There are people we meet during our life…kindred spirits, connected souls, companions of the heart that connect in ways that simply cannot be explained through logic and physical presence. A couple years ago I was fortunate to meet a very special woman who, like me, was painfully trying to excavate her voice. We didn’t know at the time how much pain she and I were each in…exerting too much effort, investing too highly, “trying” (I’ve grown to now ,despise the word) too hard.

Flash forward to today and the similar paths towards poetry and art My dear friend Miriam Goodman and I shared a comforting embrace not having seen each other in nearly two years since we first met. We celebrated her book, an exhibition of her gorgeous paintings, and the mutual admiration we have for each other. It was a glorious evening!

In honor of today’s momentous reunion, I would like to share one of the poems which captures the spirit of our shared struggle and triumph of letting go.

Enjoy 🙂

Wings where once were wounds

Days, months, years passed since your breath has filled these lungs
Concealing an unknown desire with a cluttered mind and songs unsung.
A stabbing pain. A numbed body. A blinded path where bliss once sprung.
Calling out in heavy darkness. Praying words would release its tongue.

Be patient, be present, be focused all would say.
Let go of all fear which constricts and blocks the way.
Distractions lured away time and led attention astray.
Ears turned deaf to an inner voice screaming to seize the day.

Perplexed in analytical spin, much had suffered great loss.
Late nights, long hours, friends and family each at high cost.
No one to blame, simply a torch wielding its fire, to bare, to cross.
A stranger to myself, writing took reigns to what had been quite lost.

Words sprouted wings where once were wounds.
An artist’s pallet healing with commitment, rhythm and hues.
No turning back, no ignoring that which is now highly attuned
Embrace the forward light, for this is the breakdown to breakthrough.