I’m in

(Notes from the third seasonal five women gathering on Vashon)

We have inhabited

a place of waves

an ebb and flow of stories

diverse perspectives that we try to reconcile

the tossing circles constantly recurring

hope baubles bobbing on their glossy surface

They bob against the undertow of sadness

and the mind’s attempt

to close the loop, to claim

the promised satisfaction dearly longed for

We can choose to float there

or step free . . . 

. . . Winds wander

Waves slap along the shore

Clouds display themselves across the sky

I step now from the land of metaphor

into the day

where sun sweetens

and geese parade their young before our eyes

Warm sand and stones smell like seaweed

by my resting face

Bright cold water licks my resting feet

I lie here and consider

Where do I immerse myself?

How do I join in this grand wheeling of the sky?

How do I find grounding in this

aliveness so much greater than

my little “I”?

I’ll take all of it

Whatever is given

Whatever way I can be used

to heal the stories, serve the greater vision

I’m ready

I’ll take all immersions offered

I feel and smell the sun, the sand

the stones, the water

Then the waves come for me

and I’m in.

©Wendy Mulhern

June 3, 2012