Zombies – strengthdefined

Compelled

To Red Rock Canyon

To climb and hike

And be

To breathe

To feel the hot Vegas sunshine on my face & shoulders

I HAD to be there

Couldn’t not go

I had to share this beautiful place

With my friends

I stared up the mountain trail

Already half way up

I knew… I had to run the rest of the way up

My feet started to chop

Digging in to slippery gravel & rocks

My lungs burned

Not use to the altitude

Her voice in my head: you can do this honey, you can

I can do anything I set my mind too

Once at the top I wanted to pass out

Near asthma attack

But I did it

Climbing mountains in life is tough

But we will make it

The way down will be so much sweeter

Joy is coming, it will come back

My brother… dumbfounded

What compelled you to Red Rock Canyon?

Me: I couldn’t NOT be there, I felt driven to be

Brother: you do know I scattered Mom’s ashes all through that canyon?

Tilt!

Tears… I was beckoned there…

Love, grit and peace

Compelled

Red Rock Canyon, 9/29/18

Time

Repentance to others takes time

Often it’s never enough

Wounds are too deep

For others to accept

Salt water may cleanse the wound

But healing takes patience & time

Time we don’t have

Imagination is worse than reality

Yet reality can’t be heard

Or processed

Leaving wounds open

Picking at wounds never help

Picking at scabs when close to healing

Opens everything again

Prayers go up

And up

Where is the faith?

Lost it along the way?

No repentance will offer resolution

Or acceptance

Or forgiveness

Maybe forgiveness comes

In just letting go

Of the wounds?

Of each other?

Of the past?

Of the hurt?

Acceptance that things will never be the same again

Regardless of forgiveness

The decision that it is done

Done done

When do the wounds heal?

What makes repentance meaningful?

When does healing come?

Mentally?

Emotionally?

Physically?

Let go and let God?

Easier said than done

Wounds ooze as they heal

The process takes time

Time is something we don’t have

Or do we?

You

Will

When

You’re

Ready

Time

Resilience

Light fractures into the bedroom

Sleepy eyes watching from bed

The prisms of light kiss the walls

And rebound around the room

Close my eyes

Not ready to get up

Sadness vibrating

Mourning what feels like

Everything

I dose again- not the normal

Three hours later

I open my eyes

Only to see light dancing

Across the bedroom wall

The floor shimmers

Where did my resilience go?

I was born tough

But not today

I close my eyes again

Sinking deep under the covers

Images and faces haunt me

I fall back to sleep

Crying

1 p.m. I wake again, swollen-eyes

Mourning

Light still resilient, patiently

Fracturing the walls and floor

I raise my hand and trace the light with my fingertips

The shimmering patterns of the sunshine is

Beautiful

I am beautiful

My heart, my mind, my body

Is beautiful

Deep sigh, inhale a long breath in

I force myself out of bed

The dogs are waiting for me at the bedroom door

I step

Trying to shake off the heaviness of

Life decisions

Hard decisions

My resilience feels

Shakey

I put on boxing gloves

And begin to pound the heavy bag

I am strong

I am tough

I am remarkable

The sunshine continues to fracture around me

Circling me in its beautiful, dancing light

It is resilient

So am I

Been Here

When it seems like I have been here forever

I dream of the rustic, tree lined mountain top

And my rock overlooking the city

Where I sit for hours

To contemplate life

Scented wild flowers unplug my

City polluted nostrils

I run free as can be, smiling

A fuzzy brown rabbit scurries under the tree

The sun winks down

My thoughts carry back to you

Stirring from my daydream

I look out the dusty window

Watch as the heavy fog crowds in around the city

It begins to rain

A deep sigh escapes my lips

I return to my work

It seems like I have been here forever

Anesthesia Fog

I woke in the recovery room

To the smell of hospital soap and anesthesia

The sound of the beeping heart monitor

The IV gurgling in my veins

Bleary-eyed I tried to focus on the Doctor’s voice

He rubbed my hand, “We had to do a hysterectomy”

I gulped, eyes closed, anesthesia lulling me back to sleep

I opened one eye, trying to focus on the nurse,

“Did I hear that correctly? Did he say hysterectomy?”

“Yes.”

I remember turning my head and looking out the window

The sky was cloudy and gray

It was going to storm

Lightening flashed in the distance

My eyes grew heavy once again

I succumbed to the anesthesia fog

And remembered thinking,

“But we had already picked your name…”

They walk
Some fast
Some slow
Some confused
Angry faces
Perplexed faces
Not too many
Smiling
Not too much
Joy
Rushing
Feeling the grind
The get there now
No patience
Time ticks
Loudly
Life is passing
Us by
Risky?
Play it safe?
What
Brings
You peace?
What
Brings
You hope?
Lonely?
Keep moving
Find your self
In the jostling
In the hum
The drum
The heartbeat
Of the
Zombies in life
That push
And shove
Through the
Sea of others doing
The
Same
Thing
Just getting by
The happy
One day when
Not for me
No thanks
Observing
The sludge
The pounding
Of my heart
Of a life truly lived
I don’t regret
My courage
My candor
My truth
My shoulders back
I meet gazes
Directly
Not ashamed
Of who I am
Rocking purple lipstick
Shoulders back
A grin
I see you
I really see
The good
The bad
The ugly
The beauty
The colors
That push by
In a flurry and a scurry
Am I different?
Thank God I am
Hand to chest
I feel my
Own heartbeat
And I smile
Grateful
To be alive
To be
Here
Now
This
Very moment
In an airport
Jostling around
Eyes meeting
I see you
In the jostling
In the hum
The drum
The heartbeat
Of the
Zombies in life
Passing by
Too quickly
Missing
Everything