cthewind's Blog

It is one of those days when I try to work and only poetry will come out. On my mind today is a conviction that the only gift we ever really have to give is ourselves.

The gift of self is evident in energy and attention, in time and care.

So often we try to be with each other without giving ourselves. We are embarrassed or vulnerable or stingy. Sometimes we give beyond our capacity, forgetting self in ways that distort our gifts or debase their value.

The gift of self is predicated on earth and breath, and so I offer these two poems to ground and inspire you and me.

I

don’t face today with yesterday’s breath

blow it out, as from dusty pipes in need of tuning

remember you are yourself an instrument,

crafted from the weathering of life and the tunes made by openings to others in your life

blow it all out

you didn’t make it and holding onto it doesn’t benefit anyone

become a hollow bone,[1] available for breath that is healing

spirit to move around and through obstacles

II

Tether again to yourself, my dear,

To your breath within and the earth without.

You are not other than the ground where you tread

Connected, you know you are not alone and never have been

Going out of yourself feels like a flaw in design

abilities to forget, deny, and betray

Yet going out also yields awe, wonder, union

Made uncertainly and released ambiguously

You are here

You are here. They are here. We are here.

Present. Presenting. Presentful

Manifest. Manifesting.

[1] Imagery of becoming a “hollow bone” is a gift of Frank Fools Crow (Lakota), often referred to as “Grandfather,” whose way of being in the world with others inspired many. I’m grateful to Kathy Willcuts-Garcia (Lakota) for encouraging me to learn from his life and his commitment to healing. Read more here.