Magnolia Blossoms and Rain
Branches heavy with magnolia blossoms and rain
bowed to the wet green earth
as if in worship
The way we carry each other's burdens
not always able to see what is helpful
and what is furthering harm
What is a lifeline
and what is enabling
cycles and spirals of self-sabotage
The way a word can evoke a thousand
stories and a single story
can save a life
The crack of thunder that made me jump
whole body reflex
take cover
You can cover the past
but until you speak the truth
you will never heal
How do we learn to give ourselves
what we so desperately wanted
from our mothers and fathers
And what of being the mothers
the fathers, trying to see in advance
what our children will say we missed
The very nature of blind spots
is that we don't know they're there
until we know they're there
Best then to move slowly
listening to the body, letting the blossoms
pull us towards the ground
The roots anchor us in the earth
and some kind of sky sheltering us
from being anything but kind to ourselves
as we grow