Growth Poems
Driftwood
by Kevin Schroeder
Driftwood
I drift, but not because I’m lost—
The waves have taught me what life costs.
No map, no mast, yet still I go,
With faith in tides I do not know.
The sun still warms, the stars still guide,
Though winds may change and paths divide.
I’m shaped by storms, but not undone—
......
Thank you for being here
by Tim Hager
You need to be broken, cracked open, to discover deeper layers to your being. The good news is that you can never completely break, for what you truly are cannot die. So as you break, all that dies are protective layers, illusions, and walls you have inherited from your surroundings and sustained because you didn’t know any better.
So let yourself break, and let the pain that arises be the fire that burns away all your doubts. Step back and allow these intense and scary emotions to run through your veins. These feelings are not your enemies, and deep down, you know this. They are but contracted love - your own repressed, malnourished, scared inner child crying out to be heard. As you become their embrace, they will unfold and bloom into powerful allies, like trees of such might and beauty that sustain your destiny’s unfolding.
Don’t be scared of your pain, and if you are, don’t add to it with more disdain. Acceptance is ever-present, and even your perfect inability to accept how you feel is already accepted, or else it wouldn’t be happening. Now you are free, not because you’re in control of yourself, but because you’ve let go of your anxious grasp on life. You’ve rediscovered your very own childlike freedom that is so deeply rooted in unknowing, in letting go and embracing what life sets before you. You never needed to become anyone, never needed to earn acceptance. Life has already said “yes” to you, for it has been unconditionally nourishing you until this very point. You are nature’s gift to itself, you breathe its air and eat its fruits, you stand in awe at its beauty and unknowingly carry out your divine duty, just by being you - a role no one else could fill.
Allow yourself to break now, to become a total mess. Drop your theatrical composure, with which you might have fooled other personas, but never could find any meaningful closure. Let the fear of being nobody fill your heart and brutally tear it apart, for every layer that falls away is a courageous step into the light of a new day.
And if you ever wonder what this pain is all about, it is not merely a source of frustration, but the very source of your being, the infinite power of creation. It is truly God’s fertile breath, the source of all life and the antidote to death. Scary it may be, but full of life for eternity. The dark, empty bottom of your being is where paradise reveals. Beyond space and time, beyond all definitions and names, the only thing that remains is the naked sense of “I”, the place where you and God stand eye to eye - one more step, now you’ve melted in his might.
......
Nurturing Love Through Life's Challenges
by Lukman Nurudeen Adeniyi
Amidst love's journey, conflicts always arise.
Tackling trials, growth coherently becomes evident.
Within struggles, our radiance shines through.
Through understanding, we live with ease.
We mend; wounds heal, strength apparent.
A journey together, imperfect yet true.
With benevolent words and no malice,
And an act of forgiveness inherent,
......
"The tree that grew upside down."
by Dylan Wu Rong
The mind of a child is innocent,
through the eyes of an adult it is ignorant,
stuck in the middle,
like the earth in an eclipse,
my being protects the innocent ignorance in the shadow,
while the ignorant innocence is shined upon.
Belief?
Beliefs state my choices as wrong,
but what are beliefs,
when the idea in itself
......
magnets
by Sarah A
your lips are magnets to my skin
it feels rare to be loved like this
i guess that’s why i’m scared to admit
afraid of losing this uncharted bliss
my involuntary response
to keep everyone far
only continues the cycle
of breaking my own heart
maybe this time is a new start
what if we strolled forever in this park
......
Driftwood
by Kevin Schroeder
Driftwood
I drift, but not because I’m lost—
The waves have taught me what life costs.
No map, no mast, yet still I go,
With faith in tides I do not know.
The sun still warms, the stars still guide,
Though winds may change and paths divide.
I’m shaped by storms, but not undone—
......
Sparkle Spring
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
alive like rainbows
buds bluebirds wild ecstasy ~
cherry sun gone down
A Tough Nut to Crack
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
Violet Smith lived in Center Kingdom. Her neighbors were Jack and Jill;
Like orange sun, of a pink morning, when it's just peeking over blue hills.
With Mother and Father and sister, Ava, Violet enjoyed life on Sage farm;
Just as lilac breezes, from out of the south, only rove to keep you warm.
Theirs was a land that still believed in magic, like the red, butterfly stroll;
Or like fall trees, being crowned in colors, as summer's story grows old.
Fragrant festival days came, when fashionable, family friends, gathered,
......
Cross-Stitch
by Ben Quinn
A needle pulling thread; “pull it over itself,” “See the ‘X’?”
Pierce the perforated white
Pull it through, form the-
A wonky ‘W’ shape manifests in the firelight.
But I’ll get it someday, when I find the patience to.
A simple stick-figure becomes a pixel-art drop of dew
Becomes a vibrant landscape.
A world of thread and crosses.
......
"The tree that grew upside down."
by Dylan Wu Rong
The mind of a child is innocent,
through the eyes of an adult it is ignorant,
stuck in the middle,
like the earth in an eclipse,
my being protects the innocent ignorance in the shadow,
while the ignorant innocence is shined upon.
Belief?
Beliefs state my choices as wrong,
but what are beliefs,
when the idea in itself
......
