Simply Still

Simply Still

Whether striding ahead with gusto,
 taking small exploratory steps,
or pausing to take it all in
progress comes,
healing happens.
Even meandering
 back to what was,
seeing it anew,
 supports growth.
Withered leaves fall,
swirling winds blow,
water continues its cycle
even when frozen
on the ground.
Changes,
some obvious
 in their radiance,
others sweetly subtle,
continuously occur.
Forward
is often considered
to be moving
 straight ahead,
but, in reality,
is in varied directions
and includes interludes.
Expansion can and will happen
when you free yourself to be
simply still.

Sarah Carlson

November 27, 2018

Tranquil, Wide Horizon

Gratitude comes at various times, in sometimes surprising circumstances. I'm extremely thankful to be at this point in my healing.

This poem is largely about my dad, who passed away 7 years ago yesterday. I visited him each of the first 9 days he was at the Togus Hospice. Then I remember realizing that whatever was happening within him wasn't about me, that he and I were good. So, as he lay there silently doing his own work, I said my good byes. He died a few days later.

One of my biggest fans, especially of my poetry, I know he would be grateful for the healing I've accessed, for the shift that this piece represents.

Tranquil, Wide Horizon

Two ships sail on a foggy sea,
their courses diverge.
One heads to brighter, freer days,
the other set to travel
 in the same unending denseness.
Its cargo includes
drums of despair,
heaps of heartache,
barrels and barrels of burdens.
With feet firmly planted on
the deck of my own ship,
I raise a steady hand,
 wave a misty-eyed good bye.
Those on the deck,
at the helm,
 of that galleon of gloom,
had brightness mingled with
 their shadows,
but distress and tension reigned.
I was on that ship for a time,
my caring heart,
loving nature
groomed to lug a load
that was not mine.
I had to disembark,
climb aboard a ship of my own –
not an easy feat.
Though my shoulders still ache
from the strain of those years,
I carry gratitude
as more and more I discern
transcendent, lively
 treasures within.
That dark ship has sailed.
 My voyage continues as I look
to the tranquil, wide horizon that beckons.
I hear the gentle waves,
marvel at the starry sky of night,
feel the warmth of
continually emerging light
wafting over the welcoming seascape.
I breathe deep the refreshing air,
fill with acceptance,
wellness, and love.

Sarah Carlson

November 22, 2018
Thanksgiving

Softly, More Softly

Softly, More Softly

So often we are in a rush.
Do this, solve that,
make it better… now.
But, in truth,
that which is worth exploring
often takes time to fully comprehend.
Instinct helps me allow and encourage this
as the amazing young beings
in my classroom ebb, flow,
gather, and grow –
each in his or her
impeccably unique way.
Why, then, do I feel
I must hurry?
Why am I, the teacher,
often dashing to get from
here to there?
Why do I, the author,
think I must scramble to make sure
my words and images fly
out of the boxes,
off the shelves?
What causes the healing me to
sometimes wonder about failing
if I don’t fully enfold newness
 right away?
This educator, this author,
this sparkling woman
knows that, in truth,
illumination is like the
twisting of a kaleidoscope,
pieces cascading, nestling,
settling anew –
beauty at every turn.
So I’m going  to make sure to
notice the light
 shining wherever it does,
allow understanding
to come as it will,
acknowledge the elegance and grace
 that are right before my eyes
each and every day.
I am going to choose to
slow down,
softly, more softly

 occupy my own space
in this harried world.

Sarah Carlson

November 18, 2018

Expanding Faith

Expanding Faith

Softly, more softly she settles,
trusting that whatever she feels
is rightful
 and hers.
One strong, residual strand
of the tether that held her back
weakens all the way,
releases –
the one that made her
feel wrong for needing help.
She finds herself gently reaching,
though she knows not what for,
then realizes it doesn’t matter.
In moments of profound healing
whatever happens simply does –
to her, with her, for her.
There's no need to try so hard,
nothing that needs doing 
other than allow and accept.
Another turning point,
she feels her cells shimmer,
as the once persistent
sense of jeopardy slides away.
She breathes deep a curative breath,
slowly lets it weave around and through
that which has sparked within.
Her vapors
fan those inner embers once again,
but this time
 she doesn’t feel constriction
 or any need to hold back.
Carefree and peaceful
she breathes again,
and again,
and again.
Pristine energy
deeper safety, definitive support
partner this liberation.
Heartened by a continually
 expanding faith
in unconditional Love,
her inner compass orients
 to the fuller and fuller flowing
of the truth of her being,

Sarah Carlson

November 7, 2018

The Worry Owl

'The Worry Owl' by Holly Johnson

The Worry Owl
(for Holly)

A new friendship,
the bond of being
 widowed too young.
Calm, caring, thoughtful conversation
with an openness provided
by that unwelcome,
but very real bond.
Talk of connections in nature –
heart rocks, dragonflies, birds of all kinds.
Of love lost, but not.
The gift of a painting,
clearly done from the heart.
A calm, caring, thoughtful owl
peering out from the trunk of a tree.
The Worry Owl you called it,
with the advice,
“Let the owl do the worrying.”
Thank you, Holly,
for the Worry Owl
that keeps me company
all these years later,
but most especially for the gift
of your calm, caring, thoughtful presence
in the lives of all of us
who had the good fortune
to know you,
your beautiful being.

With love,
Sarah Carlson
November 8, 2018

Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To

Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To

Numbers –
so concrete,
easy to compare.
One definitely worth either
more than, less than,
or the same as another.
It’s clear what their relationship is,
once you know the rules
and how they operate.
And then there’s us,
we humans,
with our varied and complex interweavings.

It is so often said that we are all created equal,
yet there are those who seem to believe
they are greater than,
constantly needing that ‘fact’
to be seen.
Likely they may actually feel less than
somewhere deep within,
and so the need to prove.
By stepping out into the natural world
it’s easy to behold true equity and balance.

Fledgling tree with changing leaves
sways in a cool fall breeze,
waters of a nearby pond
ruffle and reflect,
mountain backdrop stands
full, strong, and steady.
One part of the scene no greater
or less than the other,
each having an equal part in the grandeur.
The human who takes a pause to notice
fills with the clean, clear energy
of that equality.
Once again grateful
for the teachings of nature,
she moves forward
with more clarity on board.

Sarah Carlson

October 27, 2018