Hope & Healing Through Photography and Poetic Expression

Posts tagged “poetry

I Must Flee

All alone in
my own
little
corner

All alone in
blog magic:
that’s
you

~

Lost in
flight
of your
words

~

With
a
vision
so
clear

~

Feel
your
touch

~

Taste
your
tears

~

All the love
that we
share;

~

But…

~

The clock,
it
strikes
twelve

~

And the
doorbell
rings
fear:

~

 “ You must hurry”
they say,

“you must go,
you must
flee

~

For your
corner’s
not
safe

~

From
the
wrath
of
Sandy.”

© Robyn Lee

In the midst of my denial, while enjoying my
wonderful blog reads earlier today,
I was evacuated from my home
due to approaching Hurricane
Sandy.

Sandy, aka: Frankenstorm, is predicted
to be the most lethal hurricane
in U.S. history to hit this part
of the country.

As luck has it, my husband
is out of the state, and now
unable to obtain access to air
transportation given this
state of emergency.

I’m taking shelter with my
puppy now at a hotel location,
and hoping
the storm has mercy
 on our area and
everyone stays
safe.

Will miss visiting everyone during our
impending power outages
but will be back
to “my own little corner”
 to see you all as
soon as
possible.

~

With Much Love
~ Robyn Lee

Below I share lyrics from a special song,
In My Own Little Corner,
featured in
Rodgers and Hammerstien’s
Cinderella,
one of my most favorite
childhood films:
~~~

I’m as mild and as meek as a mouse
When I hear a command I obey.
But I know of a spot in my house
Where no one can stand
In my way.

~

In my own little corner
In my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be.
On the wings of my fancy
I can fly anywhere
And the world will open
Its arms to me.

~

I’m a young Egyptian princess…
Or a milkmaid
I’m the greatest prima donna
in Milan
I’m an heiress who has always had
her silk made
By her own flock of silkworms
In Japan

~

I’m a girl men go mad for
Love’s a game I can play
With cool and confident kind of air.
Just as long as I stay in
My own little corner
All alone in my own
Little chair.

~

I can be whatever I want to be.
I’m a thief in Calcutta
I’m a queen in Peru.
I’m a mermaid dancing upon the sea
I’m a huntress on an African safari…
It’s a dangerous type of sport and yet it’s fun
In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry
And I find I forgot to bring my gun.

~~

I am lost in the jungle all alone and unarmed
When I meet a lioness in her lair
Then I’m glad to be back in
my own little corner,
All alone in my
Own
little chair.


She Spins


round – and – round she twirls

dreamer spinning fairy tales

 orbiting wonder

 


~~~
we came spinning
out of nothingness
scattering stars
like dust

the stars made a circle
and in the middle
we dance

the wheel of heaven
circles God
like a mill

if you grab a spoke
it will tear your hand off

turning and turning
it sunders
all attachment

were that wheel not in love
it would cry
“enough! how long this turning?”

every atom
turns bewildered

beggars circle tables
dogs circle carrion
the lover circles
his own heart

ashamed,
I circle shame

a ruined water wheel
whichever way I turn
is the river

if that rusty old sky
creaks to a stop
still, still I turn

and it is only God
circling Himself

~Rumi~


Beyond

Take me beyond
these rocky
shores

~

Beyond
twilight
skies

~

Through
celestial
doors;

~~~

Show me your
deepest
fiery
place

~

Where we
dance to
Love’s
song

~

 In
our
sacred
embrace;

~~~

Take me beyond
the raw
edge of
day

~

Past the
fields
of
forever

~

Where moon
shadows
dare
play.

~~~

©Robyn Lee


Pier Anticipation

I
will
wait
for you
there
~
On
the
wooden
planked
pier
~
Where it’s
honest
and
free
~
Just
the sea,
you and
me.
~
I’ll
arrive
before
you
~
Set a
blanket
for
two;
~
You
can
bring the
chilled
wine
~
And
unlimited
time.
~
We’ll
watch
day
turn to
night
~
Velvet
skies
glow
moonlight;
~
 Inhale
misted
salt
air
~
Close
our
eyes:
~
Disappear.
~~~
©Robyn Lee


The Most Famous Question…

~
To be,
or not to be?
That is the question—
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep.
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so
long life.
~~~
William Shakespeare
Hamlet
~
~
Please visit To Be Or Not To Be | Suite101 for a short philosophical view on why the first
line in Shakespeare’s soliloquy has resounded as the most famous quotation
throughout literary history, and has implications reaching
far beyond the context of Hamlet amongst our
contemporary existential thinkers.

Fall

Autumn hues adorn
Rusted gold magnetic charm
Prelude wintertide

© Robyn Lee


My Mother’s Light

~

Just as the magnificent sun shines high in the sky,
my Mother’s light illuminates the heart of each
soul who is so blessed to know her smile,
her kindness, her radiance…her Love.
Happy Birthday Mom;
I Love you Always!
Robyn Lee

The Mother
~Kahlil Gibran

The most beautiful word on the lips of mankind is the word “Mother,”
and the most beautiful call is the call of “My mother.”
It is a word full of hope and love, a sweet and kind word
coming from the depths of the heart.
The mother is everything– she is our
consolation in sorrow, our hope in misery,
and our strength in weakness.
She is the source of love, mercy,
sympathy,and forgiveness….

Everything in nature bespeaks the mother.
The sun is the mother of earth and gives it its nourishment of heart;
it never leaves the universe at night until it has put the earth to sleep
to the song of the sea and the hymn of birds and brooks.
And this earth is the mother of trees and flowers.
It produces them, nurses them, and weans them.
The trees and flowers become kind mothers
of 
their great fruits and seeds.
And the mother,
the prototype of all existence,
is the eternal spirit,
full of beauty and love.


Figs: The Secret

The Fig
is
Erotic?

Oh please,
tell me
How

~

I’d not the
slightest
idea,

until here
until now;

~

Please pardon
my
blushing,

Don’t mean
to
offend

~

But I must
share
my discovery,

Since we’re
all such
good friends;

~

So
savor this
image,

And when
your joy
is complete;

~

Learn the
secret of
Figs

Through
a poetic prose
treat!

~~~

😉 RL

Figs

excerpted from the poem
By D. H. Lawrence

~~~

The proper way to eat a fig, in society,
Is to split it in four, holding it by the stump,
And open it, so that it is a glittering, rosy, moist, honied,
heavy-petalled four-petalled flower.
Then you throw away the skin
Which is just like a four-sepalled calyx,
After you have taken off the blossom with your lips.

But the vulgar way
Is just to put your mouth to the crack,
and take out the flesh in one bite.

Every fruit has its secret.

The fig is a very secretive fruit.
As you see it standing growing,
you feel at once it is symbolic:
And it seems male.
But when you come to know it better,
you agree with the Romans,
it is female.

The Italians vulgarly say, it stands for
the female part; the fig-fruit:
The fissure, the yoni,
The wonderful moist conductivity
towards the centre.

Involved,
Inturned,
The flowering all inward and womb-fibrilled;
And but one orifice.

The fig, the horse-shoe, the squash-blossom.
Symbols.

There was a flower that flowered inward, womb-ward;
Now there is a fruit like a ripe womb.

It was always a secret.
That’s how it should be,
the female
should always be
secret.

~~~

And for even more fascinating information about this sacred, and sultry fruit :

The Sultriest of Fruits: The Fig 


To Become

 Untainted buds anew
Blushed open velvet wanting
Becoming with grace

©Robyn Lee


Will You?

Will you meet me there? Beneath the muddy surface…
Where we shed our armor..remove our masks…
Where we strip down the layers;
Where we go, willingly…
to unveil our hearts’
deepest truth.
~~~
©Robyn Lee

Please allow me to share this wonderful prose poem entitled, The Invitation, by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
It is a favorite of mine, and challenges us all to find the inspiration, the intimacy,
the courage and the commitment to live fully, every day.

Enjoy! ~RL
~~~

The Invitation
by Oriah
…………………………..
It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon…
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.
~~~

from the book: The Invitation
© Mountain Dreaming,
published by HarperONE, San Francisco, 1999 All rights reserved


Aquatic Maiden

Tiny
Aquatic
Maiden
~

She
Defies
Gravity

~

Weightless

~

Drifting
Amongst

Transparent

Crystalline
Dreams.

~

Tiny
Aquatic
Maiden

~

Basking
Calmly

~

in
Clarity,

~

Gliding

~

Atop

~

Currents
of

Glistening
Peaceful

~

Bliss.

~

Tiny
Aquatic
Maiden

~

Sees

~
Through
Closed
Eyes

~

Reflected
Visions
of

~

Love

~

Dancing
About

~

The
Empty
Chambers

of
Her
Mind.

~

Tiny
Aquatic
Maiden

~

Opens
Her
Whole

Self

~

Wide

~

Welcoming

~

Sky’s
Warm
Breath

~

Sun’s
Sweet
Kiss;

~

Floating
Floating
Floating

~

to

The
Music

of

Her

Precious
Heart’s

Beat.

~~~

©Robyn Lee

Special thanks to my candid model for this post,
my beautiful 8-year-old niece, and our

Aquatic Maiden:
Miss Rebecca Jayne!

Much Love
~

Robyn


 

Ever notice that sometimes friends show up at just the right moment…
offering encouragement and inspiration,
not by doing anything specific,
but rather, by simply
being present?

Last Thursday while I was venturing out to run an errand, following a rather difficult and isolating week,
my cell- phone rang and it was Meryl… a dear long-time friend who resides in my community.
Meryl also happens to be a member of our cherished blogsphere.
We have been friends here since my mid 20s, sharing in so many important
transitional periods of each other’s lives.

We decided to meet, and hang out for a bit on a comfy bench facing our favorite Lily Pond.
It was such a delight to relish in some old-fashioned “girl-power” that day–a few giggles and tears,
reflections and hugs…And as we gazed at the emerging Lilies, I shot this photo of our adjoined shadows.

Later that evening, Meryl composed a heartwarming poem and created a
special post honoring our bond of friendship. I am so thrilled to share
this with each of you today.

Much Love~
Robyn Lee

 

recoverythrumylens's avatarRecovery Thru My Lens

adjoined
we worship
the water
the sun
life on
earth
two
wombs
four girls
olive eyes
bronze skin
bouncing curls
transplanted
from the east
newcomers
friendship
re-birth
power

There’s nothing like bonding with
a girlfriend. Here’s me and Robyn Lee
hanging out on a bench with some lily pads.
Yep, we go way back… when our girls were
romping (sometimes butt naked ) on the beach.
We met at a day care center… new moms and
newcomers in this breathtaking yet lonely
place…both looking for a friend.
Then life and illness got in the way.
We had rarely spoken or seen one another
for years and years until Robyn came over for tea to
celebrate my birthday this past March. That day she shared
how she had discovered photography via her new blog—
Through The Healing Lens—how it was helping her
reconnect with the world after being isolated due
to her medical challenges and chronic pain.
Ironic, since I’m a photographer yet it…

View original post 70 more words


Savasana

In
Pain
She
Wakes

~

Facing
a
New
Dawn

~

Anticipating

~

Today
Will
Be
Different.

~

In
Pain
She
Tries

~

to
Believe
Solutions
Await

~

to
Remember

~

the
Universe

~

Is
on
Her
Side.

~

In
Pain
She
Clings

~

Tightly

~

to
Faith

~

Reassuring
Herself

~

That
if
She

~

 Does all
the
Right
Things

~

 Follows
the
Rules

~

Holds
the
Perfect
Posture

~

Contracts
Specific
Muscles

~

At
the
Precise
Moment;

~

if
She
Trusts

~

and
Forgives

~

Nourishes
Her
Being

~

Honors
Her
Heart

~

and

~

Loves,

~

She
Will
Heal

~

and

~

Reside
in
a

~

Kind
Gentle
Body

~
Once more.
____

But

~

In
Pain
She
is

~

Struck

~

Struck
Hard

~

By
Relentless
Agony

~

By
the
Harsh
Realization

~

That
She
is
off
Center

~

Uncertain
How
She
will
Endure

~

This
Invisible
Affliction

~

Day after
Day
After
Day

~

Night after
Night
After
Night.

~

And

~~

In
Pain
She
Knows

~

That

~

On these
Days

~

When
Resistance
Has taken
its
Toll

~

All
She
Can do
is

~

Stop

~

Call
Upon
Compassion

~

Lay her
Body
Down
Flat

~

and

~

Listen
to
the

~

Cadence
of
Her
Own

~
Consoling

~

Breath.

~~~

©Robyn Lee

Thanks to all of you for being here. Please know I am hanging in,
and so grateful to have this venue to express myself creatively, even in the difficult moments.
Although, most often, I enjoy escaping into fun and fantasy through my blog-work,
I also believe an important part of my healing process is to remain honest and open with all of you.

This artistic self-portrait and poem was composed this past Tuesday.
My healing lens, tripod and pen helped me to confront
the physical pain and emotion I was facing that day, head-on.
The yogic pose I assumed for this shot, Shavasana , was unplanned,
but later held significant meaning in terms
of self-healing.

 Sometimes Inspiration finds us through our courage to embrace and express where
we are at any given moment, even if it is not where we want to be.
From there we can continue our journey forward…lighter,
and with more ease, and grace.

It means a lot to me, to have such genuine friendship and support, and a safe place to turn while
I’m working through the tough times. 
Thanks to each of you for your sensitive presence, and shared talents,
which remind me daily that I’m so much more than the physical challenges.

I Remain Hopeful!

Much Love~

Robyn Lee


Horseshoe Crab Healer

Meet the Sea Creature
we call: Crab of
Horseshoe;

 You may wonder why he is
worthy of a post,
and splashy
photo too.

~~

Unlike us humans,
having blood
iron
red;

 The Horseshoe Crab
emits serum of
blue copper
instead.

~~

 This ancient living fossil
is a
healer and
a
friend;

 He may even save your
very life,
time and time
again.

~~

His blue blood
possesses unique
and
wondrous
powers;

 Exposing toxins in our drug supply,
and alerting us
to lurking bacterial
prowlers.

~~

This marvelous shelled creature
boasts ten compounded eyes
containing a thousand
sensors of
light;

Making medical research on our
own optic nerves a
most successful
plight.

 ~~

With such precious gifts to give us,
Having existed long before
dinosaurs ever
roamed;

Let us vow to protect the
Horseshoe Crab,
and honor him
with this
poem!

~

© Robyn Lee

~~~

* Enjoy learning more enlightening facts about this miraculous creature:

Natural History: The Amazing Horseshoe

How the Horseshoe Crab protects Public Health:

Medical Uses


Vision Quest

Swept away
on
a
Vision Quest

 ~

In
The midst
of
a
Whirlwind

~

My
Rite
of
Passage

~

Delivers
me
Safely

~

To
a
Cherished
Space

~

Nature’s
Purest
Place

~

Where

~

Buried
Deep

~

Under
Golden
Grains

~

I
find
a
Treasure

~

My Lens;

~~~

Standing
Alone

~

Secure
in
Wet
Sand

~

I
Look
Through

~

And
Within

~

Seeing
From
New eyes

~

Magnified
Truth

~

Empowered
Presence

~

Illuminated
Self;

~

My
Eyes relax

and

~

Focus
Converges

on

~

All that
is
Love

~

All that
is
Me;

~

Blinded

~

From
Fear

~~

Shielded

~

From
Pain

~~

My Lens

~

Exposes

~

That
Which is
Real

~

That
Which is
Illusion

~

Altering

My
Vision

~

Eternally

~~~

©Robyn Lee

 My first nature excursion in about 6 weeks!

On Friday at 4 pm I had an enchanting encounter with the sea.

A healing moment indeed.

Thanks to each of you for being so incredibly loving and supportive,
and sending me such passionate healing energies as I continue my journey.
I know they hold great power, and I love you all for the special souls you are.

~Robyn Lee