The next incarnation of Me,
I foresee
three darling babies
to whom
I am
doting, dutiful mommy.
Each said man-child
from my womb
shall come,
manifestations
of a long-held covenant
finally
exhumed.
In this other Life,
to an extraordinary Soul,
I will serve many roles:
His first lover,
babies’ mother,
forever friend and wife.
A beautiful home
together we build,
me and my boys,
filled with the Love and Light
we pray and persistently will-
cups so runneth over
that unto the world
our joy spills.
Blessed unrest,
the nest
in which
The Artist
all ways
seems to
reside.
Here,
she strives
to refine
define
design
that which is
ineffable
intangible
deeply spiritual;
that which dances
mysteriously,
provocatively
in her Head
then spreads
quickly
urgently
to her
fervent
Heart;
that which is
commonly
referred to as
one’s art.
A blessing
and a curse,
this art.
No clear end,
nor definitive start.
In its birthing,
both joy and pain,
moments crystal clear,
moments utterly insane.
Riddled with
insecurity
frustration
and doubt
throughout,
The Artist
stays the course
no matter the costs.
She simply must
and trust
in something
higher;
something
beyond
her.
For, she is but
the mere vessel,
a human conduit
through which
the insistent art
grows and flows,
and then
into the world
it goes.
Where it lands,
The Artist
is not
to know.
Not her concern
to this learn.
She’s done her part,
releasing the art.
What a pity,
a Shakespearean tragedy,
when the eye
cannot
The Truth
see
and, thus,
compassion
will not
readily
from heart
release.
We all share a common humanity.
This, deep in our hearts,
we know with absolute certainty.
Alas, our tangled contradictions-
consequent of our latent inner demons-
often blurs our innate wisdom,
that place of great clarity
gifted to us from innocent baby.
Our commonalities outweigh perceived differences.
We are merely subtle variations
of the same exquisite theme.
One Love,
One Body.
Indeed.
All of us
playing
on the same team.
Heavy masks we often wear,
in lieu of sharing
we are lonely, hurt and scared.
Vulnerability, beware!
Crack the façade-
even a tad-
will, today, unleash vitriolic barrage,
instantly detonating a fusillade
of judgement and hate
that no mere human can take!
We pay a heavy price
for such unconscious vice.
As I am you,
You are me;
Whatsoever I do unto you,
that I unleash in me too.
Let he without
moments of debilitating self-doubt,
she who has never known
the fear of being alone,
go on, cast that first stone!
One Love.
One Heart.
Down with the illusions
tearing our limbs apart!
Solicitude,
this is the gift,
our remarkable aptitude.
Love,
respect,
empathy
for one another.
Anything less,
we all suffer.
To only connect
is etched
on every
Soul,
in memory
of The Whole,
so that
compassion,
we can never
withhold.
One nation
under God
indivisible…
a country,
a study
in democracy.
On what it means,
the responsibility
of being “free.”
We continue to learn
to see
repeatedly
that “free”
that equality-
not always easy
and often lacks clarity.
Constant to and fro,
outer battles
reflecting
inner struggles.
Still, we stand!
For/from ourselves much better demand.
So much at stake:
too much needed Love to make
and bridges to create
as per God’s Great Mandate.
According to the dictionary independence (no dependence) is synonymous with self-government, self-rule, separation, self-determination, autonomy, freedom, and liberty.
We celebrate independence.
Yet, there is a popular old saying that no one is an island, meaning we are human and, thus, by very definition and design, social beings who are dependent on each other.
There are songs that emphatically assert that “…people who need people are the luckiest people in the world” and “it’s a small world after all.”
As both an introvert and the eldest daughter of a very strong woman, I often struggle with these assertions of interdependence. Which should I strive to be – independent or interdependent? Can one be effectively independent and interdependent?
My mother – with only the best intentions in mind – raised her three daughters to be just as strong as she is, which meant staunchly independent. “Let yourself never ever be put down by relying on a man,” my impressionable sisters and I were taught in both word and actions from very early on. Interdependence was never discussed; not sure mom even knew such a word existed! A woman was either independent or weak – period, no middle ground. This information I absorbed and, while it has served me well in many respects, as I mature I can clearly see the damage it has wrought in personal relationships.
For introverts, much as we love good company in relatively small doses, relating can be overwhelmingly taxing physically, emotionally, and intellectually. As such, an introvert requires separation from others to re-fuel. We can literally wither away without enough space and independence. Yet, too much of this “good” thing independence can leave the introvert vulnerable to depression and profound feelings of isolation.
I am seeing now the ego, limits and dangers of independence/self-determination and the reality, vulnerability and expansiveness of interdependence. I am learning that very little in life is black and white. As I gray, so does life!
burgeoninc 