Living Life Poetically: Heart of Glass
When a glass item breaks, it’s very difficult to glue its pieces back together seamlessly. If you look close enough, you’d most likely be able to tell it had been broken. Sometimes a broken heart can feel the same way. The poem, Heart of Glass, is about that parallel. Heart of Glass The heart is like glass. You can see through but cannot pass. Once broken asunder,It cannot be as before pieced back together. Like lines and cracks on mended jars,It cannot be mended without visible wounds and scars. Written November 13, 2022
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Living Life Poetically: The Hope Factor
Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.
If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.
Living Life Poetically: Unanswered Prayers
Reflect on all the things you’ve prayed for that never came to pass–those prayers that seem to have gone unanswered. It’s natural to feel disappointed and unheard. The poem “Unanswered Prayers” addresses those prayers that seem to fall on deaf ears. Unanswered Prayers We don’t always get what we want.Our prayers seem unanswered.Perhaps it’s with good reason, which we cannot see,Our prayers go unrenderedNo matter how many times we are on bended knee. We don’t always get what we want.Our prayers seem undetected.But they are heard and answered indeed.At times, in ways unexpected.In ways we truly need.
Living Life Poetically: The Storm Within
“The Storm Within” is a poem about having a storm that’s not outside in the elements but inside you. Sometimes life can feel like there’s a storm raging within. And the feeling and effects can be very similar to what occurs outside. The Storm Within It seems the storm has rerouted.Disappearing from the forecast,It now rages inside you,Devastating your inward land. Its dark clouds hide the stars in your eyes,As its heavy rain pours down your cheeks. From within, its violent winds uproot you from where you stood like an oak, securely planted,And topples your spirit to the ground. Its bold thunder shakes your confidence to the coreAs its icy…
Living Life Poetically: You Must Choose a Path
“You Must Choose a Path” is one of my older poems written around 2010-2011. It’s a haiku-style poem about overcoming the fear of going down the wrong path or making a mistake. Too much of that fear can make us paralyzed. As a result, we go nowhere. Sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith and be prepared for wherever the path we choose leads us. We’ll either be pleasantly surprised, learn a valuable life lesson, or both. You Must Choose a Path You must choose a path.There’s a train that leads nowhere.The ticket is free. Just stay where you areAnd it will find you.To an unproductive landIt…
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“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.”
The difference between treating a physical vs. an emotional wound is that one heals faster when it’s covered and the other doesn’t
“Everybody, at some point in their life, has fallen down and not felt like getting back up, but you have to, no matter how difficult it is.”
Living Life Poetically: Life in Physical Form
The poem, “Life in Physical Form”, forces us to imagine what our life would be if we were to create a physical representation of it. In a way, thinking of life in such a literal and physical sense can help guide us in thinking about the life we actually live. For instance, is it “dull” or “yellow” also asks whether you’re mostly sad or mostly full of vibrancy and joy. And the question of whether it’s small or grand can also be a question about whether you feel small and therefore are not living your life to its fullest. So, as you read this poem, consider what each description means…
Living Life Poetically: Dream Catchers
“Dream Catchers” is a poem inspired by a conversation I had with someone close to me. They had good intentions. But my goodness, talking to them was such a buzzkill. I felt like I had to defend every decision I was making toward my personal goals and objectives, and every explanation I gave didn’t seem good enough. It took me a few days to re-motivate and reenergize myself–to remove the seeds of doubt they had planted in my mind and spirit. I had to remind myself of my why, and trust that I was making the right decisions for myself that they may not understand. In the end, I learned…
Living Life Poetically: Rest for a Barren Heart
“Rest for a Barren Heart” isn’t the most uplifting poem; however, it is hopeful toward the end. It’s for all those times we go to bed feeling a bit under the weather after a bad day. While the body needs rest, so does the soul. Rest for a Barren Heart If I hug this pillow tightly, Would it give comfort to my heart?If I press it against my chest,Would it support a heart’s barren weight of sorrow?If on it a heavy mind can press its head for dreams to follow,Can an emptied soul press its heart to fill the hollow? Perhaps, I would fall asleepand wake up to a better tomorrow …
Living Life Poetically: The Psychology of the Calm Mind
This is the second of a two-part poem series looking into the psychology of the calm mind. Check out the previous poem, “The Psychology of the Worried Mind”, here. Instead of personifying a mind that’s worried, “The Psychology of the Calm Mind” personifies a mind that’s calm. Again, a bit of imagination needed here as we psychoanalyze what it’s like inside a calm mind. If you’re needing more peace and serenity (as we all are from time to time), perhaps this window into what that looks like can be a source of inspiration. The Psychology of the Calm Mind While the worried mind seeks to find what will be tomorrow,The…
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“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along’.”
“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”
Living Life Poetically: The Psychology of the Worried Mind
This is part one of a short two-part poem series looking into the psychology of the worried mind. A poem on the psychology of the calm mind will follow. “The Psychology of the Worried Mind” personifies a mind that’s worried. Put on your imagination hat for a second and imagine being able to psychoanalyze a worried mind. This poem is the result of doing just that. If you happen to be worried about something, perhaps it will give you a glimpse into your mind. Moreover, this inspection may lead to reflection, a deeper understanding, and a renewed path to peace. The Psychology of the Worried Mind The worried mind seeks…
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“Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.”
“No one is you and that is your power.”
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”
Living Life Poetically: 2020
2020 has definitely been a challenging year for many of us. Through it, we may have felt pain, sadness, loss, and loneliness in a way we’ve never felt before. But coming to this moment with the year at a close means we somehow managed to push through it all. We may have discovered new ways to cope; and we may have realized we’re stronger than we expected–especially with the support of each other. Perhaps we take less for granted. Perhaps we discovered an appreciation for the little things. The poem, “2020”, is a reflection on a year that has been horrendous. But with time, we may find the silver lining…
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“Rise above the storm, and you will find the sunshine.”
“Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”
