Category: fear

moment out of time

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn aging, body, Daily reminders, dogs, fear, Musings, old age, pain, Poetry, storiesLeave a comment

moment out of time

walking the path
watching the dogs
fly over the field,
I pitch forward
nose grinds the dirt
and grit in my mouth
hard landing
on last year’s titanium

pain ratchets through
I lie there   waiting
on the old body’s report
warily flex my banged hand
repaired wrist seems to work
rotate the shoulder
it throbs
but no spiking spear

then my husband
by my side
sweetie, what happened
take it slow
I unfold on the ground
with the help his hand
make it up on my feet
nothing broken
scrapes and bruises
badly shaken

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

misunderstanding

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, Daily reminders, emotion, fear, feelings, grief, loss, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, questions, suffering2 Comments

misunderstanding

I don’t think the common thread that runs through humanity is greed or power….
It is this binding agent of loss. —Nick Cave

when one country
swallows another
fracturing families
crushing spirits—
I assume our nature
is greed
disgusted, think only,
failed species

but what if I’m wrong
maybe this lust
is grounded in fear—
we know we lose all
so lash out

outcome, unchanged
but I soften

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

mud puddles and twig

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, body, fear, mind, Musings, nature, Poetry, Silence, writingLeave a comment

mud puddles and twig

blank mind dread
still dark
never sure
if words will come
then I remember
what my poet friend says
it doesn’t have to be good
but it has to be true

I trust true
will come when I wait
in the discomfort
of not knowing

the beat of my heart
drops me
back into my body
where words collide

once there’s a slurry
I trust play
will find shape
and take form

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

nerves

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn aging, Awakening, awe, Daily reminders, emotion, fear, feelings, memory, mind, Musings, notes from self1 Comment

nerves

old woman
still I shake
when put in front
I want to say
girl, get over it
whose voice is that?

but here’s the thing…
the one in front
looks old, yet inside
is young and shy
terrified
of whispers, spite—

steady her
wrap an arm
around   murmur
I’ve got your back
take my hand
we’ll face the fear
together

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

multiplicities

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, body, children, Daily reminders, emotion, family, fear, feelings, gratitude, home, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, parenting, Poetry, sufferingLeave a comment

multiplicities

communities inside—
the scared, the crank
wise elder and protectors
a whole town
struggling to agree

one wants to be bold
another seeks freedom
this one needs safety
at any cost to the whole

security wins
she’s young and drowning
in fear iced with anguish—
the structure takes shape
to protect her

some hide in the undergrowth
others strike a brash pose
unruly, uneven peace

invite them to speak
encourage one at a time
ask this one to come forward
that one to step back

offer respect be clear
that you love them
they’re you, after all
tangled
doing their best

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

planting

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, consciousness, fear, feelings, home, memory, Musings, nature, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, Surrender1 Comment
nectaplum in bloom

planting

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.
The second-best time is now. —old Chinese proverb

I wonder, is
it just too late?
why bother
to seed new ways
it takes so much—
rhythms required
to change
and not just mine
but those I love

and yet
I survey this land
we moved here
a decade ago
mended the shabby
and raked white rock
now the yard
a mini farm
rosemary cascade
apple, Comice pear
and fig—
the most arcane,
nectaplum
July sweet feast

so I clear
new inner ground
set intention
bear discomfort
knowing change
will bear good fruit

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

power

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, Daily reminders, emotion, fear, feelings, gratitude, grief, home, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, PoetryLeave a comment

power

The day the power of love overrules the love of power,
the world will know peace. —Gandhi

look around—history
rife with bullets and bullies

leaders
who put love first
rare as white rhinos
and as hard to find

like my wisest friend
who could lead us well
but says
let me live out my years
in a cottage right
at the edge of the world

no pull to rule
no need for limelight
there, the way

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

thread of all sorrows

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, chilla/test, Daily reminders, fear, feelings, grief, heart, home, loss, memory, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, pathless path, Poetry, Silence, spirituality, suffering, Surrender, TruthLeave a comment

thread of all sorrows

feeling separate
that thread pulls us down
first wound
prime loss that plaits
our hearts to suffering

we perform our part
abandoned, betrayed
cut off from source
the cause of war
harm of all kinds

the call—
a voice so soft
come
at first, can’t
parse the words
but feel the pull
like gravity   like song
after years or eons
we make the turn
for home

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

reminder

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, beauty, Daily reminders, fear, feelings, gratitude, Musings, nature, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, prayer, suffering, thoughtsLeave a comment

reminder

worry is prayer for what you don’t want —unknown author

wish I’d slipped
this in my pocket
decades ago—
a truth to carry,
rub and smooth
a different kind
of wonder stone

so self-evident
yet it evaded me
all I need to do
is notice
troubled thoughts
and shift away
look for springtime
poppies, cheerful
in the breeze
or iris buds unfurling

then worry flees

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

dismantling

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, beauty, children, Daily reminders, emotion, family, fear, feelings, gratitude, grief, joy, loss, memory, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, sufferingLeave a comment

dismantling

with attentive care
dismantling
the puzzle
of who I became
a little too cautious
a little too tight

as a four-year-old
I did my best
metabolized some
hid away the rest
a child’s safety net

it’s strange to think
of a youngster’s work
guarding the marrow
of who I was

this lifelong task
it takes tenderness
finding the parts
turning them over
with wonder
fitting them together
anew

2024 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.