Poetry

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The Invitation
by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me

what you do for a living.

I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

by Oriah from her book THE INVITATION ©  1999.

Published by HarperONE, San Francisco. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission of the author.

http://www.oriah.org/

Throw It Away
Abbey Lincoln
(1930 – August 14, 2010)

I think about the life I live
A figure made of clay
And think about the things I lost
The things I gave away

And when I'm in a certain mood
I search the house and look
One night I found these magic words
In a magic book

Throw it away
Throw it away
Give your love, live your life
Each and every day

And keep your hand wide open
Let the sun shine through
'Cause you can never lose a thing
If it belongs to you

There's a hand to rock the cradle
And a hand to help us stand
With a gentle kind of motion
As it moves across the land

And the hand's unclenched and open
Gifts of life and love it brings
So keep your hand wide open
If you're needing anything

Throw it away
Throw it away
Give your love, live your life
Each and every day

Inspirations
Being the Garden
by Stephanie Ann Barrows

I. It was
Hard,
Releasing those
Habits –
Weeds
I never wanted
To cultivate
In my soul’s garden.

II. It is
Easy,
Swimming in
Rivers of sand –
Accepting
The futility
Of endless flight,
My heart returns home.

III. It is
Beauty,
Dwelling in
The abode of love –
Dancing
In this bliss
Of creativity’s fire,
A soul is reborn.

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