Shift and Sparkle

 Shift and Sparkle

Early morning sunshine at 
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
We walk the paths,
marvel at the slow-moving beauty
unfolding before us.
This lake, filled with meltwater,
carries icebergs that continuously break
from the edge of a glacier,
then tip and tumble,
shift and sparkle,
slowly make their way to the sea. 

Delightful variations in their color,
many shades of gray and striking blues,
are the result of varied temperatures and ice density.
Once part of a whole,
each has a life of its own.

Our time there has been
in my heart since then.
Yesterday I experienced a letting go
that feels connected.
For many reasons that are
part of my own story,
I carried quite a cumbersome load,
much of which I have gingerly set down.
My body led the way yesterday,
and now my heart follows,
as I cry soft, multi-hued tears
of release and healing.
I don’t know why my brother and my husband
are not here to enjoy our children as adults
or our precious grandchildren -
and I am.
Unbeknownst to me,
somewhere deep down,
a sort of nebulous guilt was present.
Though it has been a slow process to realize this,
glacial really,
I am in awe of how good and safe it feels
to float and flow,
 buoyed by yet another
 sparkly, heart-mending shift.

Sarah Carlson
May 23, 2024

Free Flowing Awe

Photo by Emma Carlson

Free Flowing Awe

Immense and incredible waterfalls -
Öxarárfoss, Gullfoss, Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss.
But it’s Gljúfurárfoss that deeply stirs my soul.
The spring-fed Gljúfurá
drops over black lava cliffs
then seemingly disappears.
We follow the stream
through a narrow passageway
that opens to a misty, magical wildness
 we share with a few other travelers.
Someone offers to take what we later realize
is ‘the photo’ for this place,
upon a boulder in the cavern.
And we’re grateful so we return the favor.
But then we stay for a bit
to feel it, be in it,
literally soak it all in.
Otto explores the stream
with Dada by his side.
Mama (Emma) and I
 share a few more moments
 of free-flowing awe.
Perhaps it was a sort of
accumulated energy
 from all of the falls,
 the changes they bring,
and sharing it as a family
that cleared the way.
From the soles of my feet,
to the core of my being,
to the tips of my fingers -
I open to a beautiful rush of me.
This settles to a sort of awakening
as the power of my very own love,
so naturally extended to others,
permeates, saturates, circulates
 throughout my being.
I am in awe, still.

Sarah Carlson
May 20, 2024

 

Waterfall of the Ax River

‘Waterfall of the Ax River’:
Öxarárfoss, Iceland

In a land so different
from the one we call home
there is such vast openness and history,
both geologic and human.
On our first day
we make our way to
Þingvellir National Park
in our camper vans.
It’s been a long time with little sleep,
yet we are drawn to a trail
we’ve been told goes to a waterfall -
‘foss’ in Icelandic.
We start the short climb,
3-year-old Otto
 gleefully leading the way.
You can feel the dynamic energy
of the place, the falls
even before they come into view
 around a bend.
Öxarárfoss,
where the waters of the Öxará
cascade over ancient lava cliffs
 of Almannagjá Gorge -
the eastern end
of the North American tectonic plate.
We sit, listen,
let our travel-weary bodies settle,
and take in the beauty together.
After some exploring,
Otto climbs onto Mama’s lap
and soon falls into a contented sleep.
Dada carries him through a part
of  the rift valley
 to our homes on wheels.
Low clouds hang over
wondrous gifts that
delightfully  unwrap
in the days ahead.

Sarah Carlson
May 7, 2024