Priceless

        This morning I received a most precious gift from a friend. She wrote a poem. About me. I am moved beyond words.
         And I’m speechless....
         Luckily for the sake of this blog, I don’t stay speechless for long. But there is nothing I could possibly add to what she wrote except to say thank you from the deepest depths of my heart. This is one of the most beautiful gifts I have ever received.
         A few weeks ago, I encouraged people to write a poem to someone they loved for valentine’s day. Little did I know that I would soon be the recipient of such a priceless gem. From this new, unexpected perspective I can therefore say, without equivocation, that it works. Writing a poem to someone you care about is a most sacred event. For both people.
         Open your hearts to those around you. And love them...


Ode to a Sequoia

Beautiful man
Exuding energy and joy
A unique gravitational pull
Engaging the world
Inviting us inside his heart
His battered heart he seeks to heal
His scarred soul he seeks the courage to accept
Wanting to love and be loved
Afraid to bleed again
yet drawn to the blade.

Not living in the pain
It’s easy for me to see the power and strength
He somehow fails to embrace
He’s got the words
He’s got the skills,
I’m watching him struggle and grow
A mighty tree cracking through stone and pain as old as he is
A bedrock of pain that will not be denied,
But has supported the man he has become,
And will always be the foundation of the man he is becoming.

Blessed am I to watch his unique tree grow and spread its branches.
It affords me a spectacular new perspective from its upper limbs
balancing precariously on the newest growth.
His solid trunk provides a safe place to rest when looking out at his domain.
I can lean there, mulling his ideas and growing with him
I hear his music as the wind passes by and through him.

A new sort of tree he is-
His own sort of foliage, proudly, defiantly, standing out in the forest
It’s a beautiful sight as he pushes up to the light
I want to water and tend him,
Help him repel the painful saw
Clear the debris around him and give him space to expand

With time and love this tree will flower and bear delicious fruit
Standing tall in a space all its own.
A testament to the paradox of vulnerability and strength.
When embracing love and pain morphs into power and grace

AES 2/2009