Collected Sorrow

 Collected Sorrow

Though I know I have felt hopeful
and grateful and joyful
all along my way,
I now understand
collected sorrow
has long been
 a stealthy burden
and much of it
simply is not mine.
Some of it saturated deeply,
some beaded and pooled,
some already dripped away.
I think it will take a bit more time
to allow myself to let go
the responsibility,
to not feel as though
I’m falling short if
I choose to fully attend
to my authentic emotions,
whatever they may be.
What is truly imperative
is the recognition
that I’ve consistently acted
from a place of caring deeply,
 being a helper,
wanting to create ease
for the ones I love.
This, however,
does not mean I must
absorb or carry
the despair of others,
causing unease
within me.
In truth, there is
nothing selfish
or nefarious
to that.

Sarah Carlson
October 28, 2021

Of Sunshine and Raindrops

 Of Sunshine and Raindrops

Things seem so clear at times.
At others they
are vague and murky.
I’m much more at ease
in me,
while at the same time
I’m uncertain as to
where I belong.
So I breathe and settle,
accept and allow,
stretch and widen.
And, sometimes I’m treated
to magical moments
such as a rainbow extending
from rocky cliffs to vibrant trees.
One that is so low to the ground
you can see through the layers
and it makes your breath catch
in that really good way.
And I realize
this vivid beacon
 could only happen
with an ideal mix
of sunshine and raindrops.
I’m so very grateful
that I was in the right place
at the right time
so I could soak it in
with a quiet grin,
let the accompanying sensations
saturate and soothe
in whatever ways
they will.

Sarah Carlson
October 22, 2021

Wide-eyed Wonder

 

Wide-eyed Wonder

Having circled back
many times,
she finds her way
 to vivid truth
and velvety comfort.
Circumstances that  
entrenched
faulty, twisted learnings
happened to her,
not because of her.
Of that she is now sure.
Layers adjust
and reintegrate,
 fears that were bestowed
evaporate.
She gazes aloft
with wide-eyed wonder,
glows with the grace of discovery,
fosters her sanctuary within.
She expands to the downy yonder,
 feels reverential,
 less troubled,
curious to experience
what else this
wonderment
might reveal.

Sarah Carlson
October 15, 2021

Baptism by Nature

 Baptism by Nature
 

She walks alone through
autumn woods.
Water music accompanies
her quiet strides
along a stony brook.
A leaf catches her eye
and she stops, looks,
listens, ponders, feels.
She breathes,
dropping in ever deeper,
expanding outward
more and more and more.
Her chest and shoulders,
which still so often ache,
settle
and she feels aglow
with an energy
that is genuine and pure.
A soft mist moistens her face
as she descends the trail.
Innate strength,
beauty, nurture, love
flow steadily within
as she once again
allows herself
to be enfolded by
 natural surrounds.
Alone, yet not,
brightening faith in
the divinity of it all
saturates, invigorates,
cradles her softly
anew.

Sarah Carlson
October 14, 2021