Hope & Healing Through Photography and Poetic Expression

Pain Shadow Series

Uplifted ~ A Dedication

~~

 Uplift me
Today

 Beside you
I’ll stay

~~

Loving strength
You extend

Broken pieces
We’ll mend

~~

Despite dares
That we face

Conjoined faith
We embrace

~~

Roots of passion
Persist

Amongst perilous
Twists;

~~

So

Together
We
Soar

~~

Bound as
One

Evermore.
~

©Robyn Lee

To all of my wonderful blog friends,

I dedicate this post to all of you who have been my ‘uplifters’ over these past several months. I have been deeply moved by  your collective love and support with regard to both, my ongoing medical challenges, and my creative journey through blogging. The friends I’ve made here are some of the kindest and most generous and genuine people I’ve known. You have all  touched my soul, and taught me so much. 

Currently, I am facing more difficult times physically, and will need to reduce my blogging schedule temporarily. I want to let everyone know that I will be reading and posting whenever I can, and also want to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you angels who have uplifted me in more ways than I can describe!

You are truly a phenomenal group, and I’m blessed to know each and every one of you.

Much Love, Gratitude and Wellness Always~

Robyn Lee

 


Dream Harvest

These dreams I have planted
Deep under the sand;

I tenderly nurture
With kind faithful hands.

Sown with seeds of my heart,
Drenched with tears from above;

I await the great harvest:
Manifest Dreams
Grown of
Love.
~~~

©Robyn Lee


The One

In
the
Midnight
of my

yearning

I
Fall

Deeply

into
the
Clutches
of

~

The One

who
Promises to

Accept
me
unconditionally;

~

The One

who
will

 Soothe my
body,

Purify my
soul,

and

Cleanse my
mind;

~

The One 

who
masterfully

Reflects
my
light

and

Drowns
my
shadows.

~~~

I

Succumb

readily

to

~

The One

who

Heats
my
flesh

and

Circulates
my
blood;

~

The One

who
Immerses
me
in
a

Solid
Vessel

of

Intoxicating
Liquid
Bliss.

~~~

I surrender my
Whole
Self
to

~

The One

with
Power

To
Dilute
my
Pain

and

Invigorate
me

from
Head to
Toe,

Lavishly,

Sensually,

During
the
Darkest hour

of
Night;

Beneath the
Warm
Glow

of
Amber
Flames;

~~~

Always there

Always willing

Always waiting

Just
For
me;

~

The One

I
Love

~

My

Tub.

~~~

©Robyn Lee


Mandala Of Her Mind

Like a spider,
setting forth
to make
her
way;

Strand by strand,
she weaves
together
antique
threads

of
hope
truth
wisdom.

~~~

Carefully
connecting
delicate
fibers

of
promises
suspended;

She watches
as
mosaic patterns
emerge,

revealing
small
segments of

self.

~~~

Laboriously,
she knits
complex
arrangements,

Intricate
mazes
designed to
capture

dreams
unrealized;

tying
meticulous knots
tightly,

at each
cross-section.

~~~

With
tenuous
twists and
turns,

she
spins

through
tangled tales
of
love;

swinging
wildly
from
silken strings

of
ambiguity.

~~~

Finally,
in the heart
of her
mandala

she
rests

~~~

Knowing

that
her work

for
today

is
done.
~~~

©Robyn Lee


Sea Within

“Facing blue waves of uncertainty,
I place my hand on my heart
to honor the sea
in me.”
~~~

Robyn Lee

Please enjoy this excerpt
from Renee Robinson’s
wonderful poem entitled:
Rainbow Of Souls

~~~
The tide washing in

The tide washing out

The current a powerful force

Living in the rhythm of the sea

Alive and breathing

She welcomes me

Standing on a cliff

Way up high

The sea beneath me

Her mist salting my tongue

Her breeze exploring my hair

Imprints in the sand

Her breath, we share

I hear her voice

In the sea air

She calls my name

I hear her heartbeat

Crashing on the rocks

I see her there

I dive in her waters

Within the splashing

Aftershock

I love the sea

I was made for her

Or maybe

She was made for me

She is the past

The present

And the future

She is history

Mystery and

Eternity

The stories she tells

The treasures hidden

All part of her destiny

Alive and breathing

Living in the rhythm of the sea

~~~~
by, Renee Robinson

Warm thanks to Renee Robinson of Nae’s Nest | Dancing With Cancer & Other Writings for permission
to feature the 1st verse of her enchanting poem, Rainbow Of Souls, today with my featured image.

Much Love,

Robyn Lee


Once Upon A Time

“…for with each dawn,
she found new hope that someday,
her dreams of happiness would come true.”

~
Cinderella
Walt Disney, 1950

 I am most delighted to invite you to enjoy this wonderful poem by fellow blogger, Julie Catherine, entitled Sonnet Sequence: On Cinderella « .  Julie and I agree that, together, the posts make a lovely collaboration of image and words.

You can also view Julie’s poem alongside my image here: Sonnet Sequence: On Cinderella, by~Julie Catherine

Thank you Julie, and Much Love to all!

~ Robyn Lee


Her Pain Dance

~~~
She extends
~~~

 Spine arched sharply over

Shaded green fields,

Facing her

 Daily mission.

~~~
She prepares
~~~

Like a

Lyrical dancer

Shifting her limbs

Purposefully

in

 Synchronized

Pandemonium;

Beginning another

Onerous quest

To reclaim her

Center.

~~~
She yearns
~~~

to

Unravel

Adhesed

Muscle fibers,

 Tame

 Rebellious joints,

and

 Align

her

 Misplaced bones.

~~~
She stretches
~~~

Fiercely

with

 Resilience

of

a

Brave Tigress

Setting forth

Deliberate intent

to

Free nerves

Trapped

Helplessly on their

 Path.

~~~
She exhales
~~~

Forcefully;

Hips Throbbing

Rotating her pelvis

around

The vertical axis of

her

Spine,

Drawing

Painstaking circles

in

 The air;

Seeking the graceful place

Where relief

Resides.

~~~
She resists 
~~~

Cruel

Demonic Forces

Contracting

Her tenacious fascia,

and

Summons

Strong willful fingers

to

Knead deeply into her own

Aching  tissue.

~~~
She sobs
~~~

softly;

Wrapping

 Her long thin arms

Tightly around

Self,

and

in

the

Shadow

of

 Agony’s harsh

Embrace

~~~
bows
~~~

solemnly

 to

stillness.

~~~
Robyn Lee


Transcendent Shadow

In the still night

Holding stable

Atop white sandy dunes

I lift my head in prayer.

Hearing the moon’s call, I

Submit to the pleas of my own

Desperate breath.

~~~

A warm salt breeze

Strokes my forehead

Gently urging my eyelids to close;

And quietly, I slip away from

~~~

What is real

What is earthly

What is pain.

~~~

Swiftly transported through

Space and time;

Lifted lovingly onto the wings of

Incandescent stars,

I transcend.

~~~

Spinning fervently

Whirling and turning, round and round

like a Dervish;

Finally, I penetrate a solid

Wall of mirrored glass and,

I am welcomed.

~~~

Without thought

Without words

Without pain,

I enter.

~~~

Here

Where my body

Is weightless and free;

And movement, effortless.

~~~

Here

Without bondage

Without boundary

Without pain.

~~~

Here

Where My dreams

Dance freely,

Held in the safe embrace of

 Blissful crystal waters;

~~~

And

Where my heart beats in

Perfect sync with the

Rhythmic tides of

My truth.

~

Robyn Lee


Shadow Lover


Take me to the green in you

The secret valley beneath the sun

Hidden behind the whispering ghosts

Of whom you pretend to be

Open up your mossy arms

So I may open mine

And wrap all limbs round your spirit wide

To exist as half no more

Bring me to your mossy floor

Beneath the shadows of your fear

A raven bride in white

A ladder to your soul

Fold down your branches

Peel open your chocolate bark

So I may pour

As liquid amber

Through your very veins

——————
by, Sam Craft

I am thrilled to share this collaborative project with you today. Special thanks to Sam of of  Everyday Asperger’s, who penned this stunning piece entitled The Raven Bride in White at the most perfect time to accompany my beloved shadow image.

Hope you enjoyed!

Much Love ~ Robyn Lee



Adorn Me

Reflecting back on days of old,
Adorned in high heels: bright, sexy and bold

Goddess and princess all tied into one
I was Queen of Sea, and Maiden of Sun

 With spine and hip woes directing the show
the shoes I embrace now are stable and low

 So here I spend time, with my mirrors and lens
And fondle old shoes stitched with dreams, and pretend.

~Robyn Lee


Her Ascent

She dares not question her guide
Ascending the spiral platform
Thirsty for calm.

Each step elevating her to the next
Yearning to reach her
Fateful destination.

Climbing up circular
Curves and winding
Steep  angles.

Her Shadow follows
Free of thoughts
No decisions.

Gripping the sturdy iron rail of
Stability, she arrives
At the vertex;

And under a thick canopy of
Reassuring clouds,
Closes her eyes

to see.

~~~~

© Robyn Lee


Stillness

“To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”

~ Chuang Tzu

 and be sure to check out the sequel to this post here: Joyous Surrender (a sequel) 

 

 


Eavesdropping

“I wish I were like you,”
Said the forest
to the roaring river,
“Always traveling,
always sightseeing;

Rushing towards the pure domain
of the sea,
The kingdom of water;
Water,
The passionate, vigorous spirit
of life,
The liquid turquoise of light
With eternal flow …”

“But what am I?
Only a captive,
chained to the earth.
In silence I grow old,
In silence I wither and die,
And before long
nothing will remain of me
But a handful of ashes.”

“O forest, half-asleep, half-awake”,
Cried the river,
“I wish I were you,
Enjoying a seclusion
of living emerald,

And illuminated by moonlit nights;
Being a mirror
reflecting the beauties
of Spring;

A shaded rendezvous for lovers.”

“Your destiny, a new life
every year;
My life, running away from myself
all the time;
Running. running, running
in bewilderment;
And what is my gain
Of all this meaningless journey?
Ah … never having a moment of calm
and rest!”

“No one can ever know
what the other feels;
Who does care to ask
about a passer-by
If he really existed
or was only a shadow?”

Now a passer-by
Aimlessly walking in the shade
Comes to ask himself,
“Who am I? a river? a forest?
Or both?
River and forest?

~~~

Hope you enjoyed this wonderful story (and companion image of me listening to the
Forest and River converse 😉 ).
The piece is entitled Forest and River, written by
Jalal al-Din Rumi, with translation by Zhaleh Esfahani.

~~~
Much Love ~ Robyn Lee




Submerged

“Yet it is in our idleness,
in our dreams, that the submerged
truth sometimes comes to the top.”

~ Virginia Woolf


Light Sedation

Blurred vision of fire
Melting my center with its breath
Sedating the pain away

~ Robyn Lee