Welcome to the Collection The 'Words to Sit With' Collection is a home for free-to-share contemporary mindfulness poetry and stories.  | Navigate The poems are all shown below, beginning with the most recent. If you are looking for a particular poem you can go straight to your poem of choice by clicking on the title in the 'Full List' drop-down menu above. Search If you are looking for poems or stories on a particular theme, try typing key words in the search box in the top right-hand corner. Contribute If you would like to see your original poems or stories featured on the site, then feel free to send them in. |  |
The Collection
Tree
Tree stark against winter sky
Inert, dead looking, no sign of life
Gnarled branches forming shapes.
Monarch of the Glen with antlers pointing skywards.
Pugilistic fists punching air in the wind
Seeking an opponent.
Old knobbly elbows and knees
Creaking and groaning with age.
Popeye with his pipe.
Small branches blowing in the wind
Promising new growth.
Soon the green leaves will make an appearance
Until in the summer
All will be green
Obliterating the sky
Shading the sun.
Masterful
Commanding
Awe and respect. By Linda Croft Tags: Impermanence, patience, strength |
Amongst the Trees
As I sit Amongst the trees I am reminded that Some of us are evergreen, Our outer layers Seemingly unchanged Through harsh winter's bite. Others are deciduous... When the seasons change And conditions are Less than favourable, We feel it, We shed our withered leaves, We fade and fall back. And what remains is Laid bare and exposed, So vulnerable Yet, perhaps, a quiet dignity abides. In times of darkness, We deciduous folk, We focus down to our roots. We conserve what energy we have Ready to emerge with new growth When we feel the first light of spring. What a shock It must be To learn that one is deciduous, Having rested with the laurels, (so hardy!) To see the pines and holly without folly. To feel autumn, As leaves leave, And winter As if all is lost. And then relief! To know That one can endure the seasons, This time, at least! Each year a wisdom and a confidence, grows... This too will pass. Those old oaks Told me it would be so. It was hard to hear them, But when I really listened, Deep down in my roots, I knew my place Amongst the trees. By Peter Morgan Tags: Resilience, impermanence, letting go |
On Hold
Please wait
You are on hold…..
Music….
Please wait
We are all on hold.
The tinny music of a great suite
Earwigs through your head.
You even sing it
Der der der . d der der de der
A bit expressionless like the music
‘I know why I am singing this
I’m on hold’.
Holding on
for grim death
Or not.
Hiding in houses
Self-isolated.
Waiting
For
IT
To
Stop
Stop taking hold.
You came home to the old ones.
On hold.
Corona stopped you dead
In your tracks.
No!
Alive in your tracks
In the middle of your life.
Stay Safe Stay Home.
Hold on ….You are running up that hill
Run, rabbit run rabbit, run, run, run.
Meanwhile you, on hold,
Sofa surf, seek out oldies….
Retrograde….
Meanwhile You, on hold,
Work from home, work out,
Teach blackbirds to whistle On-hold loops.
Meanwhile You, on hold
Like the mountains
beyond the Menai straits,
Disappear and Reappear.
Like the breath
Coming and going.
Staying safe, staying home.
Meanwhile we, hold on
To holding each other
in our hearts. By Annee Griffiths Tags: Pause, safety, holding |
Together
Our minds and hearts can forget. That there are seasons to all things. This too shall pass. This too shall pass. In the dawn beyond, Like our animal cousins after hibernation, we will emerge with half-opened eyes. And we will see everything again For the first time. The sun will rise, and as We walk out into a new world, Our tired bodies will collectively groan In appreciation of a first, wide stretch! And there will be rejoicing, and loss. And regrets. And love. And grief. And fear. And hope. The tides continue to turn, and The world will weep with us as we dance in the light of each new moon. This too shall pass. This too shall pass. And as the seasons roll on, We will forever hold in our hearts, All that was sacred to us In the time we were so apart, Together. By Peter Morgan Tags: Seasons, impermanence, healing |
This Long Night
Now is the time. The time to let go Of panicking about panicking. To put down that self criticism That you should somehow be better prepared, or more resilient. In this shared messiness That is this human existence, Hold your head up. Be here, Just as you are. You are enough. The doubt, The fear, The panic, The despair, The pain, The exhaustion, The guilt or shame. Lay them a place at the table so that they might be heard. Yet know you are not them, and they not you. Feel your feet. Feel the ground. Feel the ground through your feet. Feel grounded. Let the weight on your shoulders flow down through your feet and be held by the Earth. Take one step at a time. And tread lightly. Through This, long, night. By Peter Morgan Tags: Acceptance, humanity, grounding |
Feeling Frantic in a Peaceful World
All around me is still. But not I. I vibrate, I pulsate. Out of control The more I spiral The worse I feel. I am the storm. The quiet streets Only serve to amplify The indignity Of being Frantic in a peaceful world. I fear my panic might spread! Cast me aside, I am not what the world needs Right now. ~~ A momentary connection To my feet Comes as an unexpected, but welcome, Reminder. A hint to what lies beneath. How can I best meet myself In this tumultuous moment of being? Maybe, I can Embrace this place. It is here. Let me feel it. If I allow my shoulders to drop And let my breath breathe, As best it is able. Perhaps then there is space For my energy to dissipate. My heart palpitating, I glance up, As if my tired eyes Have opened for the first time. Through the window, I see two pigeons, Statue still, Casually surveying the world. Perhaps I too can sit And take in what is around me And my inner rhythm Will synchronise With the sights before my eyes. A sigh. A pause. I see through pigeon eyes. Like a snow-globe, Once shook now still, My inner flurry Drifts down to my feet And settles on the ground. By Peter Morgan Tags: Frantic, peace, grounding |
Social distancing (Haiku)
Hearts beat together Whilst our bodies are apart. We are not alone. By Peter Morgan Tags: Connection, heart |
No longer negotiating
In my worry about the future, about what will happen to him After I am gone. . . I see his face, smiling quietly As he looks at the newspaper. What does it matter What will happen then? This is now, and he is beautiful.
No need for words. In this instant, he is safe, loved.
In my sinking into thoughts I sometimes come up for air Sitting still, watching this breath, my belly gently heaving. Every yesterday gets canned just then. Every care
Blown away. And at that moment, here is life, believing
in that, every other good is served up on a plate.
No need to bargain for my position. No need to curl myself
Into a cocoon, seeking approval, avoiding hate A break from the past. A blessing here and now, a boon. No longer hurrying into a future where I may be late. By Sreela Tags: Impermanence, present, love |
Bluebell Lane
This corner of old England
Dappled in hazy spring sunshine
Old houses with tales to tell
Sagging walls on a pot-bellied shed
Topped with a shag pile moss roof
Gnarled, arthritic twisted trees
Gently swaying, leaves whispering
In a warm undulating breeze
And dancing bumble bees
Dusting the nodding flowers
With yellow pollen knees
Children sitting on the grass
Making daisy chains for Mother
A gift worth more than gold
Made with care, from love
Lost in worlds we once knew
But have misplaced somehow
Perhaps to find again.... one day
If we can find the time to stop By Paul Brown Tags: Nature, being present, simplicity |
The Tree
I Hug Mother Earth
Grounded in Her richness
My Arms reach out to the heavens
Dancing in the wind
I offer my canopy as Sanctuary,
Sheltering and nourishing
I have writhed in the storms,
scarred and aging....
Remaining grounded in Mother Earth
As I stretch toward the heavens,
The tree and I are one....
Claiming our place in the sun. By Susan Nelson Tags: Grounding, stability, equanimity |
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