Author: Taruna

Checking In…

Art by James R Eads

What if you gave yourself 

A moment each day

Perhaps at the start

Probably needed at the end

Just to check in on yourself

And say,

“How are you today?

If you’re in pain, sad, alone, indifferent 

Can you relax to breathe deep

Breathe long 

And then let it out slow.

Whatever you felt, can you 

Accept, allow

Reflect as needed.

And then move on

By opening yourself up

Much like the sky

And watch the happenings.

With emotions, slow like clouds

Floating on by

Or fast like birds

And then as the space quietens

And a silence sings

Bask like in the sun

Let a warmth surround

Let a comfort embrace

This here is presence, and  

Now you are all checked in!

Checking in….

What if you gave yourself 

A moment each day

Perhaps at the start

Probably more needed at the end

Just to check in on yourself

Saying, “how are you feeling today?”

“How did your day go?”

If it was tough

Can you give yourself a moment

To relax, breathe deep, breathe long

And let it out slow.

Whatever you felt

Can you accept, allow

Reflect as needed

The let it all go.

Open yourself 

Much like the sky 

And watch the happenings

The events, the emotions

As they float on by

Slow like summer clouds

Or fast like birds as thunder rolls in.

Then as the space empties, quietens

And a silence sings

Bask, like bathing in the sun

Let a warmth surround 

Let a comfort embrace 

This is presence

And this is how you get all checked in.

Diwali

Historical representation 

The return of a light force

Joy and comfort rejoiced 

Reality check

Light is omnipresent 

Even in the darkest of times

Not only does it dance

At the break of dawn

In the twinkle of stars

But in the hurl of waves

In the flicker of eyes 

And roar of laughter 

I came as light

Much like a blow torch

Universally charged

The force, the light

Burns, sustains 

Every breath, every day

My casing ages

Disintegrates

As my light remains constant 

The day will come

When it’s work for me is done

Then silently it moves on

Cherishing this light

Without which 

I am mere dust

Befriending

Understanding 

Appreciating

My light 

It chose me 

It is me 

Being happy

In my light

Celebrate my Diwali 

Plenitude

Magnificent simplicity 

Delicately glorious 

Profoundly present 

Regally virtuous 

Composition unique 

Yet familiarity opens

My heart once more

And a warmth released

How far we stray

In this world 

Of asphalt and tar

Where trees are cleared

Where creatures made homeless 

And man banks

Another buck

And builds yet another city

When will we learn

When will we remember 

The ecosystem 

The cosmos 

All rotate, revolve 

In a natural order

When a simple rose

One of a million

Can tell the story

Of a divine perfection 

And inspire a gratuitous love

From your deepest vault

This is the gift

Not of a dozen roses

But merely just one

As housed in her

The depth of a beauty

Is the same for me 

The same for you

Glow and yield

To what is nature’s 

Rhyme and reason

Love and grace

And accept the abundant plenitude 

Grief Postponed


He’s gone

A lifetime of 83 years

One last breath

And he’s gone

Absence

Silence 

Reminders

And then the pain

With no time to absorb 

No time to feel

Only the processes, the needs

Of affairs to be resolved

Dictating an attention

Refusing

Postponing 

The grief 

And now with only space

And a sudden influx of time 

Comes the pain, the tears

For he really is gone

Will you hold my hand…

Will you…
Hold my hand for a little while?
I don’t need you to save me
No need for you to fix anything
No need for you to hold my pain
But will you simply hold my hand?
I do not need your words
Your thoughts
Nor your shoulders to carry me
But will you sit here for a while with me?
Whilst my tears they stream
Whilst my heart it shatters
Whilst my mind plays tricks on me
Will you with your presence let me know that I am not alone, whilst I wander into my inner unknown?
For my darkness is mine to face
My pain is mine to feel
And my wounds are mine to heal
But will you sit with me here, while I courageously show up for it all my dear?
For I am bright because of my darkness
Beautiful because of my brokenness
And strong due to my tender heart
But will you take my hand lovingly, when I sometimes journey into the dark?
I don’t ask for you to take my darkness away
I don’t expect for you to brighten my day
And I don’t believe that you can mend my pain
But I would surely love if you could sit for a while and hold my hand, until I find my way out of my shadowland!
So will you…
Hold my hand until I return again?”~

~Zoe Johansen ~

Posting this poem as it is so fitting to the moment captured above between my dad and I on his last day here on Earth🙏