These posts are visible with my most recent writing at the top, but the story starts with the first post. The poems have been added more or less as they surfaced and evolved through the process. Thank you for taking some time to explore with me. For more information and/or to schedule a reading contact me at meanderingspublications@gmail.com"> Bio page for Find Maine Writers:




Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Cozy Light

Shin Pond Sunrise - May 28, 2017

Cozy Light

In awakening there is a recognition of arrival
 coupled with departure,
in the ongoing progression of time.
A subtle lightening as newness slowly unfolds,
bringing with it familiarity
and the unknown.
All that has been is present
like a solid mountain silhouetted
against a fledgling sky,
calmly reflected in the fluid depths.
Some of what was will wash away,
carried by currents of watery wisdom.
Movement that is understood,
or not.
Quiet clouds may
work their way into the scene,
flowing with the winds
be they gentle or strong.
All that will be is yet to come
as the softness of the rising sun widens
and stretches into the light of day,
the hopeful promise of clear skies
ever present and real.

Solitary being surveys the scene,
ponders and wonders,
then draws in her breath,
grateful for the moment she is in.
She feels a sense of immersion
as a freedom unlike
any she has ever known gradually unfurls.
She kindles her inner embers
to let the cozy light of newness
permeate her body
and expand out into the developing day,
 willing any remaining debris
to softly flow away.
Sarah Carlson
May 30, 2017

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Peaceful Acceptance

Looking Up - Backyard of Tara and Toby Burdet and Aaron Nau
Peaceful Acceptance

Tender moments of connection
await awareness as
the need for understanding relaxes.
Simultaneously sinking in and rising up,
 one is able to
access knowing,
trust togetherness,
savor the freshness
 and energy of expansion.
Waters of being flow freely,
breath diffuses deeply,
heart pulsates purely
and there is a tuning in,
a tuning out.
Bits of bedrock beneath
may rumble or tumble,
then sift and settle
 in new places
with a sweet sense of
of realignment,
a suspension of striving,
an opportunity to just be.
 Tangled tendrils
no longer matter
and the taproot is nourished
by what is real and right,
as it has been all along.
A reaching without seeking,
a simple stretching,
a peaceful acceptance of now.
Sarah Carlson
May 21, 2017



Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Father Love

Clearwater Lake, Maine


Father Love

Gentle, steady acceptance
coupled with a deep, strong sureness.
I know you’ve been there all along,
but for varied reasons I just couldn’t
quite trust all the way, all the time.
I thought I had to hide, protect,
stay strong on my own.
But, just when I was beginning to
understand the primary reasons
for perceived wrongness,
there you were.
In those sweet, tender moments
between sleep and awakening
you simply sat with me in silence
until I became aware of your presence.
One hand on my shoulder, one on my leg
you calmly offered compassionate connection
without judgment.
I didn’t even ask you to come,
at least not to my knowledge,
so your visit was a pleasant surprise.
I vacillated between true communion
 and vestigial patterns of unease.
Even now, though,
I can remember the sublime energy of being with you
and how it felt benevolent and right.
No reason to fear, no need to be ashamed
or feel anything but love.
After letting those sensations
sit and settle for a while
I realize what you offered that morning
was unconditional Father Love -
that, in truth, it’s always there.
It’s reminiscent of moments
with my dad learning the stars
and finding pictures in the clouds,
of what I saw in my brother’s eyes
as he watched his babies for too few years,
and what I felt with Barry as he reveled in being with
with our babies, children, young adults.
I miss them all so very much -
dad, brother, husband.
I know their love is with me still
as I’m becoming more free
to receive, embrace your love.
Perhaps it is actually all the same force.
Thank you for your visit
in the wee hours of the morning
to help me be more aware,
more accepting of ubiquitous
 Father Love.

Sarah Carlson
May 16, 2017

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Relax and Rise

Great Wass Island, Maine

Dear Sarah,
Godsend,
that you were, that you are.
Grasp this truth as
you lift yourself out of the quagmire,
release yourself from those pesky tendrils
that try to draw you back.
Because of them you had to
wear strength like armor,
though, thankfully, you knew to let my love in.
You may feel vulnerable in your newness,
but you are so inwardly strong now.
All those moments we shared
as friends, lovers, parents
are woven together
with a warp of love, a weft of truth.
All those moments of healing
that you have experienced
 in the years since I died
have the same warp and weft.
Relax and rise as you
soak in the warmth,
allow your being
 to open all the way.
Relax and rise,
protected and supported
by that beautiful, growing
fabric of love and trust.
I love you, too.
You will always have that,
but there’s more.
Allow the Light of Love
to saturate and radiate
further in and further out.
Relax and rise, sweet Sarah,
relax and rise.
With love,
Barry
Sarah Carlson
May 3, 2017