The Quiet Beauty of You

 

The Quiet Beauty of You

Slow down.
Feel the energy
of an emerging sun,
awakening trees,
distant mountains,
warming waters.
Let awareness
of your sweet self
deepen and widen
as you reflect
and are reflected.
Inhale… draw in.
Exhale… be drawn out
for as many agains
as you need.
Let tension soften,
effort rest,
wonderings pause
for however long
they do.
Slow down even more.

Stand or sit or lay
in stillness
and see what comes,
what goes,
what settles anew.
No right,
no wrong,
no need to judge.
Stop, breathe,
allow yourself
to relax into
the quiet beauty
of you.

Sarah Carlson
April 11, 2022

 

The Broken Can Blossom

 

The Broken Can Blossom

My attention drifts out
the kitchen window
as I ponder an issue
I have been grappling with
for quite some time.
My body is a bit tense,
but my eyes are soft
as my focus is actually within.
Slowly, ever so slowly,
my awareness is captured
by a plant on the windowsill.
Not just any plant, though.
An orchid that had been cherished
by my mother
and hasn’t bloomed since
her death almost two years ago.
There’s a stem with several buds
and a branch, almost fully separated,
 that bends around the back of the pot.
I turn it slowly,
breathe in deeply
as my eyes focus
 on a blossom that had been
quietly seeking the sun
without my knowing.
A slow smile extends
throughout my being.
Ah yes,
the broken can blossom.
And when they do,
there is beauty that is
intricate and profound
and deeply genuine.
What a gift for all
 who choose to see.

Sarah Carlson
April 4, 2022