Papa
by Carmen H Gray
Explorations of resplendent nature
Lizards, locusts, asps and toads
The perfect design of every creature
In the trees and along the roads
All of my how’s and why’s with answers never met
Instead rejoined by you
With more curious speculations that would beget
A continual craving of learning
Through out my life
Your responses returning
To keep me suspended
That I may seek evermore
Beyond what is first comprehended
“To belittle, you have to be little.”
―Kahlil Gibran
Jilted
by Carmen H Gray
I have been jilted
By love (?)
My heart misshapen and stilted
My anger fueled
Slander, curses, vilification
I was fooled
Only it is your ego
The hurt child that resides
Feeding your false credo
Holding you captive
From the truth
From the real wound
Keeping your soul aloof
Softly I felt
The intensity of light
Moving through me
Awakening my senses
Illuminating the view
Of everything around me
As if a dark cloud had
Dissipated into the atmosphere
-Carmen H Gray
Touched by An Angel
by Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness until love leaves its high holy temple and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies old memories of pleasure ancient histories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls. We are weaned from our timidity In the flush of love's light we dare be brave And suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.
There’s a stranger I met long ago that told me something when I was feeling quite vulnerable. I was walking toward the art museum on a sunny Sunday in January when I slipped and broke my ankle just a block from my car. I didn’t have my phone with me and I didn’t have a means to get back to my car. I sat down on the sidewalk to think about my circumstances-how would I get back home? Plenty of people drove by and walked on with their busy lives while I considered crawling back to my car, looking foolish.
This man stopped to help me. He had very intense, light-colored eyes and a beard. He helped me hobble back to my car. He let me lean on him heavily while he told me one of his all time favorite quotes:
