Category: simple pleasures

wonder stone

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn awe, Daily reminders, mind, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, writingLeave a comment

wonder stone

she rests on my desk
cedar green, flat
and smooth
tumbled for weeks
with coarse to fine grits
she acquired high polish,
tiny pits on one side

when I’m anxious
or can’t find a word,
my hand reaches
to finger the stone
my thumb loves the flaws
searches them out
like a friend in a crowd

stone, cool to the touch,
her smoothness soothing
the pits make me pause,
take a breath—
why she?
that cool sensation
so like Mom’s hand
on my young fevered brow

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

the doorway

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, Daily reminders, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, spirituality2 Comments

the doorway

when my breath
catches, overcome
by tiny bird prints
in fresh snow,
the marvel of an early
crocus blossom
or barn owl in flight—
this awe is a portal,
a tender merging point

I stay still
drink in the gift
let it fill
me to spillover

eternity marks me
in a way I can share—
not the story
but the overflow of grace,
the boon of mystery

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

retaining wall considerations

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, Daily reminders, gratitude, joy, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, Silence, simple pleasures, spirituality3 Comments

retaining wall considerations

in appreciation of my husband’s skill

with your engineer’s eye
stand back
take in the slope
and the fence behind
consider your approach
in silence, walk away
it’s time to stew

repeat three or four times
eventually, you form a plan
the build begins
you shape the land
smooth the ground
lay base for
your first stone

over the days
the wall displays its shape
you stand back
considering again
where you’ve been
and what you’ve done that
shapes what’s next to come

there are surprises
when excavating for a wall
your trowel hits
concrete buried deep
it sets you back
but not for long
soon concrete’s gone

when your work’s
complete, stones fit
the land so well
they frame the hill
it’s confounding
to imagine what
the land looked like before

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

shake loose

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, consciousness, Daily reminders, mind, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, spirituality, sufferingLeave a comment

shake loose

when I feel
weighed down,
regretting the past,
asking what’s next,
filled with if onlys
and what ifs—
I’ve fallen out
of the present
and back into time
with its missteps
and worries

eventually I notice
the burdens—
suffering’s swamp
and my drowning—
it wakes me,
shakes loose
the mirage
I slip out of time
and land with
kerplunk!
right back here

breeze dusts my skin,
plum clouds
waft their scent,
hard rain
pelts my face—
these rinse my mind
of what’s done
and what’s looming—
then I start fresh
in this amaranthine
now

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

no effort required

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, consciousness, Daily reminders, heart, mind, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, spirituality, SurrenderLeave a comment

no effort required

rain softens the earth
deer fatten with fawn
iris buds swell
unending cycle
life is outpouring
it simply happens
no effort required

noticing, too
even while we sleep
sometimes wide
often close in
yet never ending
our ears are awake
no effort required

why don’t we choose
to be with what is
the creature we are
with a skin suit
that breathes
and responds

I slip out of my thoughts
into sensing
presence is here,
here each moment
feel my heart
while it’s pumping

the past cannot change
the future’s unknown
this hereness
this now
stay with this
no effort required

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

the lantern

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, awe, consciousness, Daily reminders, light, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, spirituality, Surrender, TruthLeave a comment

the lantern
questions become the lantern—John O’Donohue

hold the question aloft
it leads the way
keeps my feet
treading the path
I intuit
but cannot see

like tarot’s Hermit
with staff and care
light held high
it illuminates the trail
I trip and stumble
from here to here

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

my place – a pantoum

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Awakening, children, Daily reminders, memoir, Musings, Non-duality, nonduality, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, spirituality4 Comments

The pantoum is a poetic form originating in 15th century Malaysia
that uses repetition. It’s a poem of any length composed of four-line stanzas
in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third
lines of the next stanza. The final stanza is often two lines from the first stanza.

my place

it’s where I went to find deep quiet
I needed a sacred place to be
a child, I pictured a secret garden
a secluded space all mine alone

I needed a sacred place to be
a haven my parents couldn’t scorn
a secluded space all mine alone
so I crafted a private inner place

a haven my parents couldn’t scorn
skeptics, they could not apprehend
so I crafted a private inner place
free from breach and ridicule

skeptics, they could not apprehend
my need for prayer and quiet
free from breach and ridicule
I sank into my inner garden

I needed a sacred space to be
a secluded place all mine alone

need

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn awe, Daily reminders, heart, joy, light, mind, Musings, Poetry, Silence, simple pleasures, writingLeave a comment

need

what I need to write a poem:
first light brightening the east
before dawn lazes
over the field
a door to close
my mocha within reach
wide expanse
of computer monitor
the alluring white page
calling, calling
begging for words

no journal and pen for me,
the endless cross-outs
that force rewriting
just to make it legible—
I choose cursor and backspace
cut, copy, or paste
swipe and delete
and ergonomic keyboard,
so my arms don’t ache

and the light, the lovely light
birthing a fresh day
opening the way for words
still, deep quiet settling
around me
an empty calendar helps—
too much pressure
and words flee to find
you, lucky you,
happy with paper and pen

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

moon bathing

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn awe, Daily reminders, gratitude, light, Musings, notes from self, Poetry, simple pleasures, Surrender, treasure4 Comments

moon bathing

rare as an oriole sighting
late-night soaks
in brightest moonlight
warm steam rising
a delicious seduction

when my fingers
become raisins
when I know time is up
I climb out of the tub
into the nip of sharp chill
wrap in my fleece robe
pull up the hood
to keep the heat close
to claim moonlight’s touch

bathed in its grace
I slide under the covers
offer up prayers
and slip into deep sleep

no one has said so
I haven’t found proof
but that kiss of night
in the tenderest light
marks and heals me

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.

soup

On By Amrita Skye BlaineIn Daily reminders, heart, joy, memoir, Musings, parenting, Poetry, simple pleasures, spiritualityLeave a comment

soup

1977

one night with
just my toddler and me,
I peered in the fridge
puzzled through
the contents
what to eat?
no cash to shop
payday a week away

dug around the back
pulled out what I had
delicata squash
one spot of mold
a beet, tray
of chicken thighs—

maybe soup, I thought,
a little untraditional
but he likes soup
grabbed limp celery
weak-kneed carrots,
onion, homemade stock
I’d made from bones
last week—
it passed my sniff test

chopping, more chopping
the beet and delicata
were the hardest—
for a moment,
one tiny moment,
I missed the man
I’d sent away
his strong wrists
his potter’s hands

I rolled my shoulders
went back to work
the new creation
manna from leavings
chicken this ‘n’ that
I still make it today

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.