Day 25: Use a Long Poem by James Schuyler As a Guidepost*

Sometimes you can’t tell if your heart is heavy or full,

It roots you to yourself like a cloudless starless night,

You look back, look out, look in,

Expansive yet only a limited number of steps/breaths,

The mountains smell clean after the rain and the prairies after a good fire,

Rain never comes at a good time but sometimes it is the best time,

And just when you’re convinced the ground won’t thaw, the robins come back and prove you wrong,

God help me to bear the strength of their love,

My mother’s overbearing absence my father’s orbital ineffable acceptance,

The wisdom they hold and the pain that bore it,

I used to try to suppress the memories of his toxicity,

Now I say, “hello, what have you come to teach me?” as to a stranger or an old friend,

The flowers still bloom, they will always bloom,

Don’t forget to stare in wonder in spring and fall,

For eventually icy winter awaits us all,

Until the flame is again sparked and it begins again,

Illusion thinking it ever had to end,

It is small plump fingers and an arch of a wing,

It’s sherbet sunset and watermelon water sparkling,

You are the chalice, parched from practice,

Filled by an ocean of love, amidst polarities we seek balance,

Warm, cool, soft, rough, wet, dry,

Colors, light and shadows dance in kaleidoscopic eye,

Mandala labyrinth wrapped in holy mystery,

My dream catcher caught you, good luck catching me,

Gotta race to run and it sure was fun,

but our time, is done.

*original poem “Hymn to Life” by James Schuyler can be found here:

Published by Faithful Fractals: Poetic Prayers by April Barnhart MDiv