Rain on car windshield - Poems by Robyn Phillips

POEMS BY ROBYN PHILLIPS: The Threshold of Acceptance, There is the Wind, Allies, The Wipers

Last updated: April 9th, 2019

The Threshold of Acceptance

something deep within yearns …
thirsts for more
a longing, markedly hazy
but with these eyes I see it
what my innermost mutineer desires
vast and exposed and utterly free
no contiguous haze

I want it

every cell in my body wants to hold it

call it my own
an expedition bursting with transfixing vibrations
an expedition that is my life
I see and marvel at others pursuing what gives lift to their spirit

I become increasingly inquisitive

why?
how?

my brain is at capacity but there’s a long line of thoughts
anticipating the moment they’ll pass through the door
waiting their chance to throw me their pitch
perhaps arouse action
tolerantly they wait my time and consideration …
their opportunity to be something ruminated about
each thinking they’re the one
the one that will prompt the move
the one that will activate the adventure
the one that will send me on the elating voyage I inherently crave

and I just as eager to discover the thought which makes it all make sense
a thought that triggers the release of all that does not serve me
a thought that finds clarity in a sea of confusion,
that gives me the courage to dive into uncharted waters

previously patient there is now restlessness

I feel ready
to taste spontaneity
and relish it
I feel ready to cross the threshold of acceptance

this is what my soul needs
to abandon all that does not move with me.

gone are the days of being perched
of comfortably sitting on a branch observing the world around me

there is no that
there is only this

this need to experience the awes of living

I know little
but I know that I am dying
and with death the prospect of truly living dissolves

I replace the fear of death with the fear of a life lacking in dynamism.

I usher in the thoughts
fill my mind with ideas, visions and dreams
place by my side the most trusted of sidekicks
and crown my curiosity for the unknown as my partner in crime

confidently I address the wild and sometimes illogical ambitions of my deepest self
affirm the potential of the world

… and of my life

There is the Wind

The morning is dull.
Grey clouds envelop the sky
the temperature of night succeeded in creating dew.
and so, it is damp.

the soil, the leaves, the pavement
damp

Unaccustomed to the happenings of autumn,
one may think it had rained during the night …
a rain that did not cross the threshold of wakening
a soft rain
an unconcerning rain
a rain that encourages sleep.

there is no storm to fear
yet the sun is unable to penetrate the grey blanket of clouds
there is a lack of vibrancy
of consciousness
it creates a restless stillness within

But there—
there is the wind
a gentle sweeping of the last leaves on the birch branches.
a caress of the water’s surface
a subtle gust
just enough to lift the grass unanchored by the wet

the moment warrants hope
for change

Active is nature
never standing still.
Active yet accepting
of what was
what will be
what is.

Nature allows
dullness
movement
change
… opportunity

Sad woman looking out window - Poems by Robyn Phillips

Allies

I want you to know what pain feels like.

Pain that makes your heart throb
that breaks you down into a million pieces

I want you to know what it feels like to be utterly uncomfortable
to be distraught
I want you to know the day after the pain
the day when you fear experiencing the pain again
I want the pain to taunt you and threaten you
I want you to know how it feels to hurt.

The side of me containing just an ounce of wisdom wants you—
the elusive, naïve side of me,
to know pain.
And I want it to know pain because the other side,
the side containing just an ounce of wisdom
only exists because
pain broke down my door
with relentless force.

Wisdom,
a message in a bottle
delivered to those who wait,
and are open to contemplation.

And struggle,
the energy of the ocean
creating waves,
bringing the bottle closer to
those on the shoreline.

Trusting in the struggle
the only way to see the message

and the message a seed for growth

Planted by the self.
Watered by the self.
Nurtured by the self.

If the desire to learn is present
this tiny seed will grow
and blossom
into an infinite array of floras.

dirt and muck and grime
cultivate beauty for those who desire
to see it
to know it
live it
Pain and wisdom no longer opposites
but allies
through admiration, respect, reverence
giving each other tough love

I want you to know what pain feels like
because pain—suffering—instills fear
and from fear we move …
move from where we were before.

The Wipers

She walks in introspection
real as any human.
mind racing with thoughts dabbed in truth
yet blurred—
a windshield in intense downpour

Helpless to create conscious clarity
as the car to wipe the windshield without wipers
glass bombarded by hundreds of thousands of water droplets
persistent
relentless
unforgiving
smothering its surface
coating the vastness of its being with a shell

A moving shell, manipulative, alive
intending to protect
not realizing that she can protect herself

The car travels many roads.
the rain follows
continually, consistently
water droplets pre-destined to hit the windshield

are thoughts pre-destined to inhabit her mind?
is she pre-destined to wander congested streets
unable to interact
to connect
unable to give or receive love
in this ruined state, can she feel?

does she realize she possesses the potential to experience warmth, enlightenment?

Yes, she feels
feels intensely
standing in the pouring rain
every drop invoking a thought
eliciting a feeling

Validation!
Have courage!
Be brave!

Trust the seepages of truth that breach her blurred mind.
that the wipers will remove the shell.
and letting go of protection—
seek to live openly.

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image 1: Pexels; image 2: Pixabay
  1. Thanks for the opportunity to reflect this early afternoon– on a day in which we finally have sun—I’ll be more forgiving of the rain.

    1. Grateful I could be a part of the reflection process for you, Vicki! Hoping the sun continues to shine in your neck of the woods. Thank you for reading 🙂

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