This will be a place for you to post your brief Writings, Poems and Quotations
that are of significance in your life journey.
To assist you in seeing how this topic should be addressed I will be posting
a few of my writings and quotations that have influenced my life.
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MY LIFE
Danielle-
Exciting, happy, loving, optimistic, and spontaneous.
To my parents I am son and daughter all in one.
Who enjoys summer vacations, camping trips, hiking, and shopping sprees.
Who loves winter activities, snow, skiing, building snow men, and getting into snowball fights with friends.
Who feel the excitement for each new day and new opportunities to tackle.
Who is sad when people don't get along, and feels happiness in the start of a new friendship.
Who needs weekends, sunny days, and my friends.
Who gives smiles, help, empathy, and friendship without being asked.
Who fears spiders, mice, loneliness, and disease.
Who would like to see the River Nile, the Taj Mahal, and Antarctica.
Who lives in a very small town in a Blue house in the cold north in Alaska.
By: Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
Recipe for life long FREINDSHIPS
-Spend time together
-Respect for each other
-Gently Coach and Encourage
-Unconditional Friendship
-Love and Empathy
-Listening without judgement
-Sincere Compliments and Loving Critique
First, gather your friends one by one or all together and shower them with friendship and love.
Add to the mixture a lifetime of respect and understanding differing viewpoints.
Mix in empathy and lending an ear without judgement.
Carefully add in Compliments and Loving Critique.
Blend all of the ingredients together and slowly add patience and time until well mixed.
By: Danielle [Northern Star Girl]
"Attitude is a choice.
Happiness is a choice.
Optimism is a choice.
Kindness is a choice.
Giving is a choice.
Respect is a choice.
Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely."
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Here is an appropriate writing considering recent world events.
If the NEWS escalates dread and anxiety in others around us,
we need to exhibit a calming spirit and show empathy and understanding.
When people around us are rushing through their days
we should be moving tranquilly and smoothly.
If our individual life events leave us apprehensive and afraid
we need to stay calm, take a deep breath, and seek wisdom.
Let us not push to the side and forget anyone
when we are inclined to dismiss people on the fringe.
When anger and division besiege our conversations with others,
our replies should be to spoken with mending and encouraging words.
Being filled with peace and contentment will help us
to calm and alter the world around us.
I love this!
"I need someone who believes that the sun will rise again but who does not fear my darkness. Someone who can point out the rocks in my way without making me a child by carrying me. Someone who can stand in thunder and watch the lightning and believe in a rainbow." - Joe Mahoney.
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." - St. Augustine.
I found a wall hanging at a thrift shop that I had to have. It was only $2.
It reads:
I believe in the Sun
Even when it is not shining.
I believe in Love
Even when I am alone.
I believe in God
Even when He is silent.
I rarely ever do poetry but...
In night's embrace, on roads uncertain,
Warm whispers through the sorrow,
When facing surest final curtain,
Hearts shining on tomorrow.
Life lived is measured not in years,
Not dreams, nor meeting goals.
A life is measured only in,
Connection between souls.
Whatever hell you're marching through,
Convinced you cannot cope,
Believe in those who believe in you,
Their strength will bring you hope.
- Me.
"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R Tolkien. (very wise dude).
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." - See above.
"When you lessen others, you lessen yourself."
"The people you look down on will be the people you need to help you up when you are down."
- Me.
Quote from: Sephirah on April 18, 2025, 03:54:11 PMI rarely ever do poetry but...
In night's embrace, on roads uncertain,
Warm whispers through the sorrow,
When facing surest final curtain,
Hearts shining on tomorrow.
Life lived is measured not in years,
Not dreams, nor meeting goals.
A life is measured only in,
Connection between souls.
Whatever hell you're marching through,
Convinced you cannot cope,
Believe in those who believe in you,
Their strength will bring you hope.
- Me.
It is most unfortunate for the rest of us that you rarely do poetry, Sephirah. If I was that good at something, I would do it all the time.
Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on May 08, 2025, 04:04:44 PMIt is most unfortunate for the rest of us that you rarely do poetry, Sephirah. If I was that good at something, I would do it all the time.
Annika, you are good at plenty of things. You do prose better than most people I've read. Your grasp of dialogue is something which makes me quite intensely jealous. You seem to get it on a fundamental level. A lot of writers write their characters how they think people talk. You go several stages beyond that and write your characters as how people
actually talk. It's quite amazing and a special gift you have.
When life is hard, demands a toll,
Feels like too much to bare,
Become the doll within the doll,
Embracing no one's stare.
A life is only ones to give,
One journey thus ensctibed,
The world may tell you how to live,
Not how to be alive.
Shine bright, my star, to light the way,
In times oft dark and sad,
Dig deep, my star, to light the day,
And stave off all the bad.
For you, my love, are grace giv'n form,
A gentleness of soul,
And light forever beats the storm,
To love and make you whole.
- Me :)
@Sephirah Your recently posted 2 poems conveyed a lot of meaning were very nicely written.
Thank you for coming to this thread/topic and sharing your heartfelt writings.
Please come back often and share more of what you are composing.HUGS, Danielle[Northern Star Girl}
Is a good space for me.
Thank you, Danielle. <3
Quote from: Sephirah on May 08, 2025, 04:31:54 PMWhen life is hard, demands a toll,
Feels like too much to bare,
Become the doll within the doll,
Embracing no one's stare.
A life is only ones to give,
One journey thus ensctibed,
The world may tell you how to live,
Not how to be alive.
Shine bright, my star, to light the way,
In times oft dark and sad,
Dig deep, my star, to light the day,
And stave off all the bad.
For you, my love, are grace giv'n form,
A gentleness of soul,
And light forever beats the storm,
To love and make you whole.
- Me :)
That was very nice
Quote from: Annaliese on May 08, 2025, 04:43:48 PMThat was very nice
Thank you, Anna. Sometimes I just get the urge to write stuff and my brain kind of leaks out. I am glad you liked it. <3
Quote from: Sephirah on May 08, 2025, 04:31:54 PMThe world may tell you how to live,
Not how to be alive.
Beautiful, Sephirah. Someone once gave me great advice: never apologize. I thought about that and it reminded me of an old line from an old movie: love means never having to say you're sorry. Girl, you have a gift. Thanks for sharing it.
To add to the quotations from some very smart people...
"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment." - Lao Tzu
"'I Am' is the name of God, God is none other than the Self." - Ramana Maharshi
Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on May 08, 2025, 04:53:04 PMBeautiful, Sephirah. Someone once gave me great advice: never apologize. I thought about that and it reminded me of an old line from an old movie: love means never having to say you're sorry. Girl, you have a gift. Thanks for sharing it.
Love Story. I love that movie. :) And that's kind of the thing. People who get you, get all of you. So you never have to apologise. I am a hopeless romantic in that way. That's kind of my deal. But I am a Scorpio, so I kind of fall dangerously in love with people. Mostly for them. :P
Some of my favorite and important life guiding quotations come
from Winston Churchill and other famous world leaders....
... my most favorite follows:
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Winston Churchill.
And another famous quote of his:
"If you're going through hell... keep going."
The dude was an inspiration for so many people.
... and now from Dwight Eisenhower
"Pessimism never won any battle."
- Dwight Eisenhower
You make a good point, Danielle. Everything we do, and everything we face is as much a mental battle as anything anyone can throw at us. We choose how we approach life. I know a lot of people who have just given up.. and they don't even have to deal with trans stuff. It's all just too overwhelming.
"Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. - Helen Keller.
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
...
We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.
People even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed and redeemed.
Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Your "good old days" are still ahead of you, may you have many of them." - Sam Levenson.
Wow! I loved 'Euphoria'. What a follow-up to Winston and Dwight. I have nothing to add.
I wrote a story that includes a character on the autism spectrum. My daughter is diagnosed with ASD so I needed to do very little research for the character. In earlier versions, my character (Danny) compulsively hummed Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" under his breath. But copyright laws are painfully strict (ironically, one of latest changes to the law is known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act). So, I wrote an 'old' country song for Danny to sing. I hope you like it:
The Swimming Hole
Let's go down to the swimming hole
We don't need clothes and we won't need a pole
We ain't gonna fish and we aint' gonna swim
When we get to the river we'll dive right in.
I'll buy the beer and you'll bring the ice.
We might do it once and we might do it twice.
Let's stay so long we lay in moonlight
Maybe we'll stay all through the night.
The day's too hot and we've worked too hard
So don't clean the house and I won't mow the yard.
Missy can watch the kids but we'll take the dog
And we'll drink a beer on the fallen log
That fell across the old swimming hole
When we were still kids smokin' a bowl
Sharing our fears and sharing our dreams
While layin' in the grass on the banks of the stream.
You might not remember but I'll tell you this
The swimming hole was where I stole my first kiss
And where we went to heal when our baby died
We held each other close and we let each other cry.
All the tears that fell needed to be shed,
All the dreams that mattered seemed like they were dead
But we cleaved together by the swimming hole
And when the sun rose we were almost whole.
So, I'll grab the beer and you get the ice,
Put on something pretty and I'll wear something nice,
But those clothes are coming off as soon as we cross
And we'll count our blessings and consecrate our loss
At the swimming hole.
No one says good-bye.
Not at the swimming hole.
I wrote this back in 2019. I originally posted it here on Susan's Place to let my friends know that I had awakened from GCS, and that it was successful. It still brings tears to my eyes.
Love always -- Jess
My Journey
by Jessica Rose
His mind fraught with pain.
Protecting her all his life.
In darkness she waits.
Consumed with anger,
He sensed his end approaching.
He must set her free.
He shared his secret.
Gentle light now bathed her soul.
She began to grow.
Soon she became strong.
For her to bloom, he must fade.
His silent goodbye.
Surgery finished.
Reminders of him are gone.
His journey complete.
Her soul emerges.
Painful memories recede.
She is free to be.
Awake from her sleep.
Her mind and body align.
Her eyes open wide.
At last, I am she.
A new world beckons me on.
My journey begins.
Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on May 09, 2025, 07:57:34 AMI wrote a story that includes a character on the autism spectrum. My daughter is diagnosed with ASD so I needed to do very little research for the character. In earlier versions, my character (Danny) compulsively hummed Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" under his breath. But copyright laws are painfully strict (ironically, one of latest changes to the law is known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act). So, I wrote an 'old' country song for Danny to sing. I hope you like it:
The Swimming Hole
Let's go down to the swimming hole
We don't need clothes and we won't need a pole
We ain't gonna fish and we aint' gonna swim
When we get to the river we'll dive right in.
I'll buy the beer and you'll bring the ice.
We might do it once and we might do it twice.
Let's stay so long we lay in moonlight
Maybe we'll stay all through the night.
The day's too hot and we've worked too hard
So don't clean the house and I won't mow the yard.
Missy can watch the kids but we'll take the dog
And we'll drink a beer on the fallen log
That fell across the old swimming hole
When we were still kids smokin' a bowl
Sharing our fears and sharing our dreams
While layin' in the grass on the banks of the stream.
You might not remember but I'll tell you this
The swimming hole was where I stole my first kiss
And where we went to heal when our baby died
We held each other close and we let each other cry.
All the tears that fell needed to be shed,
All the dreams that mattered seemed like they were dead
But we cleaved together by the swimming hole
And when the sun rose we were almost whole.
So, I'll grab the beer and you get the ice,
Put on something pretty and I'll wear something nice,
But those clothes are coming off as soon as we cross
And we'll count our blessings and consecrate our loss
At the swimming hole.
No one says good-bye.
Not at the swimming hole.
I can actually picture that to music. Acoustic guitar, in a smoky bar somewhere. So you're a songwriter, too, Annika. That is fantastic. Girl there is no end to your talents.
Quote from: Jessica_Rose on May 09, 2025, 10:06:09 AMI wrote this back in 2019. I originally posted it here on Susan's Place to let my friends know that I had awakened from GCS, and that it was successful. It still brings tears to my eyes.
Love always -- Jess
My Journey
by Jessica Rose
His mind fraught with pain.
Protecting her all his life.
In darkness she waits.
Consumed with anger,
He sensed his end approaching.
He must set her free.
He shared his secret.
Gentle light now bathed her soul.
She began to grow.
Soon she became strong.
For her to bloom, he must fade.
His silent goodbye.
Surgery finished.
Reminders of him are gone.
His journey complete.
Her soul emerges.
Painful memories recede.
She is free to be.
Awake from her sleep.
Her mind and body align.
Her eyes open wide.
At last, I am she.
A new world beckons me on.
My journey begins.
That kind of made me tear up a little bit, too, Jess. The only thing I would really say is... from getting to know you and the kind of person you are. At least here. I think you still have an echo inside you. I don't mean in terms of gender. You still have that instinct to protect. To be a shield for people in pain. And... that will always be a part of you. A beautiful, fragile part of you. Like a snowflake on a winter day. It's a whisper in your soul. And I hope you never lose that, Jess. Because it is a part of what makes you the beautiful, gentle soul you are. <3
"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."
- Mary Oliver.
"There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty." - Steve Maraboli (this one resonates with me).
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
- Lord Byron.
Quote from: Jessica_Rose on May 09, 2025, 10:06:09 AMMy Journey
by Jessica Rose
Jessica, your poem was exquisite. thanks for the gift
Quote from: Sephirah on May 09, 2025, 05:00:37 PMShe walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
One of my favorites, Sephirah. George Gordon certainly had a way with words. I believe Mary Shelley would offer no argument to the contrary.
Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on May 09, 2025, 06:42:27 PMOne of my favorites, Sephirah. George Gordon certainly had a way with words. I believe Mary Shelley would offer no argument to the contrary.
See, you get me, girl. You have a poet's soul. Pure and true. <3
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
~ Richard Bach
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
"Misfortune can force you into doing things you should be doing anyway. Lessons come from adversity. Anything can happen to anyone... You can find a new lease on life - more meaning than you thought possible in simple things... Let go. Live in the moment. Go forward."
- Christopher Reeve. The real superman.
When its dark enough you can see the stars.
- Charles A. Beard. (I really love this).
A poem sent to me by my CBT therapist
" My Declaration of Self-Esteem
I am me.
In all the world, there is no one exactly like me.
There are persons who have some parts like me,
but no one adds up exactly like me.
Therefore, everything that comes out of me
is authentically mine because I alone choose it.
I own everything about me
My body including everything it does;
My mind including all its thoughts and ideas;
My eyes including the images of all they behold;
My feelings whatever they may be...
anger, joy, frustration, love, disappointment, excitement
My Mouth and all the words that come out of it
polite, sweet or rough, correct or incorrect;
My Voice loud or soft.
And all my actions, whether they be to others or to myself.
I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears.
I own all my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes.
Because I own all of me I can become intimately acquainted with me.
By doing so I can love me and be friendly with me in all parts.
I can then make it possible for all of me to work in my best interests.
I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me,
and other aspects that I do not know.
But as long as I am friendly and loving to myself,
I can courageously and hopefully, look for solutions to the puzzles
and for ways to find out more about me.
However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think
and feel at a given moment in time is me.
This is authentic and represents where I am in that moment in time.
When I review later how I looked and sounded, what I said and did, and how
I thought and felt, some parts may turn out to be unfitting.
I can discard that which is unfitting, and keep that which proved fitting,
And invent something new for that which I discarded.
I can see, hear, feel, think, say and do.
I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive,
and to make sense and order out of the world of people
and things outside of me.
I own me, and therefore I can engineer me.
I am me and I am okay.
-Virginia Satir "
"It's not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame and self-loathing—they are not all bad. Those devils have been my angels. Without them I would never have disappeared into language, literature, the mind, laughter and all the mad intensities that made and unmade me." - Stephen Fry (amazing guy).
"That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending - performing. You get to love your pretence. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act - and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession." - Jim Morrison
Quote from: Sephirah on May 12, 2025, 02:54:58 PM"That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending - performing. You get to love your pretence. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act - and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession." - Jim Morrison
That reminds me of the lyrics to the song,
Persona (meaning mask) by the Blue Man Group. It speaks to how we try to fit into society and become corporate drones, but I also see how it applies to our transgender experience.
PersonaEvery morning I put it on
I walk outside and I am gone
And I don't seem to mind anymore
I can't think what it was like before
I wore it all the time
Ah...
In the evening I take it off
But there's another one underneath
And I can't seem to find the bottom of the stack
I might just lose my mind and never get it back
But at least I'll get inside
Ah...
At least I'll get inside
Ah...
There's a feeling that I get sometimes
It's so small that it's easy to hide
It's like a howling voice from the distant past
It seems I've got no choice, when it comes to this
It's building up inside
Ah...
It's building up inside
Ah...
Quote from: Lori Dee on May 12, 2025, 04:09:46 PMThat reminds me of the lyrics to the song, Persona (meaning mask) by the Blue Man Group. It speaks to how we try to fit into society and become corporate drones, but I also see how it applies to our transgender experience.
Persona
Every morning I put it on
I walk outside and I am gone
And I don't seem to mind anymore
I can't think what it was like before
I wore it all the time
Ah...
In the evening I take it off
But there's another one underneath
And I can't seem to find the bottom of the stack
I might just lose my mind and never get it back
But at least I'll get inside
Ah...
At least I'll get inside
Ah...
There's a feeling that I get sometimes
It's so small that it's easy to hide
It's like a howling voice from the distant past
It seems I've got no choice, when it comes to this
It's building up inside
Ah...
It's building up inside
Ah...
Love that, Lori.
I think people get this a lot more than we think people get this. And express it thusly.
"Get Off The Scale!
You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance.
Get off the scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.
It's true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That's it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don't give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!"
- Steve Maraboli (what a wonderful quote. This guy gets it.)
"The acceptance of oneself is the essence of the whole moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook on life. That I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ -- all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do unto the least of my brethren, that I do unto Christ. But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all the beggars, the most impudent of all the offenders, the very enemy himself -- that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness -- that I myself am the enemy who must be loved -- what then? As a rule, the Christian's attitude is then reversed; there is no longer any question of love or long-suffering; we say to the brother within us "Raca," and condemn and rage against ourselves. We hide it from the world; we refuse to admit ever having met this least among the lowly in ourselves."
-Carl Jung
For all the guys out there:
"I used to be self conscious about my height, but then I thought, f**k that, I'm Harry Potter." - Daniel Radcliffe.
"The older you get, the more you understand how your conscience works. The biggest and only critic lives in your perception of people's perception of you rather than people's perception of you." - Criss Jami
(sorry for spamming this thread but there are a lot of amazing people out there who tell it like it is. And heck, it's helpful to me. ;D)
"The image that concerns most people is the reflection they see in other people's minds." - Edward de Bono
"My theory was that if I behaved like a confident, cheerful person, eventually I would buy it myself, and become that. I always had traces of strength somewhere inside me, it wasn't fake, it was just a way of summoning my courage to the fore and not letting any creeping self-doubt hinder my adventures. This method worked then, and it works now. I tell myself that I am the sort of person who can open a one-woman play in the West End, so I do. I am the sort of person who has several companies, so I do. I am the sort of person WHO WRITES A BOOK! So I do. It's the process of having faith in the self you don't quite know you are yet, if you see what I mean. Believing that you will find the strength, the means somehow, and trusting in that, although your legs are like jelly. You can still walk on them and you will find the bones as you walk. Yes, that's it. The further I walk, the stronger I become. So unlike the real lived life, where the further you walk, the more your hips hurt."
-Dawn French (amazing gal).
"I wish you could see what I see when I look at you."
- Allison Pang
(I kind of want to say that to everyone here). <3
Telling yourself you like the way you look is easy. Believing it is an entirely different kettle of whales."
- Andrew Bliss
"...No one ever told her it was okay to make mistakes. No one told her there was nothing wrong with needing help. No one told her it was normal to feel upset, or angry, or overwhelmed now and then. Everyone in her life took her perfectionism for granted and didn't realize how suffocating it was. And because no one gave the young woman permission to be human, she thought she was a failure for being one."
-Chris Colfer
"Those of us who suffer from severe anxiety and PTSD, in my case due to inferiority complexes and repeated emotional, physical and religious trauma from a young age, know that the fear of being found out by family is terrifying. Combine that with the fear of God's wrath (something I can never seem to shake off completely, despite becoming an atheist many years ago), the fear of being jailed in a country where being queer is illegal, and the fear that your partner will sooner or later realise that you're this shaken shell of a human being and leave you because of it –it all creates this ultra-alert yet sad and anxious, broken robot. One with zero confidence and zero self-trust, and who is incapable of vulnerability or even allowing themselves to have wants and desires. I existed to please others, not myself. I existed to crave love so hungrily. I had a hole inside me that nobody's love could fill because I never learned to love myself. I didn't know how to."
- Elias Jahshan
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene.
Quote from: Sephirah on May 12, 2025, 07:44:03 PM"I wish you could see what I see when I look at you."
I wish we all could see what you see, Sephirah. But being seen, well, for me, that suffices for the moment. Thanks.
Sorry, dear friends, this one is a bit of a downer. In my defense, the words began to take shape while thinking of someone I love. Personally, I'm almost certain that somewhere, someday I will get the chance to hang out with the likes of Emily Dickinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay. But just in case I'm wrong, I intend to re-read all the words they've ever written on the off-chance eternity is the moment I'm in. If nothing else, I can unequivocally assert this poem was written with love.
One
I linger on the edge of a forever that will not end
Despite my prayers and protestations time will not bend
Backwards for a single moment, a single smile, or an errant tear.
I comfort myself with illusions of heaven and hell, the gift of a year,
Reincarnation or subsumed into the One as though I am not already one
And nothing more regardless of all the hearts I've held or touched
On a journey that seems without destination, no matter how much
I believe I flit willy-nilly closer to the place I am destined to be.
Happiness? There are moments amidst glimmers of ecstasy
But in the end, and there will be an end, I cannot encompass the meaning
Of being me, assuming I ever was.
The Way I See Women Do
Dancing through the meadow following a rain
I gather the hem of my long summer dress
The way I see women do.
Soft cotton clinging to my nascent breasts
Sunshine rippling with the breeze
Amidst the pastel blues.
I sway my hips, I know the steps, a bolero with the bees,
My palm at your shoulder, yours on my back
The way I see women do.
Shadows pirouette again and again, forward then two steps back
Twisting beside me, now behind, spinning one step ahead
As though the shadow's words were true.
The next time I dance I shall wear red
Swirling fabric bold and shimmery
The way I see women do.
That is truly lovely, Annika. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Quote from: Pema on Yesterday at 02:31:10 PMThat is truly lovely, Annika
Pema, your words meant the world to me. I am not a poet. But I do love to dance.
Quote from: Dances With Trees on Yesterday at 06:59:02 PMI am not a poet.
We'll have to disagree about that - very cordially, of course.