Orion nebula and Running Man nebula - Poems by Sophia Falco

POEMS BY SOPHIA FALCO: Her Name Is Astrid, Authenticity

Last updated: December 8th, 2019

Her Name Is Astrid

Sunshine—
the yellow curtains
in the studio
the entryway to clear our minds,
we practice Yoga
in the hidden space
leave through the same curtains
present,
time fades away like a raindrop
drying on the pavement,
refreshed with tranquility
and at ease
I sit on the humble wooden bench
ready to put on my
worn running shoes
and my teacher kindly joins me,
there we meet
a curious travelling woman
a fellow yogi
seeking knowledge
she introduces herself
Astrid,
her spirit for life contagious.

Our conversation travels
the globe
from dancers to poets to creativity,
we navigate life’s ups and downs
without a compass
in the quest for the meanings of life
explore diverse philosophies
the synergy of our spirits strong
yet the answer lies in another dimension,
mostly I listen and
their words dance gracefully
off the tips of their tongues into my ears
and end up somewhere
that is here,
heartfelt the three of us hold hands
warmth spreads like the sun’s rays
throughout our bodies
energizes with a glimmer of hope
our truths transport
hands clasped with positivity
cementing the moment.

Astrid, with her eyes full of wonder, exclaims
“The air I breathe out, you breathe in!”
collectively as humans
we are connected as one
the breath unites us all but
this is hard to see
just like the Milky Way galaxy
because we’re in the middle of it,
unity is what we’re seeking and
in this moment
the universe delivers
an awesome feeling
washes over us
as if the Orion nebula—
its stunning beauty
against the backdrop of darkness
thousands of light years away
showers us with purple raindrops
cleanses our souls
like curious kids
we catch the drops on our tongues and
taste a little magic.

As quickly as she came
like the rising and setting sun
Astrid has to leave
her name is summoned from a small island
halfway across the globe,
true to her spirit she smiles
as she courageously laces up
her blue patched boots
we know our paths will not cross again
so I gently catch this moment
in the palm of my hand
like a floating dandelion seed in the sky
and close my hand with purpose,
it transforms into a piece of my patchwork quilt
full of wondrous moments
woven together by the light
to wrap around me
for comfort, for joy, and to inspire—
just as she leaves the Yoga studio with poise
opens the door
and turns the corner
the wind whispers in my ear
Astrid.

© Sophia Falco. Please do not reproduce without permission.  

Authenticity

Trees under stars - Poems by Sophia FalcoI’m vulnerable drifting through
the endless space,
towards the ground
leaving behind my magnificent home of
lush greenery,
and my branch where I could
solely be a witness of the vast forest floor,
and I did so ever so gracefully.

The wind spun me around in spirals
like the spiral needles that once
comforted me in the darkest of nights.

All of my seeds were exposed to the elements,
and I hit the ground hard and intact
making a loud echo echo echo
letting my voice be heard that I have awakened,
ready to take on the challenges of growing tall and proud.

But the birds and squirrels have not broken
open my cone to spread my seeds and,
I wait patiently because I know
Mother Nature has a plan for me.

A small fire burst from an amber of possibilities,
and melted away my bind giving
my seeds the chance to grow.

I became one seed that took on the challenge,
my simple elegant roots grasped onto the pulse of
Mother Nature going deep down into the
depths of the soil.

I became many because my roots joined
an interconnected web of my sisters’ and brothers’ roots
full of past years, memories, hardships, growth,
happiness, and success and
the vibrations of these feelings run so deep
that it is our only way of communication
because no words can describe these feelings.

Our roots pulse energy and determination because
we dive downward into the unknown
breaking past rocks and obstacles to quench our thirst.
Then I see the light,
the sunshine,
that bathes me in a bath of nourishment
giving me strength to grow and the
rain tickles my toes and washes away the dust
that gathered before my eyes, allowing me to remember that
patience is the key to my destiny to grow tall and proud,
because without it, how could I be continuously loving to myself?

With love comes patience and unlocks
the door to feel the beauty of kindness within me.

I grow and grow and grow some more and
my limbs dance in the wind and this same
wind kisses my face and my limbs become
home to the songbirds, the chatty squirrels, the crickets,
and a space full of possibilities.

I get closer and closer to the stars
and soon they became my companions,
twinkling with inspiration.
They’ve taught me so much.
I used to look at the stars like connect the dots
racing like my thoughts:
up down left right zigzag till I
start all over again or stop and feel
the silence in the darkness
embrace me with the here and now.

I liberated myself from the past and future because
I learned to be present, to feel the space to my
right, to my left, above me, behind me and
below me.

I have become free again
because my golden sap heals my cuts and wounds,
and this same sap is magical because it flows right through me.

It’s my life force giving me the gift of expression, this gift of creativity.

My creativity was there hidden all along
just waiting to be tapped open from deep within my soul.

These magical golden pieces of creativity were scattered
and when these pieces fell into place I became authentic.

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[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]Sophia Falco’s debut chapbook, The Immortal Sunflower, has been published in December 2019, as one of the winners of The Raw Art Review Chapbook Contest. (Additionally, more than a dozen of her poems have been published in various literary journals and magazines as well.) She is an undergraduate senior at the University of California in Santa Cruz, and she finds peace in the power of Yoga. In her free time, she’s an epic gardener. The tallest sunflower she grew was 16 feet tall!


image 1: Anton Vakulenko; image 2: Wikimedia Commons