I help?”

Stay with the one who sees your gaze
over the horizon and says “take me with you”

Stay with the one who sees you when you crash
burn yell and fight back
as you rebel for space
gives it and loves you

Stay with the one who sees you spin off and smiles
as you reach and grow and fly with your soul
and test your strength in strong waters

stay with the one who sees this
and reaches his roots deep into the earth
deep enough to ground you both
for he has flown too
knows that now it is your turn
and would never deny you the site
of your own life
as you dance with the wind
wings spread wide

Stay with the one who sees all your smile lines
and says “I love how they match mine”

Stay with the one who sees you
in the shower
in a top bun
with toothpaste on your chin
offers to wash your back
and loves you even more

Stay with the one who sees you
and loves you
until
and so that

you too

can see you

and love you.

AUTHOR: EMMA TAIT

I Am a Man

I stand on the top of a mountain
On the edge of a granite ledge
And scream a deep, dark yowl into
The belly of the dark, moist ground
Releasing my seeds into the earth.

And I am man…I am proud…I am I.

I will not let my granite be smooth. It will remain rugged.
My fire will burn through water and carve out a rock hard soul

Gentle outside, but raging inside, slamming my fist against life’s hardened walls
Breaking through with passion and anger with edges sharp as razors

Grabbing opportunities like leafs in the air
Taking what is mine and claiming that I
Am a Man, hard and hairy
Tall with testosterone and scarred throughout from war

Art by Murakami Tsuji

Absolutely Clear

Don’t surrender your loneliness
so quickly.
Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight has made my eyes so soft, my voice so tender

My need for God so much clearer

Joyce

My beautiful sister
You knew me so well
And still you loved me

Two souls traveling a path together for a short time in our younger days
You seeing me, I seeing you
And we loved each other

A gift to my life
A gift to my soul
With your gentle love seeing me

You loved me perfectly
You rejoiced in my presence for some reason
And I bathed in your precious love

Your quietness, your gentleness and kindness
Told me that i was enough in just who I am

I miss you my precious sister
And rejoice that you are still a part of me

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