Poems

Friendship

Friendship, what is it?
It’s speaking the truth with another
And accepting each other’s truth as real for them

Friendship, what is it?
It’s exposing our secrets to that person
And they hold them as sacred as if they’re their own

Friendship, what is it?
It’s exposing your wounds to them which they celebrate as an opportunity for more closeness
And they honor your pain as a chance to know you better

Friendship, what is it?
It’s looking at how you have hurt them
And feeling deeply sad that you did
And doing all you can do to help heal them from your hurt
And holding them as they weep

Friendship, what is it?
It’s being imperfectly and authentically human together
And them loving you and you them, despite those imperfections
And somehow each of you falling in love with the other, still

How I Became a Warrior

Once, I ran from fear
so fear controlled me.
Until I learned to hold fear like a newborn.
Listen to it, but not give in.
Honour it, but not worship it.
Fear could not stop me anymore.
I walked with courage into the storm.
I still have fear,
but it does not have me.

Once, I was ashamed of who I was.
I invited shame into my heart.
I let it burn.
It told me, “I am only trying
to protect your vulnerability”.
I thanked shame dearly,
and stepped into life anyway,
unashamed, with shame as a lover.

Once, I had great sadness
buried deep inside.
I invited it to come out and play.
I wept oceans. My tear ducts ran dry.
And I found joy right there.
Right at the core of my sorrow.
It was heartbreak that taught me how to love.

Once, I had anxiety.
A mind that wouldn’t stop.
Thoughts that wouldn’t be silent.
So I stopped trying to silence them.
And I dropped out of the mind,
and into the Earth.
Into the mud.
Where I was held strong
like a tree, unshakeable, safe.

Once, anger burned in the depths.
I called anger into the light of myself.
I felt its shocking power.
I let my heart pound and my blood boil.
Listened to it, finally.
And it screamed, “Respect yourself fiercely now!”.
“Speak your truth with passion!”.
“Say no when you mean no!”.
“Walk your path with courage!”.
“Let no one speak for you!”
Anger became an honest friend.
A truthful guide.
A beautiful wild child.

Once, loneliness cut deep.
I tried to distract and numb myself.
Ran to people and places and things.
Even pretended I was “happy”.
But soon I could not run anymore.
And I tumbled into the heart of loneliness.
And I died and was reborn
into an exquisite solitude and stillness.
That connected me to all things.
So I was not lonely, but alone with All Life.
My heart One with all other hearts.

Once, I ran from difficult feelings.
Now, they are my advisors, confidants, friends,
and they all have a home in me,
and they all belong and have dignity.
I am sensitive, soft, fragile,
my arms wrapped around all my inner children.
And in my sensitivity, power.
In my fragility, an unshakeable Presence.

In the depths of my wounds,
in what I had named “darkness”,
I found a blazing Light
that guides me now in battle.

I became a warrior
when I turned towards myself.

And started listening.

Jeff Foster

Am I Human?

the wind has carved
me from a stone
hollowed me
like a reed

so I sleep 
on cedar boughs
watch 
the northern lights

I am powerless
there is only now
no push
no resistance 
this living sutra

beauty is in simple things
beyond my control
far from the world 
but in it

I do not know 
if I am human
or I am the wind singing
or Jonah
inside the blue whale

Destiny

If you want to find your destiny, you must be willing to get rid of the life you planned or are planning, so as to have the life that is waiting for you. 

This is simple to do as long as you’re willing to listen to your soul and then have the courage to follow it. 

Wild Geese- ode to Mary Oliver

“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”

My favorite Rumi quotes

“I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul.”

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”

“Whatever lifts the corners of your mouth, trust that.”

“Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.”

“In the blackest of your moments, wait with no fear.”

“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”

“Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.”

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