3.26.18 Is Him

 

Even the sky becomes overburdened sometimes –

from the density of the clouds,

the chaos of lightning,

and the threats of storms to come.

Yet still, she does not succumb to the pressure.

Somehow – no matter how heavy,

the sky continues to be upheld

by the invisible hands of her maker …

a constant reminder that even the weight of galaxies

are not too leaden for God to bear.

So often this world,

contemptuous in its asking,

wonders where He is –

but an easier question might be to ask where He isn’t.

From the vibrant blue petals of a Forget-Me-Not,

to the whispered declarations of the wind, 

God is everywhere and always,

ubiquitous.

Present and yet passed through,

out of focus from the very nearness of His essence.

In turmoil, in pain – He is the quiet voice of recognition

that this virulent world is not the way it was supposed to be.

God is the very sense of HOPE that promises

restoration is only a short distance away …

one breath and a few years from this side of heaven to the next.

Where is God? 

In the spirit behind every compassionate word, or soothing thought – 

in the quickening beat of the heart attune to wisdom beyond itself – 

in the truth that opens a mind, and floods a soul with light beyond our reckoning. 

He is in each of us,

in our ability to recognize what is good,

what is pure,

what is true.

But ever the gentleman – 

he will wait. 

Never forcing himself upon you. 

He will stay beside you until you realize that 

every life within a life, every breath within a breath,

is Him. 

 

 

3.20.18 My Paper Pretend Reality

 

Tonight my son gave me an acorn, and told me it was a kiss.  Here, it is not yet Spring, and so this tells me he has held onto this “kiss” for a time – just waiting to pass it along when the right moment came. In my heart full of opinions, it was perfect timing, because as the Peter Pan inspired gift reminded me … I think I’d like to escape this world for a bit, and live in pages for awhile. I hope you’ll share your stories with me, and our chapters will meet in the middle.

Elle

My Paper Pretend, Reality

I want to live in pages for awhile,

between the safety of clever beginnings

and tied-with-a-bow endings

not stuck in a plot line

that feels more like it’s spinning than rising

toward a climax I can neither see

nor predict
I want to live in pages for awhile,

where I can be the hero –

without being judged for my strength

or the damsel –

without being judged for my weakness

needing

and needed just the same

I want to live in pages for awhile,

and dwell in the possibility

that decisions have more to do with heart,

than logic

In a place where there is always time for the edge of a romance,

the curl of a mystery,

where adventure is never further

than a few precious lines away

I want to live in pages for awhile

where the strength of my spine

is defined by the words cast upon it

and yet safely,

tucked and protected within,

I’ll never hear anyone judging my book

by its cover

because I’ll be too busy living my life

on the inside

to care

I want to live in pages for awhile

so that just for a moment …

to appease the sensitive yet strong-willed character I’m sure to be –

Once upon a time,

someday,

and even happily ever after

have to exist

Simply because I wish it

as it is my imagination that requires tending to

The only question remains …

will you come with me?

 

Elle

3.14.18 Dreaming Like Yesterday

Social activist and writer Arundhati Roy once asked, “If you’re happy in a dream, does that count?” I would say yes … a hundred times yes, because sometimes, when I’m dreaming like yesterday, I feel so very, truly alive.

As a little girl my parents always introduced my sister and I to classic movies. It wasn’t uncommon for us to watch Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals in-between our montage of day-to-day cartoons, and I have to say I love my parents for this, because it introduced me to a love affair I’ve been smitten over ever since.

Being able to ask my daughter, “Shall We Dance?” in the voice of The King and I and then parade around our kitchen … knowing the lyrics to “All or Nothing,” which I croon to my husband when he’s being difficult like Will in Oklahoma, or singing to myself, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” when my son’s being so feisty I literally want to throw him into South Pacific … these are the cinematic wonders that keep me company through my days.

So yesterday morning, I found myself, literally Singing in the Rain; only unlike the Gene Kelley original, in my dream, I danced with a man who looked suspiciously like my husband – and kissed me the same way. I woke up smiling, stretching into the pre-dawn light with the sappy version of happy that only comes from moments where one twirl turns into two, and grinning lips linger on other grinning lips.

In reality, my Gene Kelley was humming in the shower, and I was able to curl under the blanket of dreams for ten more minutes … splashing in puddles, spinning umbrellas, and casting glances in anticipation of the next long dip.

If you’re happy in a dream it ABSOLUTELY counts … especially if you’re dreaming like yesterday.

Go to sleep dear ones.

Go dream.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Elle

3.9.18 Surprised!

I was totally blessed by a friend today who had a bit more time to review the newest issue of Bella Grace than I have since I got it Tuesday. I told him to check out page 134, where my newest poem was, and he said, “Yeah, but you’re in it twice.”

“No, just the one piece,” I told him.

“No,” he said flipping it open in front of me, “twice.”

Ha, ha! A piece I’d published on Grace Notes made its way to the magazine. Please enjoy “Love Letter to a Single Friend,”  in print! I’d love to hear your thoughts, and thank you all so much for your constant support. Without readers, the voice of writers is pretty silent … I so appreciate your giving me someone to speak to.

All my love,

Elle

3.6.18 I Write.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou

I am deliriously happy to announce that I have a new piece in Bella Grace Magazine. This poem was really special to me because it epitomized what it means to find rest … not always the easiest of pursuits. “Because of Sundays,” is about delighting in the times you can wake up, just to fall asleep and dream again. I hope that you are able to visit Bella Grace online to purchase a copy, or, like me, steal away to your nearest bookstore just to see this lovely publication on the shelves where she belongs.

I have to say that the happiest moment of this particular piece was stealing away to see myself in print at the bookstore before receiving my copy. There was a sweet lady who was interested in what I was reading, and I told her all about a magazine that wasn’t filled with adds or tabloid stories, but pure, real pieces from the heart of writers, photographers, and seekers of living life with intention. Watching her shuffle away with her copy felt like extending a tiny legacy in some minuscule, but meaningful way.

It’s not always easy. Writing. There are endless rejection letters … pieces that go unfinished because of the reality of living between imagination and Mondays … and the ridiculous business of revising things you could’ve sworn you got right the first time. Still, I cannot seem to shake this love affair with words. And though it is ever-so-much more a give than take kind of relationship, it is one I am willing to work on for all of the reasons I relayed in the poem below. Please let me know your thoughts dear ones!

All my love, from my pen and page to yours,

Elle

I Write.

I write.

To hear the sound of a pencil speaking to it’s page.

I write.

For the hope that a story that needed telling gets told.

I write.

To connect my whispered thoughts to fellow dreamers across the world.

I write.

For the undiluted joy of marrying words that belong together in a line.

I write.

To share memories my mind is too slippery to hold on its own.

I write.

For the beam of radiant thought I cannot ignore inside me.

I write.

To hear the promises of better things I will into being by creating them.

I write.

For the God who commanded my heart to dance at the sight of words.

I write.

To reach for the immortality of lines that will outlive me.

I write.

For the ones I have raised with the truth that stories hold power.

I write.

To feel.

I write.

For joie de vivre.

I write.

To inspire.

I write.

For there is simply no way I could not.