✨ Wednesday Whisper 4/12/23

breath peace poem wednesdaywhisper Apr 12, 2023
When every breath becomes a prayer

When every breath becomes a prayer…

Today I have a very special poem for you.

It's brilliant, offering us a unique look at how we are with our bodies.

I love how the poet points us to our breath:

 

“There is only now. There is only inhale. There is only exhale. There is only this moment. There is only breath."

 

It’s a little more than a two-minute read.

Poem Anatomy of Peace by John Roedel

 

my brain and

heart divorced

a decade ago

 

over who was

to blame about

how big of a mess

I have become

 

eventually,

they couldn't be

in the same room

with each other

 

now my head and heart

share custody of me

I stay with my brain

during the week

 

and my heart

gets me on weekends

 

they never speak to one another

- instead, they give me

the same note to pass

to each other every week

and their notes they

send to one another always

says the same thing:

"This is all your fault"

 

on Sundays

my heart complains

about how my

head has let me down

in the past

 

and on Wednesdays

my head lists all

of the times my

heart has screwed

things up for me

in the future

 

they blame each

other for the

state of my life

 

there's been a lot

of yelling - and crying

 

so,

 

lately, I've been

spending a lot of

time with my gut

who serves as my

unofficial therapist

 

most nights, I sneak out of the

window in my ribcage

and slide down my spine

and collapse on my

gut's plush leather chair

that's always open for me

 

~ and I just sit sit sit sit

until the sun comes up

last evening,

my gut asked me

if I was having a hard

time being caught

between my heart

and my head

 

I nodded

 

I said I didn't know

if I could live with

either of them anymore

 

"my heart is always sad about

something that happened yesterday

while my head is always worried

about something that may happen tomorrow,"

I lamented

 

my gut squeezed my hand

 

"I just can't live with

my mistakes of the past

or my anxiety about the future,"

I sighed

 

my gut smiled and said:

 

"in that case,

you should

go stay with your lungs

for a while,"

 

I was confused

- the look on my face gave it away

"if you are exhausted about

your heart's obsession with

the fixed past and your mind's focus

on the uncertain future

your lungs are the perfect place for you

there is no yesterday in your lungs

there is no tomorrow there either

there is only now

there is only inhale

there is only exhale

there is only this moment

there is only breath

 

and in that breath

you can rest while your

heart and head work

their relationship out."

 

this morning,

while my brain was busy reading

tea leaves

 

and while my

heart was staring

at old photographs

 

I packed a little bag

and walked to the door

of my lungs

before I could even knock

she opened the door

with a smile and

as a gust of air embraced me

she said

"what took you so long?"

 

🌴Tiny Islands Tip

Pause. Relax.

With your hands on your belly, honor the present moment with a few breaths.

 

I’m curious about your thoughts. What did you notice when you read the poem? What resonated? 

 

See you next week!

 

You are important.

Make yourself a priority! 💗

 

Big Love,

Manuela 🌴✨🐘

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