Thorns in Rows

Today is Five Fact Friday over at the Reflections of You blog. I thought I'd participate - please go on over and check out this lovely blog (and add your Five Facts)! I've been feeling very introspective these last couple of weeks - there is lots going on in my life and I tend to go further inward during these times. My brain is mush and focusing has been a struggle. I know I'll snap out of it - it's just one of those things I must sit with till it passes. All is well, by the way - just real life unfolding and the constant reality of dealing with change that we all go through.

1. The older I get, the more I understand that we have no control over life. This is a hard lesson...the only thing we can control is how we react. As someone who wants to be in control, accepting this is one of my biggest challenges!

2. I am the poster child for introversion...I have a rich, inner world and I spend a lot of time in there...lol.

3. I must write poetry. I've tried to stop but the words keep coming, usually at the worst possible time. The more stressed I am, the more poetry I write. The poem below is one I wrote about our life's journey and trying to understand it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

4. I find taking self-portraits very difficult. I'm trying to get more comfortable with it, which is why I'm posting this Instagram photo. I find I can post a photo of myself if it's artistically distorted enough that you can barely recognize me...lol. I'm working on it!

5. I love my friends and family so much. Life deals us all some hard blows, and there's no escaping that. I wish I could protect everyone from these blows, but it's impossible. I feel grateful for each day I get to spend with the beautiful people in my life. Can you tell I'm in a very contemplative mood this week? :)

THORNS IN ROWS

A rippled seam of birds
Skims silently across the sky
Fleecy clouds are tinted rose
And the sun begins its slide
Into the horizon
My thoughts, like the birds,
Turn silk-winged with
Instinct and flutter

Oh, the fickleness of ego
The disguising of self
To avoid exposure
The constancy of my soul
The pure intentions waiting there
The dread of a coffin lid
The eagerness of my spirit
The empathy in my heart, its
Thorns stacked neatly in rows

Tears stain my learning face
And the words begin to leap
Free falling off my tongue
Let down the nets into the water
Before they drown, unknown
Rescue my truths expelled
While my body quietly quakes
With a spiritual vertigo
While the mile off moon
Smiles knowingly, and glows

And the moths seek
Like gypsies, as dusk
Gilds the twilight, exhaling
With a soft and holy calm
Its breaths of revelation
Unguessed by my eyes, my
Ears worn and dulled to its
Softer and purer tones.

©Sherri Brannon

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend.