Forest bathing….

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
― John Muir

I want to return to the forest,
to fairy haunts,
and let restful woodlands
capture my thoughts…

come with me, let’s sit awhile,
we’ll get in touch with our “Inner child” ….
as we carve our names
into ageless bark,
and forage for mushrooms in the dark…

the chorus of frogs will whir in our ears
until this foreboding disappears…

won’t it be fun,
watching light-beams dance in the sun,
as they frolic in temples
of gentle trees,
in movements so graceful
it puts us at ease…

In the stillness of our minds
we’ll gratefully unwind,
and the voice of gentle winds,
will leave goosebumps on our skin…

So that when we return to the maddening crowd,
we’ll hold fast to the secrets of hallowed grounds….

This is a re-worked poem I wrote a year ago, it still felt relevant today!

©AllysoAlly2021

A water-colored afternoon!

“Listen–are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”
― Mary Oliver

I was fading into black and white
jaded and weary,
the mood was overcast
the scenario quite bleary,
and on a water-colored afternoon
I was visited by bliss.
in a moment of reimagining
I surfaced from the abyss,
and temperate breezes gladdened,
aspects boded brighter,
it was through the lens of gratitude
my footsteps became lighter…

©AllysoAlly2021

Captivated!

“Beauty surrounds us.”
― Rumi

I found beauty
in the fields,
quietly blooming
gently concealed…
I knelt in homage
to her grace,
I felt the holiness
of this place,
among the jewels
that capture light,
I was enchanted
by this sight…

©AllysoAlly2021

Mother…

“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”
― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

My mother nurtured me
from the harshness
of the world,
absorbing me
into the soft flesh
of her bosom
So much tenderness
I consented to her love,
Yet unprepared
I was eaten alive
by wolves
when I first ventured out…
Perhaps she herself
had not anticipated
such heartlessness
in the world… 

©AllysoAlly2021

Winged messenger…

“We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life.”
― Carl Gustav Jung

• 

• 

She is a living breathing spectacle
of nature
found in secret places
born of night
she grows weary by day
her crimson apparel never fading with her life
she is a messenger of love
reminding me of rebirth
of new beginnings
of samsara

And hope swells within me

For I have been ripped to the core
spread out like a wasteland
longing for the night
to end my suffering

I am the sleeper dancing between worlds

you send winged messengers to comfort me
to remind me that I am never alone
to bring beauty
to my wilderness of doubt

And she stayed alive long enough
to become the beauty
that we all are
for she flies against the light
leaving a trail of joy
behind her

it’s only in dying that she continues
her hatchlings live on
in hidden places

she is my joy made complete..

©AllysoAlly2021

Ubuntu…

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
― Desmond Tutu

• 

  Before

• 

  After

Last week was a difficult week for us here in South Africa. There has been rioting and looting in parts of our country. The ticking time bomb I mentioned went off. People are hungry, people are desperate and the lockdowns have exacerbated the already brewing tensions.

The gap between poor and rich is widening and many have entirely lost hope. We watched on the news as malls were burnt down and goods were taken from stores, in the name of our ex-president who has been jailed, but there is always more to the story than appears…

The aftermath left many without food and medicine in certain areas. The cry went out and volunteers started cleaning the streets, distributing food parcels and helping people rebuild their lives. Goods were air-freighted to affected areas and the spirit of “Ubuntu”(I am because we are).  became real.

Sometimes when bad things happen in our lives, we reel in shock and horror, but when we see the cavalry turn up to help in their hundreds, we realise that there are mostly good people in the world.

We are still proudly South African!

Becoming…

“I promise if you keep searching for everything beautiful in this world,
you will eventually become it.”
― Tyler Kent White

I will never stop searching
for beauty,
even until the end
of the age
when the grass withers
and the flower falls
Love will remain…

I will keep picking your florets
in distant fields,
I will hold your beauty
in my fragile heart,
I will place you
in my glass
filled with joy
and I will gaze upon you
as long as I have breath
in my body…

I will let your tenderness
and soft color
kiss me back to life… 

I’ve been gone a little while, just a bit shell-shocked
by what has been happening in our land.
You can read my post tomorrow to get an update.
I just thought I needed to keep my light visible.

©AllysoAlly2021

Happy Birthday Tata Madiba!

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
― Nelson Mandela

On his 90th birthday, in London’s Hyde Park, Mandela said: “It is time for new hands to lift the burdens”… by dedicating 67 minutes of their time – one for every year of Mandela’s service – people can give back to the world around them and make a contribution to global humanitarianism.”

His message is still relevant in these troubled times!

Every year we celebrate Tata Madiba’s birthday by honoring his wishes and dedicating 67 minutes of our time to help make the world a better place. No act of kindness is too small!

Watch until the end and see this great man dance!