a pierced heart
note to self
your heart is pierced
in myriad ways—
fox kits tumble in the
field, hummers sip
the columbine, you
cuddle a dying friend
be pierced by silence
amazed by the clear
light of knowing—
expect miracles and
see them everywhere
do not fear it, for
a pierced heart lets
the light pour out and in
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
refuge
note to self
you know where
your refuge is
and where it is not—
it is not in success
nor in being loved
it is not in the size of
your savings nor a
mountain hideaway
you won’t find it
outside of yourself—
get quiet, drop inward
consider what is
primary, first, and
eternally present—
that is your harbor
belonging
note to self
you did not recognize
how you belonged—
you felt inelegant
awkward and other
until one day
it became clear
your belonging lives
in kinship with
what is—
each time you
remember this
the mind, for
an enticing flash
goes still
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
silence blessing us
note to self
it’s always here—
in the midst of
raucous music
or rumination
skeet range or
forest grove—
silence blessing us
it’s underneath
behind, or prior—
no word points in
the right direction
it’s unfindable
and ever-present
thank you to Rebecca Evert for the title phrase
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
fall into astonishment
note to self
as you age into an
old woman, bowed
with wizened skin
and spiky hair, the
path ahead divides—
you can sink toward
despair or fall into
astonishment
choose awe!
notice it far and near
your son’s wild curls
lined a raven’s nest
soft for the baby birds
a dule of doves
mill the soil for seed
the mare knows to
lick her newborn foal—
marvels everywhere
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
unbound
note to self
you are bound
to this earth
no doubt, but
there is a way
to untether—
gain quiet insight
from dismantling
and unlearning
the strange way
you were taught
to frame reality
you were coached
and molded to
amplify beliefs and
stories on top of
what actually
transpires—the
how and why
instead of a
clearer what—
peel them off
return to vivid truth
what happened?
instead of inviting
drama, meet and
welcome the feelings
—nothing more
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
eye of the heart
note to self
live from here
shine from here
the safest place
ain al kalb
eye of the heart—
when stripped bare
of veiling, it will
not mislead you
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
Disclaimer: These are drafts—not final versions.
wake into this life
note to self
remaining asleep
is no longer an option
this time on our world
demands that you
wake into this life, meet
every other—daffodil
poisonous adder or your
loud, drunken neighbor—
as your equal
and use your aplomb
they, too, whether finely
expressed or not, are made
of pure lively awareness—
they, like the snake, might have
a quite different role, or like
your neighbor, be profoundly
veiled—still, they were poured
forth from lucid consciousness
just like you—imagine that!
with thanks to David Whyte for the title phrase
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.
lamp unto yourself
note to self
this is the work—
to become a lamp
unto yourself
notice, you already are
it’s a chilla, a test
and shows up again
and again—a new
region on the spiral
to scout and survey
everyone’s task—
collect and harmonize
radiance so it sustains
but doesn’t sear—
be a sprig of light
humane, balanced, kind
and warm, yes, that too
this is the way
—the Buddha is reported to have spoken the title phrase
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
Disclaimer: These are drafts—not final versions.
let your sand settle
note to self
it’s so easy to be
anxious, frightened
unnerved—you know
this, it’s your first
echo—qualm
let your sand settle
and the lake go still
notice what’s around you
it will slow your breath—
the fox laps from the bird
bath, hummers quarrel
nearby, their rich ruby
throats glinting the light
reframe your fright as
awe—let it reel you into
quiet—the spooked mare
gentles when you smooth
your palm on her neck
you can do this for yourself
—thank you to Rolf Gates for the title phrase
2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
Generic disclaimer: These are drafts—please understand that many will be rewritten.
the heart of the matter 