#MicroPoetry|June ’19 Reflections

Life is a funny thing. It carries woes and joy, burden and celebration. Yet often it is the weight we carry that distracts from the abundance around us. This is not to deny true struggle and oppression, marginalisation and pain, yet whether as advocates or those seeking sanctuary, there is one consistent message I believe the spiritual journey reveals: we are not alone. In this revelation, that which once seemed impossible or unattainable, becomes possible, even probable. Choices once stolen, become moments to restore, repair and resurrect …
When, in the midst of doubt and despair, have you recognised you were not alone?

Too often dreamers are diminished, and artists flattened in a way that silences innovation and creativity. I do not claim such challenge is not necessary, not in fact constructive. Yet, when the intention halts, as opposed to refines, I think worry and distrust should be present. This verse celebrates dreaming in the midst of the maturity to recognise the challenges it takes to translate aspiration into actuality.

Joy – I am intrigued by the idea that joy is not just an emotion or sense of being.
What does it mean if it is a practice, a discipline?
What if it requires nurture and intention as a way in which to engage with ourselves and the world? This idea, therefore, informs the manner in which this poetic musing was shaped. If intention – a commitment to being joy – is required, what must we do in order to be able to see the world through lens?

How would you like to see the next day?
What might be happening that inspires you?
What sounds will excite you to help others see hope?
What do you have to do to see something different than what you see on newsfeeds and newscasts?
We may not be able to change the world, but it is possible to do so in the paradox of choosing to be that which you aspire to, as opposed to habits that limit us.
What can you change now to live into the blessing you are?

What do we value and where do we place our treasures?
If you wonder where your values lie, I have a friend who say follow where your money goes. From there, we can be offered a mirror that challenges our own story and narrative about that which we believe is important through the lens of where disperse the monies we have.
With this mirror in hand, I wonder where wisdom and courage meet?
This question allows us to not only recall what we value, but what we in turn support in justice’s aspiration.

Justice is a word that is often loosely thrown around. Regardless of religious identity, political persuasion or secular commitments, it is a word that too easily becomes just another acquired commodity. A badge to be worn. A slogan to shout.
This verse explores that rather than being a thing, justice is a practice, a discipline. Whether we advocate for justice or walk in solidarity with those who do, it requires commitment and training, patience and intention. Otherwise, it is simply a value that becomes ambiguous when spoken and less likely to affect change when action is required.

I had dreams as a young person. They ranged from astronaut to writer, scholar to knight. They were dreams that helped me explore identity, but they have shifted with life’s unfolding. As the journey continues, it can become tempting to acquiesce aspirations for complacency. Stay in the boat you know, for wanting more might leave you in the water.
This poetic musing explores how hope and goals, as life unfolds, find resilience not when they are held just by one of us, but when shared collectively those once propelling aspirations find ways to truly imagine something that only collectively will be.

We like what we like and when we find that, it can be difficult to let it go. What we like, however, does not mean it is good for us, taps our full potential, or even is what we want. But when we know something, whether through habit or complacency, we can easily come to believe we need it. We build walls, compose excuses and even vigorously defend it, even if (when we are honest) we know its not enough, inadequate or even soul-numbing.
When we are honest, what it takes to reach the horizon, realise imagination fulfilled, takes not only commitment, but stubbornness. A practice of tenacity, therefore, is that which this verse hopes to highlight and celebrate.