Sweet Solitary Christmas

I’ve spent Christmas alone for years, so a few years ago I decided to write a poem about it. I shared it on Facebook today and people seemed to find comfort in it. Many shared it with their friends, so I decided to share it on my blog as well.

It’s the night before Christmas
And I’m all alone,
No tree and no presents
No calls on the phone.
No stockings are hung,
There’s no candle flame,
And Santa Claus doesn’t
Remember my name.
Long gone are the days
Of family fun
Now there’s just me
By myself, just one.
But please don’t feel sad
I’m really quite fine,
In fact I’m so glad
That Christmas is mine.
I’ve got my dear angels
Who speak in my ear
In tones oh so tender
With love oh so near.
They tell me of Jesus
And his awesome love,
His goodness, his healing,
Around and above.
Christmas is coming,
A new birth for me,
With joy and abundance—
I’m happy and free!

Emancipation

There came a time when the vastness of life overwhelmed me…

I had forgotten that its glory was the glory of my own self.

I came to see it as something “out there” somewhere,

And so it became a danger and a threat to me.

Thus I, in my fear, made my world smaller and smaller,

As I tried in vain to protect myself from the vastness.

Oh! Let me give kind attention to my fears, my woes, my brokenness!

Let me not fight them anymore…let me dwell with them,

Not resist them, let them in…only then can I let them go,

Watch them float away…

Like dandelion seeds in the warm summer breeze.

Oh! Let me forgive myself for being afraid to live,

To love and be loved…and let me

Dive into the vastness of the unknown,

With wild abandon!

I am the Phoenix

I am the Phoenix

Rising from the ashes

Of my unconsciously self-created

Trepidations,

Misconceptions,

Misguided convictions,

Unwitting resistance.

I watch them float away

In the purifying draught

Of realization and acceptance

Of the bliss that was always there

Patiently waiting for me.

National Poetry Day!

Here’s my contribution:

‪#‎NationalPoetryDay‬

MY LOVE

My love is like a rock,
Unmovable, solid, strong.
My love is yielding,
Like water flowing
In a stony brook.
My love is patient, steady,
Not curious or anxious,
My love waits and watches,
Has no need to push, pull,
Wish, want, or get its way.
My love grows and fans out,
It covers multitudes of
Longing, sadness, fear,
And draws all to its embrace.

IF THEY ASKED ME

If they asked me, I could write…

Well, maybe not a book,

But at least a poem, yes, a poem,

Maybe not about the way you walk,

And whisper, and look…

But about the way you are,

Simply the way you are.

Can I put it into words,

Such a precious, poignant thing?

A wordless, silent poem

Will have to do…

Unbroken

Life has been long and hard,
And sometimes we feel broken…
Some things we neglected to do,
Others were better left undone.
And yet, in the deepest part of us
We know we deserve love and kindness
And this alone aligns the broken pieces
Into one cohesive whole.

-Amy Duncan 7/26/15

I ran from the world . . .

I ran from the world today…

I do that sometimes

When the world seems to close in on me.

At those times I run into the relative silence

Of my own thoughts,

Disconnect from everything except

My computer screen,

Which stares out at me benignly,

Making no demands,

Allowing me to look within.

I close the door and open the window,

And I walk no farther than

To the kitchen and back again.

But you are never far from my thoughts,

In fact, my self-imposed silence

Brings you closer to me, my friend,

To a place inside my thoughts where I can rest

And savor warm memories of you

That are closer than my own breathing.

I ran from the world today,

But I found another world

The one that you and I inhabit together,

The one that defies space and time,

All sense or reason.

By Dan

The Seed

Have you ever sensed

Something deep inside—

Even if it’s just a teensy seed—

That there is more to you

Than meets the eye?

Oh yes, much, much more,

More than you think,

More than you imagine,

Just waiting for the gentle rain

To make it sprout and grow.

No need to push and pull,

Wish and want, hope and strain;

That little seed is much grander,

And contains much more

Than dreams can or ever could.

Fear not! The powerful force

That makes the seed sprout

And then burst into flower—

Wild, colorful, fragrant, sweet—

Is bigger than heaven itself.

Nutella Haiku

Please pass me a spoon

Please pass me the Nutella

Never mind the spoon

 

 

Stillness

in the gray hours of early morning,

My restlessness awakens me.

I reach out almost unaware

For some soothing hand

To still my unease.

My heart longs for peace,

A peace that grows from within,

Spreading its angel-wings

And calming my unrest.

I lie here, not moving,

Barely breathing, still.

And then it comes to me,

That soft, gentle touch

Of gentle tranquility

Washing over me,

Within and without,

Comforting, settling,

Reassuring, quieting.

I rise up in peace.