Falling in, Falling Away

falling in, falling away
never thought it would happen this way
the water's so deep but the hill is steep
falling in falling away
there's a high price to pay
lose a lover while losing sleep
falling away, falling in
don't even know where to begin
where to fall at the end of the day to process this
falling away, falling into
lost in silence, found in pieces
without a place to fit in
falling away or falling in
are you either?
have you already
fallen away and fallen back in?
there was a rush of everything all at once
that seemed so real, so vivid, so full of life
pause
paused still
falling away
falling in
no more?

The Reality

The Reality,
It is harsh and cold
It is blameless and full of fear
It feels new and somehow old
Even when it's foggy, it is still clear

It is filled with passion and desire
It is serenaded by heart strings
It sets our souls on fire
Accompanied by the pain it brings
Reality is our friend, our enemy and everything
in between.

It is the wars between what we know, what we don't and what we believe to be.
It is the fear of what we have done, where we have been and what we have seen.

Reality trips us up along the way, brings us back from fantasy and reminds us that pleasure is not free.

Desire, confusion, passion, illusion, mystery, pain, strength, loss, loneliness, comfort, insecurity, responsibility, ignorance, sadness, fear and disappointment are all part of reality.

We are all alone with our own reality.

Another poem . . .

Marching in the Fool’s Parade

You draw me in
Without even a thought
You reeled me in and threw me back
As soon I was caught

The tangled web inside my head
Was woven with your hands
Now each time I go to bed
I’m dreaming up impossible plans

I’m marching in the fool’s parade
On tiptoes like the autumn clouds
My heart danced to the songs you played
Feeling certain that the mate of my soul was found

Now, I see you’re not with me
You’ve made your distance known
Still, inside my mind, I see
The truth and reality of what you have shown

The songs play on each and every day
They bring gifts of love and light
Pouring passion into my heart along the way
Into my soul to broaden my sight

I’m marching in the fool’s parade
On tiptoes like the autumn clouds
My heart danced to the songs you played
Both on the air and on the ground

I’m marching in the fool’s parade
Carrying the load of mistakes I’ve made

Perspective

All we need is a change in perspective . . .

Life is filled with questions, answers, trials, lessons, beauty, wonder, pain, joy, darkness, light, inspiration, sadness and so much more. All of these can be found in everyday experiences, it is just a matter of perspective. Pain and fear can keep us stuck in a place, even paralyzed. Perspective can free us from even the darkest depths where once we may have drowned. Taking a step back and looking at any particular piece of our lives offers us the chance to be more attentive to the gifts within the pain. Renewed perspective can fill us with renewed hope and peace instead of trapping us under the giant thumb of fear.

Fear is powerful because we feed it, absorb it, become one with it and it directs our lives away from our natural, desired path. We can take back the power by turning the fear into joy, possibility, love and light. Whatever it is that is holding us down, we must embrace it!
If fear is keeping us from trying because there is a possibility of failure, look to the lesson it is holding for us. What is the worst that can happen in failure? We can learn from our mistakes, grow from the point of failure and move forward into success the next time. If fear has us stuck in a place because we are concentrating on the failure itself and continually telling ourselves how faulted and bad we are for failing, fear has the upper hand. Take back the power and tell yourself that you needed that experience of failure to grow and better your life. Show yourself that growth is necessary and embracing failure is the best way to move forward into who you are meant to be.

We are totally in charge of our thoughts and how we allow them to make us feel about ourselves. So, tell yourself about the goodness in you. Remind yourself daily to have the willingness to change your perspective and see the gifts in everything. Yes, I did say everything! Gifts come to us in ways, we are not always able to see, especially when we are drowning in suffering, loss, grief, pain. Make the choice to experience the pain, swimming around in the deep blue of it and soak up all that it has to offer. Do not let pain consume you, swallowing you whole as it can easily do. There is beauty in pain. Some of the most beautiful gifts of my life have come from the most painful experiences. Suffering can gift us with great strength if we allow it to. Loneliness can remind us to treasure the beauty in shared moments. Death can teach us to treasure loved ones and the many gems they stuff into our pockets of life. Physical pain is a great reminder to us not to take our health and all that it affords us for granted. Suffering through abuse can build up walls in the heart to protect and strengthen. It can also create a compassionate, far-reaching soul that has a deep understanding for the capacity that the heart has for healing and reviving life from within.

The gifts in pain and suffering are endless and are there to be discovered and bring you renewed perspective. The perspective is yours and that makes it easily adjustable. The ability to do this will bring immediate results. Changing your life is truly as easy as changing your point of view! We all have sad stories to tell but they are just that, stories. These stories do not define us unless we let them. By repeating these stories, we are telling ourselves and others that they define us, when they do not. Our stories are tools that we can learn from.

Here is an idea, thinking of a very personally painful time in your life and on a piece of paper, write down 5 lessons that you took away from it. If you repeat this lesson with other difficult times of life, the lessons will become more and more evident. You may even notice that you have been trying to learn the same lessons over and over again in life. When we learn the lessons that we are meant to, we can share them with others and truly help each other. Pain should not be the most powerful emotion that we experience. Beauty and wonder are meant to fill our days, our hearts, our minds and our souls. It is attainable. Life as beauty is attainable. Fullness of days and love that permeates our life is not a fairy tale, it is within us and we are the masters of our universe.

Find your peace, find the beauty, discover the light within the darkness until you escape from the shadows and soak up the fullness of each and every moment!

Falling Crystals

A scene created
And magically defined
By each falling crystal
To stimulate the mind.

Surreal in it's beauty and grace
The white blanket grows
A perfect inspiration
For poetry and prose.