Sending Joy

THE ART OF LISTENING
Listening is an art that all can master.
Listen to the silent symphony of wisdom.
Listen to the beauty of the wordless poem.
Listen to the stillness of forgiveness;
The soundless opening of hearts all
Seeking for the answers to the universe
Cleverly concealed inside
The calm and quiet mind.
sloane (c) 2009 

 

ECHOES FROM THE CLIFFSIDE
There before me lies the cliff,
whose precipice I’ve anguished
over all throughout my life. 
I look down and terror,
a dark and evil shadow, 
wraps itself around me and I know,
death is here to greet me. 
Dinosaurs of past experience are
thundering behind me. 
They will push, if I don’t jump.

As I leap, a mighty voice
bursts inside my head, echoes off the
cliffside and throughout my being.
            TRUST ME! it commands.
I’m falling fast with fear suspended now,
those forceful words resounding still.
It’s trust or die and so it seems
I absolutely have no choice. 

Then hands of light reach out to break my fall. 
A silk winged savior draws me close
and holds me in its arms.
All the while it whispers softly in my ear,
It’s just a dream, my love.
Tears of joy stream down
my face and now I see the truth. 
I am the beauty of the butterfly,
the scent of roses, the unending blue of sky,

My senses all are joined as one.
I am the power of the ocean’s roar,
the healing spirit rising high,
the eagle’s graceful soar.
There is a language without words,
heard only by the heart
and things to see inside the inward eye. 
My binding chain of cliffside fear breaks loose. 
My life is mine now; mine alone to choose.

 sloane (c) 2009

 

for my daughter: 

THANK YOU FOR FORGIVING ME

Thank you for forgiving me for yesterday’s mistakes and for tomorrow’s too.

 Thank you for remembering the truth of me when I forget

And act in fear instead of love.

And I will do the same for you.

And now we toast each other with the cup of kindness,

Generosity and patience, letting a little spill over and onto any other

Who stands nearby and needs forgiveness too.

sloane (c) 2009

 

THIS WORLD

This world
            where fears diminish vision and death seems to end life,
            where sacrifice and guilt are held more dear than peace and joy,
This world needs Love.

This world
            where love carries conditions and imparts expectations,
            where children need protection and babies born in pain,
This world needs Love.

This world
            where bodies must be “beautiful” in order to be valued,
            where color of the skin and gender preference somehow matter,
This world needs love.

 This world
            where tsunami’s name is legion and hurricanes are christened,
            where earthquakes are measured and storms cause great excitement,
This world needs Love.

 This world
            where some have much and others next to nothing,
            where violence and terror are often seen as fun and games,
This world needs Love.
         
This world
            where honesty is critical and everyone’s a judge,
            where opinion and perception are valued as the truth,
This world needs Love.          

 It only takes a tiny flicker fueled by hope and willingness to see a better way.  A small flame of understanding when passed from heart to heart is what will finally save the world.   sloane (c) 2009  

 

LOVE’S LIGHT
A sacred place near heaven opened up its heart and gifted to the world, a light. Love was her name.  Love made a promise long ago to help to heal the world.  Although her people needed her, Love knew that many were afraid that her purity and message of oneness would upset the balance of fear’s power.  And so she worked without a word, lighting flames from heart to heart. And when the flames were splashed and dashed by fear, with calm and gentle, kindness she rekindled them once more. So as you go about your day and fear , anger, sadness or annoyance distract you from your truth, watch closely because in just a moment if you let her, Love will reignite your light.
sloane(c) 2009

 
      A STAR IS BORN
In the darkness of the night
Totally devoid of light
Tears well up, my throat grows tight
I’m on my own.

In the darkness of the night
Totally devoid of light
One small star shoots into sight
A glint, a hint.

In the darkness of the night
Totally devoid of light
All at once this trace of bright
Speaks to my heart.

In the darkness of the night
Totally devoid of light.
Sad and dark at once take flight.
I get it now. 

In the darkness of the night
Totally devoid of light.
Fear is gone. I know I’m right.
I am the star!
sloane (c) 2009

LOVE LIVES FOREVER
Love lives.  Love breathes.  Love walks gently and smiles its kind smile upon all who come into its path.  Love has a voice.  It sings softly like a lullaby to a sleeping baby.  Or it sings with wild abandon and uninhibited joy.  Love has a color. It is the green of a peaceful meadow. It is the silver of a gently undulating pond. It is the clear blue sky on a perfect day.  Love has a beat.  It beats like a million hearts in unison.  It beats like shoes on concrete, hard and staccato. It beats like bare feet in mud, soft and messy.  It beats like drums in an African jungle, exotic with a beautiful message.  Love dances.  It dances like sunlight on glass. It dances like a Celtic dance troupe, all as one and having fun.  Love has wings.  It flies in the face of all who deny it and cries out, “I’m real.  I’m here.  I’m now. I’m forever.”
sloane (c) 2009 

THE CHILD WITHIN    
There is a small child in you, the child of your past
Who cries out in the night, quaking with fear and filled with pain.
Look upon your inner child with kindness and patience
Then gently, but firmly remind it that the past is over.
With a final hug, open your heart’s door and guide it out.

You may feel frightened and even lonely for a while,
For you have grown accustomed to nurturing the suffering
Child within, keeping it alive well beyond its time,
Justifying its existence with memories from the past.

But soon, if you allow it, new and lovely feelings will rush in
To replace your loss and what you will feel now is
Hope mingled with an empowering sense of freedom.
And as the inner child fades more fully from your thoughts,
You will delight in your new companions, Peace and Love and Joy.
sloane (c) 2009

 IN CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF
In secret conversation with myself,
I say the most inane, outrageous things.
I blather on as though to someone else
But back to me the commentary swings.

I argue and defend myself against
An enemy residing in my mind.
I count the crimes, the foe’s and mine, condense
Us to a single victim much maligned.

Until I take my crazy thoughts to task.
“Just whom are you addressing if you please?”
Then springs a mem’ry from a shadowed glass.
A stick-thin, little girl with knobby knees,

A sad-faced six year old, an awkward teen,
Not good enough for mom or dad or peers.
For love she ached, her future unforseen. 
My enemy’s the past, it now is clear.

The child is gone, the past is dead. It’s time
To lay them down and resurrect as ME.
My secret conversation steeped in crime
Now makes me laugh. The good news sets me free!
sloane (c) 2009
 

 

As fear drifts away
On the wings of spring’s soft breeze
Everything is changed!

sloane (c) 2009

Love is not a whim;
It is the true nature of
Our very being.

sloane (c) 2009

PEACE
P eace and joy live quietly inside your heart.
E xperience them and all the blessings of the world;
A bundance, health and happiness, by simply
C hoosing God’s gentle, yet empowering Love in
E ach moment, with each breath and in every thought.

sloane (c) 2009

GRATITUDE
G ratitude is quiet grace in action and
R emembering to look, to listen and be
A ware of every opportunity to
T hank God for all the blessings
I n our life and to use them as a chance to
T rust in our own truth and in God’s Loving Laws,
U nderstanding that the entire Universe is
D esigned for our happiness and to give us
E verything we need if we simply trust and let it be.

sloane (c) 2009