Chasing love is like trying
to catch your shadow.
The harder you run,
the faster it runs from you.
Stand still, effortlessly still,
and it’s right at your fingertips.
“Chasing love.” – sugar and sandalwood
Tag: love
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Chasing love.
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Bathing.
Last night, I bathed for the first time.
It was a beautiful, porcelain bathtub with
silver claw feet.
Inside it, I reclined.I rubbed the soap across my skin
with sponges and soaked in salt and
exhaled,
surrounded by vanilla candles, lit
and the fresh, cool spring air wafted in through
the window – I inhaled.Then I climbed out of the porcelain tub,
dried myself off, sauntered
over to the window,
drew the curtains, and
pulled open the window further and
found the entire neighborhood was sparkling
clean.“Bathing.” – bem
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Ablaze.
That night in the deep, dark
woods, she woke up in her tent,
aroused by the heat.She unzipped and stepped outside,
finding herself surrounded –
Ablaze – the trees were
like a circle of hell
from the soil to the sky,
nowhere for her to find solace except
looking upward to the deep
navy sky.“Run.”
Gulping the steaming hot air,
she sprinted through the flames —
with open arms and palms and face still to the sky —she burst out the other side:
gold stardust surrounded by midnight,
reformed and dancing with the fireflies.
Casting new shapes and shadows against
the cool, damp ground.Contained in the blaze,
she’d rushed through the flames and
emerged, glittering and brand new.
Cleansed.
Courage numbing her as she shed her
old skin, which crumbled and dusted in ashes
beneath her gilded
footsteps.“Ablaze.” – bem
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Patience.
Planting seeds and watching them grow.
Some burst forth from the rich, warm soil,
some try,
and others never reach the light.The gardener bends over
in the afternoon heat,
basking in the sun’s glow
and focusing in unbroken
concentration.Handfuls of seeds
all in a row,
freshly laid soil
in neat little boxes,
here and there.And then
planting,
packing,
watering,
waiting…“Patience.” – bem
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The shift.
Tied and untied
sewn and unsewn.We learn to create
and un-create.The value is in the
doing and
undoing.As long as there’s
a shift,
there is life. -
The flame.
The flame.
Oxygen fans flames
to keep them alive
like souls in bodies.Breathing in –
inhaling,
dragging, drawing,
sometimes panting,
or even gasping –
to stay alive.Then the inevitable
exhale.
The contraction of the lungs.
Release.
Relief.
Then expanding once more –
to stay alive.Fanning the flame of the human spirit.
First the initial spark.
Then brightening,
glowing,
flickering,
dimming than bursting.
Oxygen flowing in and out –
to stay alive. -
The seasons.
The seasons.
Throughout the seasons,
the leaves on a tree
change
one by one.Winter, spring, summer, and fall,
and back again.In winter,
the barren branches frost over,
covered in crystals,
and slumbering to survive
in the darkness.In spring,
gradual thawing
leads to growth.
The blossoming begins,
sap seeps through the cracks.Expanding,
Thriving,
Feeding,
Feasting.
Opening to the sun,
dancing in the rain.In summer,
the leaves laugh –
tickled by the wit of the wind
breezing by
and reaching up to the light
in a mutual embrace.
Basking,
Glowing,
Giving and receiving.In autumn,
the preparation begins.
Storing nutrients and
cutting off leaves.
Each turning colors,
then spiraling from sky to soil,
performing its grand finale.Gradually,
the tree fortifies itself
and lays down to rest.
And then,
the frosting and slumbering
begins again.Our bodies are like nature
with the intelligence and wisdom of trees.
All of our parts
sensing and feeling the time.
Responding,
Working,
Sharing,
Expanding and contracting,
Sleeping.And still,
every time the season turns,
we panic as though we’ve never
been through this
dozens of times.But we have –
We’ve simply
forgotten.
Since,
like the trees,
the seasons
keep us
brand new.“The seasons.” – bem
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Today, you are born.
Today, you are born.
Everything has re-created itself for you.
And in response,
All there is to do is love.Inhaling, exhaling.
Eyes cracked open for the first time,
Seeing:
the world for the first time.
Your mother, your father,
Your sister, your brother.
Yourself –
for the first time.
Him, her, us, them – all.The dense blades of lush green grass
and blazing canary yellow sunlight.
Cool, cerulean skies
dotted with shape shifting cotton candy clouds.Wind rushing toward your fresh face,
Glittering ocean waves.
Entire bodies of water
re-created for you
to love for the first time.The feeling of cool, gritty sand
slipping through your clenched fists,
shifting underneath the weight of your feet.The first time you heard a crack of thunder,
Shivered in the rain,
Then tasted a warm strawberry sunset.
Experiencing it all today
For the first time.And in response,
All there is to do is love.
Inhaling, exhaling.
Until you lay down for another rest.Until, again, the opportunity presents itself –
Born again, to another new day.
The world re-creates itself for you.
And you awaken, and crack your eyes open,
To love it all again,
Like it’s the first time.“Today, you are born.” – BEM
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The ledge.
The most fearful moment is
when we stand on that ledge
looking down below
from the airplane
cliff
diving board.Butterflies in your stomach
Life flashing before your eyes
Like film,
polaroids,
stills.But the weird thing about it is
If we never took that leap of faith,
Swallowed that ball in our throats,
Ignored the butterflies
and the adrenaline that made our
blood pump and hearts race like hell,There would be no highlight reel
8×10 glossies
Instagram feed
of memories
Flashing through our minds.And so, as we go on,
There will always be that new moment,
Dying for its place on the reel.
And the only thing that allows it to happen
Is that same moment
In different places
At different times
On different ledgesWhere we find ourselves
Feeling that screaming feeling
Between fear and courage.Mocking you,
Taunting you,
Because oftentimes what looks and feels like falling down
Is really a jolt up
Into that sparkling, crackling, newness,And the look down is merely
A reminder
of what you’ve accomplished
Lying beneath you, behind you, underneath you.
Supporting you
As you stand tall,
preparing to skyrocket forward.Screaming
between clenched teeth,
eyes,
fists
Into that sparkling, crackling, newness.“The ledge” – BEM
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compassion is self care
When I touch myself,
I touch the world.
When I love myself,
I love the world.
When I respect myself,
I respect the world.
When I love myself,
I love the world.
If eternity is within
a grain of sand,
All of humanity
is within itself.
My neighbor is my mirror.
I look into his eyes
and I see myself.
When I speak to my sister,
I hear myself.
Self-love, self-care, self-respect
are all just an act of
community service.
When I love myself,
I love the world.
When I love the world,
I love myself.
“compassion is self care” – BEM
heartbreak and cigarettes 