Waking The Day poem - Libations Friday 17 Sept 2010

When the day - and I - awaken, present in the moment.





Waking The Day


When I suddenly awakened from the long night’s hot summer sleep
The energizing scent of coffee brewing wafted around the corner.
I stumbled in the dark, bouncing off the doorway, fumbling for the kitchen lights.
I saw cats waiting eagerly at the back door, wide-eyed nocturnal keepers of the yard.





Measuring out fresh food into their three bowls, then wisely throwing open the door.
They looked up at me, measuring me more than their food, wondering how awake,
Hugging the doorway, quietly gliding through the opening instead of their usual burst.
The golden tiger cat squeaked his morning gossip of the neighborhood nightly report.





Steaming dark brown coffee breathed foggy swirls, spilling into the pristine mug.
The hot libation slid down my throat as it gave off its sweet Ethiopian perfume.
Drinking coffee before speaking plays first in the slumbering beginnings at my house.
Glancing at the cats, all lined in a row, they ate heartily as if miners just off a long shift.






I stepped out into the night to view the sparkling stars before they faded to the day.
The sky was astounding in its simple beauty; the love planet Venus the brightest smile.
How could anyone not smile in return when the planets seem to speak lovingly to us?
So many stars, so many messages written in the sky, our Universe speaks unceasingly.





Pouring another offering of coffee, I pulled up a chair on the porch to view the lake.
I could witness early morning on the water a thousand times, never to be disappointed.
Smoke rose on the water, little ghostly fingers walking forward on the mirrored surface.
Three mallard ducks emerged from the mist, swimming my way, dancing long strides.






Huge prehistoric wings filled the air with a swooping sound and blanketed darkness.
A blue heron landed to fish his breakfast, blending into the smoky gray surrounding mist.
Soon a white egret flew in from the east, careful to move down to another fishing hole.
In the dim light a neighbor fished, sitting, pole in hand as his coffee scent filled the air.







Faint pink embers, the growing light, were filling the sky just above the rooftop horizon.
The blue heron stalked the shallows on his long legs, searching the moving warm waters.
A sudden splash, beak dove down, retrieving a huge fish he flung high on to the bank.
The egret caught small fishes, silver glints in the sunlight, tossed into the air, swallowed.





Two cups of coffee later it was time to check back in the house to rouse my husband.
Entering the room, he slumbered peacefully, his breath shallow; I knew he was awake.
The golden tiger cat pounced onto the bed and onto his chest, demanding attention.
His eyes closed, my husband smiled and knew he had not fooled either one of us.




Denny Lyon
Copyright 17 Sept 2010
All Rights Reserved


*** For the spiritual symbolism explained see:

A Healing Spiritual Poem: Waking The Day



Photo Credits


Steaming coffee in white cup photo by Kvasov Andrey @ flickr

Pink embers sunrise photo by Indy Kethdy @ flickr

Two great white egrets photo by flythebirdpath~} teddy @ flickr

The night sky photo by James Jordan @ flickr (combination of two photos)

Smoke on the water photo by flamesworddragon @ flickr

Ducks swimming under full moon photo by joiseyshowaa @ flickr

Fairy tale moon photo by davedehetre @ flickr

Golden cat in shadow photo by 1 suisse @ flickr


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*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Water of Life poem - Libations Friday 4 June 2010

*** Have you ever wondered the messages Nature speaks to us every day, happening every minute all around us? Great Nature photos.








Water of Life





I look up to see a white egret flying softly high overhead,
Playing, lazy, on the laughing air currents in conversation.
In the bare beginning, the morning air dances lightly.
Swooning breezes appear for me to remember, then, forget.
We are waiting for the sun.







Red-tinged blackbirds jump on the green swaying willow tree,
Screeching a two note hearty hello, lifting its wings wide to sing.
Smoky mist hangs on the water’s surface, stepping, drifting along
In creeping hordes like short silent ghosts.







A white egret dives and swoops in gracefully,
Gliding with quiet stretched white wings to fish.
A blue heron beats the air heavily with huge wings,
Coming in for a landing like a frightening dinosaur.







I sip my warm welcoming coffee ever so slowly as I watch,
Drinking in the early hour sights as the water of Life moves.
In the sky the sunrise peeks pink through dark blue clouds
When, suddenly, a strange sight: a flock of eight egrets.







Eight egrets, not the solitary solo of norm, flying East.
Eight egrets, all pristine perfect, soft billowy white
Drew my gaze to look up and wonder long the message.
Every day all around us, Creation delivers new awareness.







Mythical bearers of change, spiritual messengers: egrets and herons.
Eight is the number of new beginnings flying overhead today.
Arriving now comes change, change in our lives, change.
This omen of unusual eight means it’s all good.







I smile, and, look up in thanks.




Denny Lyon
Copyright 3 June 2010
All Rights Reserved


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!


Photo Credits


Flying high egret by mikebaird @ flickr

Screeching red-winged blackbird by ingridtaylar @ flickr

Heron in pink waters by h.koppdelaney @ flickr

Herons and sunrise by Bloody Nick @ flickr

Closeup of heron by Lida Rose @ flickr

New Orleans, Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain sunrise by JACoulter @ flickr

Flock of egrets at sunrise by Bashed @ flickr

Mythical egret by alicepopkorn @ flickr

Dennys Popular Poems Roundup 12 Mar 2010

From Denny: One of the greatest things about blogging is you can throw it "out there" to see if it fizzles or flashes with people. Do they like it or not? Do they identify with the write? Do they stop and think deeper? Do they benefit in some way? After all, what's the point of writing if people find nothing useful in it for themselves, right?

What's been fun this past year as I've figured out how to market these poems and other posts, is to discover what resonates with people. Every week it seems to be a surprise. Remember, fellow poets, if you don't market your poems how will people even know you wrote something worth reading? You can't always judge the write by yourself or even run it by a writing group. Writing groups seem to swing one way or the other: too much hollow praise or jealous condemnation - never quality critique that is actually useful. Throw it out there for anyone to read and see what happens.

A poem the author loves is often one others don't relate to - or have the time to break down the symbolism to mine the richness. Another poem the author may think is not that noteworthy and, yet, people buzz around it like bees and bears to honey. Who knew? Never try to predict what people will enjoy. The important thing is to offer up the best you can, as often as you can. Besides, in the end, the more you write the more accomplished you get at it.

No matter how good you think you are when you start daily blogging, you will improve. I certainly have and am delighted with my progress back from a three year long journey healing from a car accident. When I started these blogs, and poetry in particular, it was to jog my healing brain back into thinking faster, pushing it to get back to the level it once was. That, and I was concerned my brain just might shut down again like it did after the accident, where I lived in an odd limbo between two worlds for the first nine months after injury, never fully awake. I didn't write at all - or do much artwork for over two years. Definitely not a lot of fun.

But what I did mine from that experience was a lot more spiritual development I found intriguing. After all, if you are unable to function fully in this world, you end up praying and meditating - a lot, mainly as a way to witness what is going on inside as you observe the healing process. It was fascinating watching the brain at work, combing through each body system to make small or large corrections here and there.

That time was also useful to help a lot of people that I may not have had time to assist in their soul journey had I been rocking along with a regular life. No matter the trials, it ends up as all good when you take the time to look over your shoulder to make sense of the journey.

When the car accident happened I chose not to be resentful towards the elderly guy who caused it. Am I terribly wonderful? Not really. Pragmatic spirituality is the name of my living corner. When we hold resentment, grief, sorrow, anger and nurse it for too long, we end up dividing our focus. Sure, worse illnesses can result if negative emotions are held too long and not fully cleared out of your system. That's a given fact. We all know they can cause heart disease and cancer.

The decision I made not to be resentment toward him was to clear the deck of holding negative energy. There was enough on my personal plate and the smart thing was to move ahead and place all my focus upon healing. I even healed of the severe nerve pain doctors told me was not possible. Yeah? Guess who proved them wrong? :) OK, so it's the annoying part of my personality that I enjoy proving naysayers to be wrong. The word "impossible" just does not exist in my thought life and I've never identified with it.

Because I've lived in so many hard places on so many levels, roughed up by many hard life tests, there has been a staggering amount of knowledge and understanding gained. None of us enjoy going through difficult times but I have to admit it sure is nice a lot later down the road when you can clearly view all the benefits!

To that goal, I started encoding my poetry with spiritual truths and understanding for those interested in the same. I try to remember to write on a concrete level at the same time, so others who are not yet ready or have absolutely no interest at all, can still relate to the poem. Sometimes, I win on that front and sometimes I fail miserably. So, I just write yet another poem until I get it right. :)

Here are many of the poems you have enjoyed on The Social Poets. Thank you for all your support! It sure surpassed my expectations!

Oh, and one more thing: To my fellow poets - if you have any of your poems that are written about the same subjects, feel free to send me the web address link to your poem. I'll be glad to add your links to my poems where they are in the same genre, two links per poem. That's my idea of an open-invitation-no-time-limit Blog Carnival. You can email me: warriorspearl@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!





A year of poetry reviewed to see where I traveled this year, done in poem form:

Life is About Everything



honoring ourselves and finding worth


Honoring Ourselves

The Mystics Arrive


We Are All Sleeping Beauties

Oyez

An Audience of One

It Isnt In Me

Soul Journey

People Trees

Keeping The Peace

What Do You Like to Write? Talk to We! - learning to write from the deepest level of yourself

You Are Worthy Every Day!

Why I Write




orphans and neglected or abandoned children


Angels Left Behind: Orphans of the World



Seasons:

Winter

Snowing The Perfect Balance

Summer

Louisiana Summer Sigh



suicide and depression


Three Endings and One Beginning




survival and disaster

I Wait, poem for Haiti

Weeping Freedom


worry, waiting and praying

Swirling Thoughts

Poetry of Life

The Art of Waiting


memoir writing

Those Funny Memories

Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life



finding balance in your life and creating peace

New Years Reflection: Wine Glass Abyss

Gifts From The Heart, A Christmas Poem

Hunting Our Home

Primordial Dragon



being in love

A Man in Love

Opposites in Love: Night and Day

Loving You


Bitter Romance in the Garden - funny

The Interesting Man - funny




death and grieving

Reflections of That Moment

Rock, My Children




our emotions

They Pull at Your Heartstrings

Eyeing Think Time




angels in our lives

Angel Diaries: Samuel

When The Angels Cry For Us

Angels Bridge

Flinging Dirt

The Long Road



*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel free to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Snowing The Perfect Balance poem - Libations Friday 12 Feb 2010

*** How is our life affected by our perceptions and which perception helps us bring everything into balance?




From Denny: Though not the greatest morning person, I get up early to write anyway. It's that quiet time when everyone in the house - and almost everyone in the neighborhood - is sound asleep, quiet. Being a night owl it's easier to get up at 3, 4 or 5 AM than it is from 6 to 8 AM. Oh, and did I mention my fellow night owls, my four cat friends, love it when I get up early to keep them company?





So, what greeted me this early morning besides some friendly, downright chummy, kitties each demanding personal petting time with me? Snow! It was snowing in south Louisiana yet the weather guys informed us that it would not set foot around here. Having lived a number of childhood years in New England I knew this snow fall would not last long before melting off so I roused my morning person husband and set aside the writing.

By 6 AM I had pulled out all the makings for a warming soup, chopped all the vegetables and started cooking in anticipation for the perfect lunch meal: a steaming bowl of tasty soup. What did I make? A French green lentil soup, complete with green cabbage, red onions, carrots, celery and a plethora of spices because, frankly, bean or lentil soups taste terrible without any spices and vegetables to boost the bland harsh flavor. Spices? I'm a bit unconventional in that department as I have a Taoist take on food since I lived among the Chinese in Taiwan as a kid, pestering the locals to learn the healing abilities of food.





My spice choices today were ground coriander, ground cumin, lots of garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, sweet paprika, low sodium chicken broth, low sodium soy sauce, turmeric, a dash of ground cloves, Pasillo Negro chile powder from New Mexico, a little extra virgin olive oil - and some perfectly clarified butter to the level of dark ghee which adds a wonderful buttery nutty flavor.

When I plate the soup I drizzle it with some balsamic vinegar. Definitely, my middle name is "fusion melting pot." :) For years I got strange looks when people asked me what went into a recipe. Then they taste it and are so shocked at how much they loved it. The Taoist idea of cooking for your health, and blending what works well together, helped me create some wonderful taste experiences - and we all leave the table feeling so good we are restored. It is amazing how many of our fast foods and restaurant food can get us feeling out of sorts and yet a simple pot of soup with an intriguing blend of taste can restore us so quickly!

Guess you aren't wondering any longer why I have two rocking food blogs where I play: Romancing The Chocolate and Comfort Food From Louisiana. I've started a third one but it's still quite new and I have yet to stuff it as full as the others, still working on it: Unusual 2 Tasty.





The morning was so very perfect, enjoying the falling snow, cuddling into the silence snow brings, that it brought out a snow poem that I combined with the idea of how our perceptions affect our sense of Time. Sometimes, Time seems too slow when we are impatient, sometimes it goes too fast when we are afraid. Other moments we miss because of how we angle our emotions of frustation or sadness or even joy into our perception of how Time flows in our lives. This is my contribution to Valentine's Day. Read on to see why this is a poem about Love.





Snowing The Perfect Balance


When the snow begins to fall outside my window
It feels like Time is suspended for a little while.
The Southern azaleas reach out their leaf tongues
For the cold wet communion wafer of late winter’s gift.


Snow is an uncommon visitor in south Louisiana
And everyone gets to play hooky from work and school.
The early morning and the children are running outside
To greet the swiftly falling clumps of stranger snow.


A couple of more hours of planting snow and we can
Mound it up into an official yard snowman of pride.
In the kitchen we gather together to enjoy the lazy day
Stacking wood onto the roaring fire, heating hot chocolate drinks.


Snow seems to make us feel blanketed with inner comfort
Where we slow down and feel safe to reflect upon Life.
I laugh in my mind at how impatient we get when Time seems slow
And we must wait upon others to catch up to us like we want.





I remember those who always live in fear, so Life hurriedly walks away.
And when they finally turn to reflect they see Life’s discarded gifts.
I witness those who grieve and keep grieving beyond a person’s ability
To bear, a long sadness that grips, darkening their perception of Life’s beauty.


I nod my agreement to those experiencing a great joy in their lives
Like when a new baby is born or their child wins an Olympic medal.
Those fever pitch moments of joy, chasing special times not meant to last,
We send out into the Universe our wishes in vain, hoping for that second gift.





As the snow falls, silencing the busy streets, Nature quietly grounds us.
The promise of Spring’s beauty will break out in song, pushing up from the dirt.
I snuggle into the comfort of knowing how perfect sings this very moment in Time
When all is in balance, and Love is all around me, for eternity is the Time called Love.



Denny Lyon
Copyright 12 Feb 2010
All Rights Reserved


*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to leave comments, a big shout out to you awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!


Photo Credits

Cat watching falling snow photo by Anosmia @ flickr

Winter sunrise snow by Kamoteus (Mangarap Ka) @ flickr

Lone tree in the falling snow by Rob Shenk @ flickr

Falling snow on trees landscape by Serge Melki @ flickr

Song sparrow in falling snow by Noël Zia Lee @ flickr

Steaming bowl of hot soup by basykes @ flickr



Feet in the new snow by Listen Missy! @ flickr
poetry love poems
weather snow
science Time
health
spiritual
Valentines Day