RISING WISDOM POETRY

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In the times of our greatest suffering, 

when we are unable to draw air

into our depleted lungs,

and our hearts are shattered like

shards of glass;

for we are certain we cannot

survive the enormity of our pain,

nor the deepness of our sorrows -

search for your last glowing embers. 

And though they may not emit much light,

nor grace us with the warmth we seek;

just a modest breeze could return these

embers into flame.

I can not tell you when the breeze

will find you ~ but I know that she will come.

And as you await her tender kiss

find purpose in nurturing your embers soft glow.

For these sweet embers are the hope

you’ve been longing for. 

For just this moment - take a pause.

Feel held by the stillness.

Breathe in and slowly let go.

Release.

Find comfort in the repeating rhythm

of your breath that never fails. 

For just this moment - let it all go.

Let go of the judgement and expectations

placed on you by yourself and the world. 

Remember the child you once were

and the hopes you once held.

For just this moment - feel yourself grow.

With the power of who you are now.

Let your heart swell

with the greatness of your living,

breathing, magnificent body.

A body that will hold you safely 

for your lifetime. 

For just this moment - lean into the quiet.

The beautiful silence that comes with reverence. 

Welcome a wave of pride

to wash over you.

For all that you are - every glorious

aspect of your being. 

For just this moment – feel love for yourself. 

For all that you have been through

and every hardship you’ve conquered. 

And with your next breath in feel love,

and with your next exhale

find freedom. 

Life is in motion.

We see it all around us

in the ebb and flow

of the swollen seas, 

through our breathing in

and our deep exhales.

Like the gentle shimmering of leaves;

life just moves. 

With the turning of the earth

and in the setting of the sun

know this to be true. 

Even when you feel stuck,

stagnant or trapped.

Like life is passing you by

or your hope is fading.

Remember the world 

doesn't stop turning.

Maybe you are sitting in

a place of pause, 

just before the wave crashes, 

in the silent beat between two notes.

You are not trapped, dear one. 

You are a miracle in motion,

held gracefully for a short while

before greatness happens. 

The leaves are turning 

from green 

to the bold fire colours.

The air 

is crisp and cold.

As Autumn arrives,

nature reminds us

of the importance 

of letting go of what

no longer serves us.

Letting go. Breathing out.

Releasing the stories

we hold inside us

Making space for

something new.

Sitting in circle there is a connection that reaches back along ancestral lines. 

By summoning the stories that have shaped us and brought us here to this very moment; 

the gentle guidance of our Great, Great Grandmothers holds us in our vulnerability. 

Instinctively we know that to breathe in, we must first breathe out. 

A soft release. 

Finding hope that in this space of ritual we can give ourselves voice.

Relaxing into a space of deep listening and of sacred storytelling, in circle we are held through our darkness and in light. 

Sitting in circle we find connection under this New Moon. 

As sisters, our stories unfold.

Each word is suspended in the air before us,

as every thought is released

on its journey to becoming. 

As we share our stories

we are no longer bound in silence,

and find liberation as we 

courageously speak our truths. 

Witnessed in our storytelling

we find power from this

new sense of belonging, 

a deep connection to each other;

those sitting in front of us 

and our ancestors who came beforehand,

who cleared a path so we could find

our way here to circle.  

So fragile from grief

you curl yourself inwards,

keeping small

and protected from sorrow.

Yet the soft morning sun

teases delicate leaves,

unfurling 

with hope of tomorrow.

So devoted to growth

they reach for the light.

And grief but a whisper

as day turns to night. 

If I had known the last time that I saw you,

That the moon would fall from the sky, 

that the birds would be silenced, 

and the ocean stilled, 

if I had known you would die……

I would have told you all of my stories, 

and listened to you telling me yours. 

If only love could have saved you, 

you’d have lived a million years more. 

Now it seems like the stars have stopped shining, 

and my heart feels broken in two. 

The days and nights just an endless loop

as I live in this world without you. 

But there is something I hear my grief whisper

from the deepest depths of my heart, 

that although your embers stopped burning

we will never be truly apart.

You’re the red hues of the evening sunset, 

the silhouette of geese in flight, 

the glistening droplets of cold morning dew, 

the blackbird that sings at night. 

You are the thunder, the lightning, and storm clouds, 

the gentle, sweet, summer rain, 

the love that binds our whole family

through our loss, 

our grief, 

and our pain. 

For the moon will rise again, I know. 

The birds will sing a new song. 

The ocean will ebb and flow once more, 

The seasons will change and move on. 

And I know with all of my knowing, 

from the leaves to the roots of the tree,

you are the beauty in all that surrounds us

so forever here with us you’ll be.

Leaning into this stillness

I find a place where my thoughts gather 

like heavy storm clouds; 

tentatively accumulating in my restless mind.

If I could just grasp them

I would thread them together on gilded yarn

and weave them into stories,

to release like raindrops into 

the expectant Earth.

For there is a place I know 

- an opening - 

where women gather with cupped hands

to catch the glistening droplets 

with tenderness and knowing.

Sitting side-by-side in circle

their rising wisdom untethered;

they know the significance of these stories 

and how to hold them in revered silence. 

Softly, and with whole hearts 

they offer our stories to the Earth

for her safe keeping, 

bringing release from the storms we have known.

A peace, a pause, a beginning.

A blessing to behold.