A little while ago, on Instagram, I asked for poetry requests; I received a whole bunch and wrote as many little poems for you as I could. I had lots of fun doing this - let me know if it's something I should continue on a more regular basis!

Open Landscape
for Lexi 

I know this is supposed
to feel like freedom,
but I’m having
trouble breathing;

I’ve always needed
a point of reference
to keep me from drifting
away with my fears.

Space is nothing more
than possibility,
so why does it make
me feel so small?

Scent Memory
for Roslyn
​
there are certain scents
so inextricably linked
to our memories
that they allow us
to relive them,
if only for a moment.

some of my most
frequent and powerful
scent memories come from
anything that smells like
a My Little Pony toy
from the 80s and 90s

this is never the source
but it doesn’t seem to matter--
the scent triggers something
like internal time travel
and suddenly I’m back in
my four-year-old body

haikus by request (anger.water.stillness)
for Aly

anger

it’s not encouraged
for women to be angry
though sadness is fine

water

i want to learn how
to move like the river does
not forcing a thing

stillness

underneath all of
the chaos and the chatter
it is always there

Healing Addictions
for CJ

it is our fractured parts:

the unresolved pain,
the uncomfortable things
we look away from,
the unloved, rejected parts

all the places we’ve been hurt
and have not healed,
the shadowy corners
and the wounded animal parts

that lead us to our samskaras

these are the walls
that are built taller and stronger
with every intention and action:
a fortress of habits and patterns

we become trapped by addiction
but never lost--
there is a way back,
beyond the samskara walls

and it is this journey of dismantling
(so raw and brutal, so necessary)
that clears the way for
an unclouded view of the Self

when we see who we truly are
we cannot help but love
the divinity resting within,
once trapped and obscured from view,

but never lost. 

Moving From Dark to Light
for Jes

it’s the grey area
we find so terrifying
when moving from
darkness to light

there are many meetings
between the Shadow Side
and the True Self here,
epic battles, muted resistance

and there is a fire that 
always needs to be stoked
if the Self is to
find a way back home

you can’t burn up
your karma in this one
but you can raise it up
to light your path

proof of love
proof of devotion
to my heart’s purpose
proof of meeting my fears
over and over and
never backing away

proof of life
proof of the power in my existence
proof of something bigger
bringing me back here
over and over and
​pushing me to grow stronger

proof of hope
proof of that undying fire
that burns in the
center of my belly
fueling my love for
all parts of this practice

proof of resilience
proof of keeping that promise
I made to my soul at birth
(to always follow my own path)
and trusting that the journey is
guided by some higher dharma

it’s in these small, simple moments--
the decision to arrive,
the laying out of the mat,
the intentional meeting of my feet
at the front line,
ready for another beautiful battle

that i’m reminded of
the incomparable power of
this practice in my life--

this is my proof of purpose

if you ever
feel unloved:
bring one hand 
to your heart
and the other
to your centre. 
close your eyes.

inhale deeply and
honour that breath.
feel your heart 
beating, for you - 
carrying you forward
with a rhythm 
that's all your own.

don't rush the breath
out of your body;
soften every
part of yourself.
feel the energy
within your body

and be with your breath.
remind yourself of
the power of
your breath -
the strength of
your body -
and the tenderness of
your heart.

your love grows
where your 
energy goes.  
you have the support
of the entire universe. 
you are alive;
you are loved.