By Joy C. Ezugwu | Featured Contributor
In my scared nest I lay
Like a bird, unsure of what to do
To give in or not
To give all or withhold.
In my dazed state I stared
Stroking my hair in search of solution
Licking my sores in solitude
Striving for that peace of mind I crave.
By Cara Amy Goldthorpe | Featured Contributor
For so long I’ve been hiding
in the deep valleys
of the caved-in walls
of my heart;
a timid girl
caught in the shackles
of hurt
from lifetimes ago
By Michele Lee Sefton, M.Ed. | Featured Contributor
“Oh, God,” I pleaded, “Please let me dance with my daughter again.”
That desperate plea flooded my brain during a moment that shattered a picturesque and perfect morning, several years ago, just two days before Christmas. My husband and I had just returned home from a long bicycle ride, when I remembered that our daughter’s preschool teacher had asked for a playpen donation to house a litter of pups. Caught up in the spirit of giving, it seemed like the perfect time to climb into our attic and retrieve our daughter’s playpen. I climbed the pull-down ladder and stepped into the dark and dusty space. My husband was at the bottom of the ladder, waiting for me to lower the playpen down to him. My simple act of generosity did not go according to plan. As I was attempting to lower the playpen, I slipped and in an instant I crashed through drywall, which sent me plummeting to the garage floor below.
Continue reading “Please Let Me Dance Again: Michele’s Story”
By Cynthia Cady Stanton | Featured Contributor
Don’t be so exhausted
by the project
of being you.
We are not designed
to be so tired.
You already know this to be true.
Witness the ease
of a blooming flower.
It just does beautifully
what it is meant to do.
By Candice Leigh | Featured Contributor
Come in from the outside
follow the sound of my voice
let my words caress you
let my voice be your guide
you are safe here
Quietly in the corner the piano starts to play
with each stroke your shoulders ease
the weight of the world is no more
fall into me and I will catch you
you are safe here
By Cara Amy Goldthorpe | Featured Contributor
It would take for my heart
To be ripped apart
Scattered to the corners
Of this paradise haven
For me to come home
To the soul above
And within
To speak my truth
And embrace
This identity of mine
Too long hidden
For so long, swirling
In the shadowy clutch
Of the night’s storm
Yet now I see, I behold
The awakening rose
That is blossoming
In this Dawn
By Barbara Leonhard | Featured Contributor
Dear Friends, most of us would agree that this past year has been extremely challenging if not tragic. Many of you have documented your pain and grief in poetry, fiction, and essays. St. Patrick’s Day is today and Easter is coming up, so it’s a good time for us to transmute our sorrow and fear into blessings. It’s spring, a time of rebirth as we see the daffodils blooming. Although daffodils are sometimes pelted by one last snowfall, they are resilient. Indeed, spring is full of promise as four-leaf clovers await our search for good health and fortune. The fourth leaf, luck, adds to the trinity, so even if we fail to find the four-leaf clover, we are truly never alone. With love, I offer this blessing…
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