Safe Passage

INTRODUCTION TO SAFE PASSAGE: EYES ON SUNRISE Understanding life as a journey delivers an apt metaphor for the adventures, twists, and turns our lives take. Though passages from one phase of life to another are seldom easy, they carry the seeds of depth and character. By squarely facing that which daunts us, we develop soulful wisdom gleaned from navigating rough waters. Sailors of old always navigated by the North Star, trusting its sturdy light to bring them safely home. And when even that star was obscured by tumultuous storms, as dawn approached, they kept their eyes on the horizon to welcome sunrise. The poems in this collection seek to assist you in navigating your own life journey. As you allow your fears to surface into consciousness, you give them the chance to alchemize into something more elastic, of greater value, and of a finer energy. Whether or not you benefit from that chance depends on your willingness to jump into the fires of transformation, even as storms threaten to sink your ship. As the metaphor of “The Journey” implies, you will need provisions of help, courage, and tenacity. By staying awake to even the subtlest nuances that your psyche and spirit offer, you will develop greater alacrity and confidence on your path and enjoy increasing mindfulness. As we enter into a more conscious relationship with the ever-changing movement of our own unfolding lives, we discover help, courage, and hope as journey-mates; they steer us towards our own true north while we steadily fasten our eyes on sunrise. May these poems do their small part to ignite an alchemy in you, fire your consciousness into gold, then cool and sail you home. Sample Poems: Your Suffering Aches, deep in the bones Stretch far into winter nights along miles of unclaimed roads Where no maps mark shadows’ overhang. Dark shapes leer towards those who would pass. If you’re among the travelers You must only look ahead, breathe, And keep walking on the wide road Ringed by incessant brambles. Uncharted sorrow beleaguers itself Trolls along swallowing it’s own tongue; If it called out even the wolves would shudder. But you move on, silent, alone Until finally even judgment’s sneer falls away. Leave all else behind. Concern yourself more with arriving unhaunted than unharmed. ………………………………………… It's Just How We Live Could we ever rest slow down Slacken these chains anchored to our chests? What would we be if not straining against something? Hear how fear wails, frantic that nothing else hides underneath all that work, incessant and demanding. Let us go to the gaping mouth together, you and I Here, take my hand We will slide easily down this shadowed cave Where musty smells sweet And allow our eyes to grow accustomed to the great dark Where, illumined, the old teachers of love Sit, waiting. ……………………………… Stress “You must do and say and think and do” and This circus runs around in your head Taunting you daily and dogging your heels. Incessant, it grows and becomes your master Too many unchallenged “ought-to’s” Too few walks in the woods Breath shortens like an unused muscle And your eyes strain, growing dry Refusal to live well creates more distance From who you thought you might be Further from your essence, which is a holy thing Not the flawed thing you assume you are. No moisture clings to the canopy of your devastation No new seeds waft your way in the breeze If you want to drink from the well You must return to the wilds Lose yourself up every brambled climb And then sleep, dreaming of nothing Until life finds you again And your eyes readjust To the vast ease all around. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Thank you for reviewing this sampling of poems you will find in Safe Passage: Eyes On Sunrise. You may order this and Robyn’s other books from your local bookstore, www.Amazon.com, or directly from the publisher, Balboa Press. Visit Robyn’s website for more detailed information about her many books: www.booksbyrobynbridges.com.