The Prairie Girl

©2013 Louise Gallagher

There is no ocean
in the prairies he whispered
the sun drying out his words
falling
falling
upon her parched skin
laid bare beneath
the weight of his hands
pressing her back
against the cracked soil
that spread out beneath her
exposing the filigree network of veins
flowing
flowing
fast and full and steady
beneath her skin
pounding
pounding
its way towards the ocean
like an underwater stream
carrying her deeper towards the sea
where desire reached out its silky tendrils
drawing her down
onto a bed of sweet succulent sage
piercing
piercing
her skin hot
her body yearning
for release
each thrust bursting
with seeds of possibility
cascading out in a wave of ecstasy
that no ocean could ever wash away.

In this space
carved by loss
my heart beats
steady in the emptiness
of my arms
reaching out to find
you
not there.

In this space
carved by yearning
I curve back
into myself and find
where I am
lost
is exactly where I find
myself
becoming who I am.

In this time
loss opens up
as I step through
the portal
of life
awakening within me
the desire
to close the door
on death
calling me
to enter
its everlasting embrace.

In this life
I live
fearless and alive
with every breath
breaking open
the darkness
that threatened
to consume me

In this space
I am
the One
I have been seeking
The One
I fall into
Love.

Photo courtesy of Photobucket.com

A Love Letter to a Squirrel

©2013 Louise Gallagher

I wrote a love letter
to a squirrel
the one who likes to dig up
my flowers, throwing dirt
this way and that.

I didn’t want to
write him
I didn’t want to
fall in love
with the critter
who causes me such dismay
but in the act of falling into love
(there is no other way to write a love letter)
I find myself smiling
as I think of his little furry body
skipping
across the lawn
onto the deck
peanut in mouth,
his tiny paws joined together in delight
as he searches for the perfect place
to bury his treasure.

And while I struggle
to understand why he must dig up
the Lobelia, chop down the daisies,
and decimate the pansies
I am smiling as the words flow
in celebration
of nature’s bounty
digging into the earth
and spilling out all around me.

Dear Mr Squirrel,

Thank you for visiting my flower pots. Thank you for making them your home, for digging into the dirt and squirreling away the peanuts my neighbour leaves out for you.

Even though I wanted to ask my neighbour to stop providing you such tasty treats that lead you to my flowerpots, I am grateful he is taking such good care of your needs. I am grateful his kind heart has opened itself up to your presence. In his generosity of spirit I am reminded to celebrate moments of wonder in everyday. I am reminded to welcome all the creatures of the Universe into my world so that I can delight in all creatures, great and small.

I see you Mr. Squirrel. You are welcome here. You are part of my life. We are one planet, one earth, one world.

I love how you skip across the lawn. How your tail bushes out when Ellie the Wonder Pooch races out the back door in search of you. I love the chatter of your voice when you sit up high in the tree looking down on her looking up at you. I love that you feel welcome here. That you know I will not trap you, or try to destroy you. I love that you remind me every day that there is a place for all creatures on earth, and all creatures on earth have a place.

So, Mr. Squirrel, in order for us to live harmoniously, would you consider not making your place in my flower pots? There’s a big wide lawn out there. You’re welcome to use it.

In love and gratitude

Your neighbour (and the one who puts out all those flower pots),

Louise

Which?

©2013 Louise Gallagher

My heart is weeping
tears flowing
in a river of grief
for this world
so badly battered

My heart is singing
joy dancing
in the sunlight
of this day
so beautifully new

and in the river of tears
flowing into joy
my spirit calls me
to let go
of wishing
for anything
to be
other
than what it is.

It is our world
we fight over
our people
we kill
our humanity
we destroy

It is what we
are doing
not them
over there
but all of us
upon this planet
that creates
the pain
and the sorrow
the joy
and the singing
it is all of us
creating
together

which river will we swim?
which path will we choose?

The River Ran

©2013 Louise Gallagher

the river ran
wild in its departure
from its course
set through time
overflowing banks
and city scapes
and places of business
drowning out
homes and basements
and those places where
those without a home sleep
rough
their bodies exposed
to the elements

and in its rampage
I felt the fear
slither
up my spine
flowing into memory
of a time
when my life ran
wild in its departure
from the familiar
running
wild in the dark

the tide is spent
the flood has past
and in its passing
I see once again
the fear of what was
flowing back
into that place
that will never be
again in time

the river ran
the waters recede
and I run
wild
in the freedom
of this place
where I am free
of time holding me
trapped
to a course
I didn’t want.

Where I Am

©2013 Louise Gallagher

My heart yearns
for the quiet of that time
long ago
when life seemed so simple
in its view
of tomorrows following
todays
that came after yesterday
until
the future opened up
to become
this complicated mass
of what to do’s
and how to get’s
that trap me
behind the mask
of success
I believed was necessary
to have
what I wanted
long ago.

There is no success
to be found in tomorrow
until I let go of being
here
where I am
today
without my heart
yearning
for anything
other than what is here
right now
where I am
today.

And Grace Found Me

©2013 Louise Gallagher

And grace found me
hiding in the darkness
of my fear
the light would not shine
when the sun went down.

Opening my eyes
I found myself
standing in the light
falling
all around.

And grace found me
dancing in the brilliance
of my heart
awakening to the truth
of who I am
when I surrender my fear
and fall
in Love.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a poem since May 2!  And as always happens when  I write, “I can’t believe” about something that is so, my inner guide replies, “Believe it and save yourself the energy of false disbelief.”

Which, of course, inspires a poem on false disbelief.

When The Story Ends

©2013 Louise Gallagher

You said
there’d be another time
to laugh and talk together.

You promised
there’d always be a chance
to get it right, no matter what.

But time’s story is different
than the tale of hope
and possibility
you wove around my heart

Time’s story
found the ending
I did not want
to read
and now
my eyes must open
to the truth
I could not believe

Now I must face
the world
stripped of the magic cloak
you wove
when first we met
and you promised to love
me until death
do us part

Your story of happily ever after
has found its ending
dangling in a missed particle
of truth revealed
when I opened my eyes
to the power of my heart.

Your story has been found
out
outed
outraged
by the truth I embrace
with every breath
I breathe into
the freedom of believing
the story of my life is not
created in another’s eyes
it’s lived
wholeheartedly free
in mine.