Poetry
Passion Flower
(There is a legend that if you pick a passion flower, drink the nectar and then toss the petals while making a wish, you will actualize your dream).
I drink the nectar
of the passion flower
and toss the bright red petals
into the clear rocky stream
my hands touch the earth
find one smooth
round stone
waterfalls dance
to the ocean.
A Quiet Balance
all of my life
I have been
wishing for this star
a natural sense
within me
searching for the way
some bright light
yet not too bright
a soft and gentle breeze
yet the wind not too strong
a balance
between two extremes
finding my place
sharing that place of knowing
finding that purpose
searching with others
giving voice
to the quiet
voice within
through intuition
the magical harmony
repeats itself
until I no longer
hear the discord
a quiet balance emerges
against all odds
I can share
who I am,
against all odds
a quiet balance emerges,
quiet remembrance.
Springtime Never Sleeps
springtime
never sleeps
it lingers
dormant
in our imagination
until the next
rebirth of new
commands our view
giving us
a glimpse
of our own
ongoing possibilities
forever emerging
like a glimmer
of sweetness
and renewal
secretly lingering
all year
within the dark
midnight of sacred hibernation.
Tinto*
(Fire of Change)
in the fire of change
I find my lost colors
smoke of azure and rose
twisting into light blue
destiny of sky
where are you
if not in this fire
where are you
if not in this sun?
fragile and light
fragile yet strong
you sleep within these colors
you live within this sun
along borders of fragrant passage
you face the sun
you face the fire
the tree turns to ash
its limbs only a reminder
of the future creation
tinted in rose
painted in blue
in the fire of change
I see your light
in the final fire
a chant of repose
turning toward heaven.
*Tinto means dyeing colors in Spanish. In Mexico, I wrote this poem after building a fire in an outdoor fire pit, heating a large tub of water, and then putting the colored dye and white t-shirt into the water. This poem is about transformation; an outward activity becomes a symbol of the inner journey. That is one possible interpretation.
Breath Unfolds the Sky *
breath unfolds sky
this early morning
of my life
as I walk
safely to the market
for bread, olives and goat cheese
your presence,
a loving benediction.
Notes for the poem*
(Reprinted from the Glossary of The Unvarnished Gospels , translated from the original Greek by Andy Gaus)
“Spirit (pneuma). This word, which contains an audible puff of air, is the regular word for “breath,” and can even mean “wind,” as in John 3:8. The notion of spirit as breath and breath as spirit links Christianity to such other major world religions as Hinduism and Buddhism, and is reflected in modern English by expressions like “breathing life into an enterprise.”
In this translation, “breath” and “spirit” are both used freely as the context of each passage may suggest, but in Greek the two are always one.”
When I wrote the poem “Breath Lights the Sky” I did not know about the above reference from The Unvarnished Gospels).
I have written several other related poems. They are Breath Lights the Sky and Earth Unfolds Sky. I may post them here in the future. I welcome your comments and inquiries.
Notes were added to the poem Breath Lights the Sky, in summer, 2011, by Sharonah Robinson).
Additional Poems by Sharonah Robinson
(Table of Contents)
Dense Destiny
New Jewel-Heart Centered
Renewal
Skagit Valley Forest
Today in Sunlight
Letter to Aunt Leah
In the Night of My Heart
My Dream Has An Echo
Haiku & Short Poems
Dense Destiny
we live in distorted circumstances
our eyes
lost cavities of spirit
in polluted waters
yet, even in these times
we manage
weaving our way
toward the destiny
firm and softly
ingrained in us
toiling in dense illumination
from mirrors that find few reflections
soft weave
we make our own warmth
soft weave
we find the red density
our water wounds
among lost caves
inside a desert of ancient cobwebs
soft weave
soft ripples rewoven
for all generations.
New Jewel, Heart- Centered
new jewel
in heart- centered sky
gifts happen
sun to sea
celebrate presence confirm
each beings chance to be
heart- centered
sky kissing sunlight
surrender shimmering free.
Renewal
joy of sovereignty
moment of grace
I return to my essence
beyond shadow
I return to my essence
beyond pretence
beyond dismay
spring of renewal
spring for all time
illumination of the day
night of giving
the giving of the gift
I reclaim my birthright
love adoration
I wrap you in my dreams
I forgive you
slayer of dreams
yet my sweetness reverberates
reverberates grows anew
I gather my strength
I gather my source
from the wishing well.
Skagit Valley Forest
tonight
light and silently smiling
the tree seemed to say
“come close”
the tree saying “be,
be together in your soul
your center yourself…”
newly planted and old
they sing and say
“we see you
feel yourself
know you
we are here too
in the breath of our earth
we hear you
we know you too, your reaching.”
Today, in Sunlight
years fall
like rain cycles
unexpected stories
surprise me
special wine
for body and soul
creative blessings of light
we had thought were lost
until they find
their way
toward us, again
gifts after a draught
quenching our uncertainty.
Letter To Aunt Leah (A Dream)
Dear Aunt Leah,
Thank you for the beautiful and inspiring poems from the reading at Warren Wilson College. I enjoy reading poems with my morning coffee. I have heard that some Guatemalan refugees write and then eat their poems.
(In my dream that is…a group of Guatemalan refugees are in a courtyard, reading their poems and playing music. I am invited to read my poems. They accompany me with their music. One of the men steps out of the crowd and proposes marriage. I accept immediately since we are both writing and then eating our poems.
We walk to the church across the street. The priest is wearing psychedelic, multi-colored robes. Inside the church he waves a magic wand over our heads. The wand of diamonds sparkles and becomes a Star of David.
We go outdoors again and Dr. Martin Luther King speaks with us. “Here is a check for one million dollars,” he says, “to support you and to sustain you for the wonderful work you are doing.”
The priest and Dr. King share inspirational words about the value of the artist to change the world and to create a better society with peace, harmony and justice for all).
Love, your niece, Sharonah
In the Night of My Heart
in the night of my heart
I hold a place of healing
a sacred place of sojourn
a peaceful setting for pilgrimage
in the midnight moon of my heart
I sense a deeper truth
yearning growing fruitful
beyond misunderstanding
I hold this special place
hallowed receptive knowing.
My Dream Has An Echo
my ancestress breathes in
through her heart
the truth of my soul- voice
she nurtures my dream
she gives me strength
to sustain my vision
the naming and survival
of the self
the life of the planet
the tribe
is made strong and made whole
in the gift that is the echo
of the dream
in the gift of all that is given
she celebrates my deepest desires
she gives me her blessing on my journey
when I sing paint sculpt dance speak
my visions of life
she is happy
her smile gives me courage
our ancestors
mirror our visions
the mother bird feeds the baby
the blossom flowers from the seed
cloud from in sky
birth of new being
nurtures all.
Haiku & Short Poems
gold moon
touches blue
“a night to be with the wind”
leap year
leaping in all directions
sage blossoms on stone
somewhere
the sound of water
remembering
our last winter walks
how fleeting the noonday sun
mild rain
cat naps
on a purple cushion
cat in the sun
my little dream-
dreaming
Neptune the cat
on his blue wooden table
relaxing yet watchful
endless
endless
in the wind
endless elegant endless
a circle
in the wind
mystery
pattern of wakefulness
found in time.
Honey
honey
drips off a spoon
honey whispers
glowing drizzling flowing
like branches of the moon
we meet
in the whispers
of a honey blue
we meet
in the honeysphere.