Making Amends

 Feeling apologetic for who I am

seems to be etched deeply

into my programming.

I'm buffing out those grooves.

Noticing how often the automatic 

"sorry" falls off my lips.  

We all need to cease

apologizing for being who we are.

kastilwell

Speaking Out Loud In The Clear Air

 What is the secret conversation going on for years in my heart?

Can I find the  courage to speak it out loud? 

kastilwell

The Hill We Climb (9)

Tattooing these words on my spirit as I come to the end of this powerful poem.  

Carrying it forward as I focus on the light where things seem most grim.

Focus on truth, focus on facts, focus on goodness. 

Think critically and think boldly.

May the enemy within become an ally.

May truth prevail.

kastilwell

 

The Hill We Climb (8)

 "Rebuild, reconcile and recover"...

something to envision, 

to meditate upon, 

to work for,

to pray for,

to create for,

to believe in.

Participate in the 

calm, competent,

capable, committed

collaborative conversation.

kastilwell

The Hill We Climb (7)

Instead of a stance of defensiveness 

against those opposing 

TRUE liberty and justice and freedom FOR ALL,

not to mention fairness and decency, 

I'm practicing gathering the power

of good hearted people from all walks of life,

rising up like giant waves

moving us inexorably forward. 

Steadily, collaboratively, creatively, 

Gathered and grounded, rooted and relentless.

Together.

kastilwell

 

The Hill We Climb (6)

 

1. 
   
   
   
2. 
   
3. 
   

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. 
   

1. I continue to be moved by how relevant the words of this poem are for this time.  While our current president and his team are working diligently to preserve and protect our democracy, there's no question there are forces working hard against it.  kastilwell
2. Note:  The Bell is inscribed with a Bible verse from Leviticus 25:10: "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land Unto all the inhabitants thereof." Taking a cue from these words, abolitionists used the icon as a symbol of their movement in the 1830s.

The Hill We Climb (5)

 It does feel like we're "stepping into the past" once again 

to wrench our democracy out of the hands of those who can't, 

or won't see the genius of it, the equality of it, 

the ideals and value of what it strives for.

Millions of people were persuaded against it.

We must remain vigilant and active as the "strive" continues.

kastilwell

The Hill We Climb (4)

 Building bridges.  A worthwhile goal for each of us.  

How to go about doing this is the question and the challenge.  

I'm looking for suggestions.

kastilwell

The Hill We Climb (3)

So much richness.  

So much nuance.  

The wordplay, the cadence...

each time I read, I feel more awe.

kastilwell

 

The Hill We Climb (2)

While I understand her premise, I believe a union 

committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions 

of [hu]man 

IS perfect as well as with purpose.

kastilwell

 

The Hill We Climb (Part 1)

A heartfelt and tearful celebration!

Long, long overdue with miles still to go, yet, we persist.

And we progress...together...step by step, breath by breath.

We continue to be the light. 

kastilwell

 

Other Realities

 She articulates subtle nuances of her experience of the invisible yet

physical world in such an intricate way.  It leaves me with much to mull over.

There is so much mystery at our fingertips.

Happy Inauguration Day. May we heal our union's wounds.

kastilwell

 

Indifference?

 This strikes deep on the final day and a half before a new administration. 

I want to believe we are no longer indifferent to the plight of our fellow occupants on this planet.

I want to believe we are courageous enough and determined enough to continue the

campaign to build the dream of our foreparents. 

The dream of MLK and others of equality, liberty and justice for all under the law.

I believe we will do so.  Yes, we are under siege. Vigilance is imperative.

True justice is vital. 

Supple spines and resilient hearts!

Onward!!

kastilwell

 

Do Your Job

I don't know about you, 

but I have an enormous affinity

for the cave of "numb".

I hang out there often, avoiding my "job".

Who would have guessed it would be so challenging

to be human and fully alive?

How many generations back

did the programming begin?

What caused the withdrawal from feeling?

I suspect some kind of "domination" was involved.

kastilwell

 

Exhale The Courage To Not Fear Love

 We are such a complex, contradictory, confounding organism.  

Each and every one of us a masterpiece beyond measurement.  

To acknowledge the power of our own immense beauty 

And appreciate it in all its intricacies.

A lifetime's enterprise.

kastilwell

Raw Vulnerability

When we enter this world from our mother's womb, 

we are thrust out of that warm, fluid nirvana.  .

To be born is to suffer a trauma of dramatic relocation.  

Exile from the familiar, warm mama's body 

into the hard, cold world of bright lights, 

loud noises, hard edges and foreign tongues.

That is our first initiation into growing and learning.

We carry this memory in our molecules.

Be kind to yourself when feeling awkward,

vulnerable and humiliated. 

It's a sign you're growing.

kastilwell 

Come From A Long Darkness

 What moves us comes from what is hidden....

What is hidden within, waiting to emerge?

May we each trust 

the give and take, 

the ebb and flow,

the knit and purl,

the warp and weft,

the breathing in

and breathing out

of our astonishing existence.

kastilwell

Let There Always Be Light

 What a treasure I'm finding this book to be.  

Poetry from an Astronomer studying dark matter!  

Talk about a conversation between contradictions!  Or is it?  

From what I notice, the more one studies the scientific workings of the universe, 

the more one appreciates that which cannot be seen or spoken of.  

kastilwell

Rebecca Elson died in 1999, at the age of 39. She was an astronomer, physicist and poet.

Unseen Helpers

 I'm reconnecting with my helpers these days.  

They deserve much better attention and sustenance 

 than they've been getting recently.

Remembering to pause, slow down, 

sink below the surface.

They seem more "visible" there.

kastilwell

Do Not Feed The Monsters

This took such a strong hold on me, I'm sharing 

despite some hesitation due to its lack of cheerfulness.

It speaks to the power of thought (and thoughtlessness).

Who/What am I feeding?

Who do I lay a feast for?

Who is setting up house in my house?

kastilwell

Spark Of Kindness

May we look for ways to show kindness... 

to ourselves and to each other.

May we be and see the spark of light

that helps us remember

how to live with each other.

Working together for unity

Against tyranny.

To make liberty and justice FOR ALL

A reality.

kastilwell

 

Gather Your Spirit Back

These words caused my throat to catch and my eyes to well over.  

The world feels uncertain and threatening.  

Holding fast to my weary faith in truth and love and justice. 

So many fervent prayers breathed from opposite sides

of a manufactured divide.  

May we remember our shared humanity.

kastilwell

A Beautiful Challenge

 Being numb is a danger these days with so much to absorb and process. 

I wish you strength and courage as you navigate the terrain 

of your inner landscape in relation to the outer world.

kastilwell

Being Human 4

 I'm thinking of the waves whenever I'm feeling out of sorts.  It helps.

kastilwell

Being Human 3

Each one of these "wonders" is a meditation in itself.  

I love the humanizing of our natural world.

I wonder if we humans can naturalize ourselves in turn?

Note:  Yesterday's violent attack on our democracy was unsuccessful.

Even so, the fact that so many voted against the certification of a fair election is disturbing.  

We have work to do to heal the wounds inflicted by self interested individuals 

who put their own desires above the common good.

This speech by Ben Sasse, R. NE last night, 

is inspiring and fills me with hope and determination.

He describes what I believe America truly is.

kastilwell

 

Being Human Two

 May we all learn to wish upon ourselves and teach our young to shine.

The idea of breath taking a break is painful given Covid19.

May we never take breathing for granted again.

kastilwell

Being Human

A friend sent this to me yesterday and I enjoy it so much, 

I'm sending it out in its entirety in pieces to savor and relish. 

One of my aspirations is to learn moving poetry "by heart". 

This one is going onto the top of the list.

kastilwell 

 

Mother

 I love the idea of expanding Mother, 

in the best sense of the word...

to include Mother Earth...

in all her wonder and glory.  

To include whatever feeds you...

brings you to life...

restores you to yourself.

kastilwell

The Light and the Dark

 This speaks to the marriage and the exchange and the partnership between light and dark...

they are both necessary to the conversation of life. 

May this conversation bring me/us fully alive. 

kastilwell

Make No Apology

 This is a potent subject for me these days as I witness my nearly 94 year old mother 

suffer from the affects of memory loss and aging.  

She blames herself brutally for every perceived failing she experiences.  

I believe its the result of nine plus decades of being taught these lessons well.

It breaks my heart and enlivens my determination to undo the programming.

kastilwell

Make Something Beautiful

 I want to start this new year with something fitting.  

It was a toss up between Mary O and David Whyte.

Mary O won on account of her womanhood. 

I would substitute the word God with another word, 

one equally incomplete 

 without all the preconceived attributes attached to it...

something like Mystery, or Holiness or Infinity.

The photo is a patch of weeds in a field reflecting

the splendor of the light.  

kastilwell