November Ponderings

 

A blanket of warm words both enveloping and soothing

Pain-filled pockets of old wounds passed down from generation,

Arms and legs wrapped tightly around the thinnest peak of the tallest tree,

Heart pounding, tensed muscles aching, body swaying gently on the breeze of hope,

Suspended on a thin life-wire, connecting all that is and ever was.

 

Ever-fluctuating time, suddenly fusing the many layers of existence,

In a mere flash, the wholeness and inter-dependency of our being,

Revealed and understood, if only just for a moment.

The wisdom once ever-present, contained in a nutshell,

Eroding now and fading before us while we busy ourselves with hot air.

 

Returning to the womb for warmth and protection,

Detracting the claws of persistence,

Unwinding and retreating underground to a state of inner quiet.

A thick mulch of rotting ways decomposes on the surface,

Awaiting to nourish when we are ready to receive and grow towards the light.

 

But for now, we seek comfort in the dark edges of the soul,

Wallowing within the depths of our own entangled jungle.

 

Olivia O’Keeffe

November 2020