Voices: sacred and profane
by Kara LC Jones
inspired by an exercise from “walking on alligators”
Sitting still, at the heART of this island life.
Roar of an engine,
glint of a hammered out spoon
made into a pendant,
seeds of BEing
strung together as a necklace,
and amid the creativity
I try to hear my Voice.
There are a great many tunes in my head:
You are blessed.
You are crazy.
Be still where you are.
Spend time in non-resistance.
Why don’t you have a real job?
What body are you living in?
Burst of coffee and chocolate across your tongue is heaven.
All these voices
and more:
the sacred and profane.
The Goddesses and Gremlins.
All living together
under the roof of my scalp,
the thatch of my human body,
the plot of my energy field.
Do I listen to some
and banish the others?
Or do I practice non-resistance to them all?
Do I embrace that screaming orphaned child,
scared and tucked in fear, worried
that we don’t have a “real” job?
When I embrace her, what do I say?
Nothing. It’s the voice of Goddess that comes,
whispering gently to her:
“Love, this is our job. This is our reality.
Our pay is not dollars, but rather creativity.
You can finger paint your world.”
and the child breathes for the first time…
in her entire life maybe.
:::
about this poem.
This poem was inspired by an exercise from walking on alligators. This poem was originally published on Mother Henna's website CED & Poetry.
about the artist.
Kara is the Radical Creative behind all things MotherHenna.com. In 1999, after the death of their son Dakota, Kara and her partner Hawk co-founded Kota Press (KOTA: Knowing Ourselves Thru Art), an expressive arts outreach. Through their KOTA work and in partnership with the MISS Foundation, they have been mentoring other bereaved parents and caregivers around the world, offering creative perspectives on learning to life again after loss. As a coach to private clients, Kara facilitates the exploration of grief and creativity using many tools for alternative mind, body, spiritual health. Some of her specialties include henna art, heART-making, co-active coaching, Reiki, Tapping, asking the answerable questions and more. Kara keeps a radical creativity blog at Mother HennaKota Loss & Compassion Blog. Kara has been featured on still life 365 with her scrapbook page for her son Dakota, her poem Take-out Order, and her poem the After Life. The still life 365 community is mourning with Kara and her husband for the recent loss of her second son, Mizuko Star.
about the artist.
Kara is the Radical Creative behind all things MotherHenna.com. In 1999, after the death of their son Dakota, Kara and her partner Hawk co-founded Kota Press (KOTA: Knowing Ourselves Thru Art), an expressive arts outreach. Through their KOTA work and in partnership with the MISS Foundation, they have been mentoring other bereaved parents and caregivers around the world, offering creative perspectives on learning to life again after loss. As a coach to private clients, Kara facilitates the exploration of grief and creativity using many tools for alternative mind, body, spiritual health. Some of her specialties include henna art, heART-making, co-active coaching, Reiki, Tapping, asking the answerable questions and more. Kara keeps a radical creativity blog at Mother HennaKota Loss & Compassion Blog. Kara has been featured on still life 365 with her scrapbook page for her son Dakota, her poem Take-out Order, and her poem the After Life. The still life 365 community is mourning with Kara and her husband for the recent loss of her second son, Mizuko Star.
This is a heartfelt poem - thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThough my voices say different things, I so understand theargument inside your own head. So lovely to hear the compassion and welcoming of yourself in this.
ReplyDeleteThank you both, Lynette and Danielle!
ReplyDelete