Who Are They to Tell You?

Who are They to say that we are…
too fat
too dumb
too afraid
too uneducated
too quiet
too shy
too loud
too impulsive
too set in our ways
too sloppy
too independent
too compliant

Who are They to say that we are only…
a nurse
a teacher
a stay at home mom
a working Mom
a playboy
a rebel
a womanizer
an addict
a mental case

Who are They to say that we can’t…
change jobs
change cities
change our minds!
get married
get divorced
learn yoga
dance
go to college
learn something new

Who are They to say that we have no right to…
talk to them
confront them
disagree with them
stand up to them
defy them
leave them

Who are They to say that we can’t become…
a poet
a businessman
an entrepreneur
a parent
a friend
a traveler
a lesbian
a mother
a spiritual adviser
a leader of men
a thinker of new ideas
a creator
a visionary
Ourselves

Take a Walk with me….

Itching

Fatigue

Rashes

Skin pealing

Arthritis

Back pain

Insomnia

Hang nails

Infections

Pink eye

Vomiting

Hair loss

Things our higher spiritual self does not have to deal with.

No wonder we become distracted, redirected and forgetful about being in touch with our higher consciousness level selves.

We can’t even call them on the cell phone, never mind ask them to relate to what we go through.

Getting into a higher level state requires detaching from our  physical selves. It is like ignoring the squeakiest wheel. ….and as we know, the squeaky wheel gets the attention.

We can have wonderful intentions of growing towards a higher consciousness level and then we develop some new pain or disorder…whether mental or physical.

We are subjected to all manner of mind control and persuasion techniques by society and the manipulators within it. And our bodies take more and more of a beating as we age.

Beating yourself up over not being able to get yourself out of your physical self and into a spiritual state, is another beating you should not have to endure.

It is effectually a beating of the consciousness by the consciousness…

A beating of the sub conscious by the sub conscious….

A beating of the mind by itself.

It is a paradox that you must accept the pains without the ego being involved because becoming one with higher consciousness means letting go of and identity with the self….yet repressing feelings about suffering only makes the suffering grow.

So we have to accept the inner child in order to heal…accept suffering as part of existing in the physical realm….sit with our pain to comfort it to ease it….walk through painful experiences to get to the light on the other side….and detach from the ego and identifying with our identity in order to achieve a higher consciousness…..

Yet in detaching from our ego we are acknowledging our identity with it…..so we first have to recognize the ego as a construct that is heavily influenced by brainwashing, false beliefs programmed into us, and manipulative people with their own agendas to serve..

We then can understand that many of our automatic  thoughts and attachments come out of this programming. …making the majority of the tapes running in our subconscious mind basically bad viruses…..and our conscious negative thoughts results of the viruses…..

Then we can begin to understand that We Are Not Our Thoughts….

Once we begin to accept that we are not our thoughts, we can open the subconcious mind to new formatting….better programming….we can alter and add new beliefs…and delete contaminated beliefs…..

A new understanding begins to arise at the back of our brains where those core beliefs are housed….that if our thoughts are not us, then we can observe our thoughts and evaluate their validity….

Holding onto beliefs that no longer serve us is not neccessary. We will not simply stop being ourselves by changing our core beliefs. It is the attachment to those addictive beliefs and thought patterns that keeps us controlled by others….and by our physical existance…..

We are not, in fact, the sum of our thoughts. We can rearrange the furniture in our brains that we call our thoughts. Rearranging the furniture, throwing out old pieces, adding new pieces that better serve our house….

The house remains, even when the things inside are altered.

So who is doing the altering and rearranging? It is not our physical selves….It is not our thoughts that are observing themselves….

Once we begin to realize this, then we catch a glimpse of what is doing the observing….It is not within the brain or the physical body….

It is that higher self…the higher consciousness….that can be awakened to observe and repair the subconscious …where suffering is at its roots….

Thoughts about suffering seem to create more suffering…and fear that the suffering will get worse….or continue to last is the root of the most painful mental and physical suffering.

Yet somehow you are beginning to suspect the most curious thing of all….that by entering this kind of trance….the one you have allowed your mind to enter while reading this….you were able to detach from your physical suffering for a few minutes…..

And so we took the journey together….just you and I….in a higher realm of consciousness….

Namaste..

 

 

 

 

Flame the Fire

Step lightly and tread a gentle path

You never know what you are walking on

Unless you are mindful  as you go

Listen and see with awakened eyes

Your heart will speak the truth

Be open to seeing more than others see

Or what first meets your eyes

There is always much more there

Than you can see at first glance

Breath in your surroundings

to perceive beyond the veil

Without biases, without assuming

Things will be what you expect

If you assume what will be there…then

That is what you will see….

Presupposition can murder the senses

And dull your ability to see truth

Sometimes more beautiful than

The others can perceive it to be

And other times darker

Never allow others to do your seeing for you

Or give meaning to things you know

Your perception becomes your reality

Which is why it is important 

not to leave that perception to other people

Do not not let others influence you

in a way that distorts your truth

Or tarnishes your vision

Walk gently and look freely

Choose your own meaning and feel your emotions

Your spirit is resilient

but the mind can be interfered with …

If you are not in touch with your intuition 

or where you are walking

Or what you are stepping on…

Create your own manifestations

 Build your own bridges to walk over the water

Until you can walk upon the water with faith…

And without fear

Do not bury your feelings or let others minimize them

Do not allow others to discount what you feel and what you know

Walk softly but speak the truth loudly when it is necessary

And speak the truth gently if it is harsh for someone to hear

Have compassion

Even when no one around you does

Believe in what is right when others turn their backs

Always believe in yourself

Even when others do not

Believe in your intentions when others try to shut you down

What you see and what you feel is yours …

Stand up when others have fallen

Stand up when others try to make you stay down

Live with kindness and speak with truth and light

If you let the darkness make you hard to see

The ones who need your light cannot find you

Your light is very important to the ones lost in the dark

Let fear be comforted by truth …

Not the truth of darkness…

But the truth of the light that is within you..

The light that sometimes barely breathes and flickers in the dark

But cannot be extinguished

By anyone

Let your light comfort and inspire

Allow it to flicker like a flame…

Next to fear and sadness

To give them hope

Your light is always within you

Even in the darkest of times

When it is hard to see

No matter how small it may seem at times

Your light has great power and strength

Compassion will flame the fire

Quiet the Clock – Spoken Word Poetry

The clock ticks on

tick tick

The hands

go round

round and round

The time elapses

tick tock

‘Till I feel drowned

That heartless clock

Tick tick

I turn away

tick tick

To make it stop

Stop. STOP!

I want to rest

And

what  I want

is…

for time to stop!

Just for an hour

Let me catch up

I need to rest…

I have  become

tick tick

Simply exhausted

tick tock

This linear time

tick tick

Torments my mind

tock tick

I want to change

tock tick

 I know it’s strange

tick tock tick tock tick tock

For god’s sake! , Enough already, with the tick tick tock tock

Tock tick tock tick NOW STOP!

SSHHHHH!

sshhhh!

shhh!

shh!

Quieter

Be very quiet

whisper

very

very

very

softly

s  o   f   t   l   y

Be very still

Untie your mind

Just turn away

Pretend you’re blind

Pretend you’re deaf

Become oblivious

and now…

you will find…

The clock has stopped

{finally)

I made it so

(I think I did)

It needed a “time out”

(time out)

to save my soul…

(my tortured soul)

Just let me rest…

I’m very tired

No tick , no tock

No tock , no tick

no tick tock tick tock tock tick tock tick

Universal silence

Universal bliss

Be very still

Shhh!

Don’t wake up

the clock

Don’t wake him up

I don’t want to hear

That NOISY CLOCK

More

Humanity needed in the world of humans

Soft sweet touches

An understanding ear to hear

Laughter bursting from the small bodies of children

Old hands carefully baking bread for a neighbor in need

Or crafting a blanket with yarn for a stranger in the hospital

A nurse’s reassurance to a frightened patient

Looking at them with the self confidence of the profession; but adding something personal in their glance

A worker willing to go outside the usual procedures  and protocol…in the name of  helping someone who is in danger of foreclosure on their family home

Too many medical bills and not enough time…

Time spent working to take care of loved ones has to be balanced against the need to just be with them

Sitting next to a stranger and matching their body language… their hopeless slouch on the bench…

just to let them know someone sees them…and they are not forgotten

…they are not invisible

Humanity enough to pay the extra 2 dollars for the pizza at the Mom and Pop shop; to drive the extra mile to get there

Rather than paying the “fast-food- dictators” their tithe;  the Mama Rosina Pizza places need to be there…on the Main Streets

What happens when no one cares anymore about the “little” people; will they truly become little people after all?

And the smallest gestures of holding doors for a mother carrying a child and helping the elderly woman cross the street safely…

What will becomevof these small acts of random kindness ? What shall we say to those …who call us foolish for wasting our time…

On people of no consequence?

Who has the right to determine who is more or less significant?

And what does this say about mankind…

If we are just too busy spending time making money…and nothing more?

Isn’t there something further? Isn’t there something more?

 

 

Insomnia Sucks – Humorous Insomnia Poem

Insomnia Sucks
I can’t count the ducks
They say to count sheep
It don’t put me to sleep

Imagery is great
But it keeps me up late

Now it’s 6:30
The dishes are dirty
I know I should wash them
But I want to squash them

If this made you smile
Then it was worthwhile

And I know that you know
And you know that I’m so
And that sounded brainless
The sheep are now nameless
My mind is so aimless

Too tired to write stanzas
About what a woman and man does

This poem gets worse
With each Passing Verse

Or maybe it’s clever
In some profound way
It might change your life
Or just make you say…

“You should go to sleep
You’re brain is not deep
You’re just overtired
And think you’re inspired
But thank you for trying
Your poem I’ll keep”

So now it is time
To count the damn sheep
And if I am able
I’ll fall fast asleep

And while I am sleeping
I’ll dream I’m awake
And when I am waking
I’ll wish I could sleep

The whole silly thing
It just goes round and round
But now I have you
And you know what I mean
When I say…

That I paint the sheep
Red, blue and green
Cause I can’t count them nightly
And sleep so politely

Poetry about Mental Illness – Anxiety and Depression

These are  poems I wrote several months ago. I wanted to share it again because people are interested in poetry depicting mental illness. Creative arts about mental illness are a way for people to express, share and spread awareness about mental illness.

People with mental illness often feel alienated, and isolated. They are afraid to talk about their feelings with others due to the stigma about mental illness. There are many people that you we interact with every day that suffer from anxiety, PTSD, depression and other mental disorders.

Many people have these conditions from psychological abuse and damage that was inflicted upon them from emotional trauma. It is not that people with mental disorders are really any different from anyone else except that their brains are disregulated  somehow, often due to abuse and traumatic experiences.

Lessening the stigma surrounding mental illness by creating awareness is beginning to allow people to not be as afraid to talk about it. People need to not suffer alone and there is healing that can be facilitated from being able to talk rather than keeping it a secret.

I will be posting some other poetry about mental illness. There are many artists and musicians that also create in order to express their feelings about mental illness, including depression,  anxiety disorder and other mental disorders

Darkness

Lost in the dark

I can’t find my way

The daylight screams sharp

The light is all pain

Quiet in here

My mind can’t be still

Voices bring fear

I will hide

Yes I will

Until I crave contact

Whenever that may come

Until then

I’ll stay in darkness

Because it feels like

familiar home

Away

I just want to rest

Away from the stress

A corner that’s quiet

Please let me try it

Away from the mean ones

Just myself alone

To think my own thoughts

To cry and to moan

To feel what I feel

Without being told

Just who I should be

And what I should own

I just want to sit

In silence right here

No yelling or scolding

No judgement or pain

I want to be me

The way that I am

In my perfect world

Inside of my heart

Because all that I own

Is inside of my soul

They can’t take it from me

I won’t give them control

Safe

Cars make noises

as they drive by outside

I want to be inside

where it is safe

Sirens are loud

and invade my nervous system

I want to be  inside

where it is safe

People passing by the house

making noises

that remind me

I do not want to go out there

I want to be inside

where it is safe

Safe inside the house

I am safe inside the house

But where do I go

if I want to be

Safe Inside My Mind?

Scapegoat

Things the little girl was told by her parents…

You are too fat

You are too selfish

You are not trying

You are not good at that

You should think about others

By others I mean ME

By others I mean everyone in the family 

But not yourself

You should help your sisters

They are smarter than you

You have to work harder than they do

to do what they can do

Poor thing

No. you can not blame it on abuse

there is no abuse

abuse has nothing to do with your homework

or how well you do in school

You just are not as smart as your sisters

You should forgive your mother

You should go back and take more abuse

It is only mental

She can’t help it

It is not as bad as you say

You made that up

Why did you protect your face when I reached for the salt

I was not going to strike you

what do you mean you do not know you did that?

You clearly blocked your face

You did that to hurt my feelings

I am sure she never hit you

You are making that up

Tell me what is going on with you

You never share with me

You  never spend time with me

Why don’t you open up

What?

Why do you say things like that

Your life is not that bad

Why do you complain?

Now

Why have you stopped telling me what is going on with you?

Of course I will believe you

Just tell the truth

Not those exaggerated tales of woe

You are too quiet

You talk too much

You are getting fat again

The whole car will probably tip over

if you sit on that side of it

You know it causes damage to the car

for someone so fat to sit in it

oh you have lost weight

that is because I pointed it out to you

It is my accomplishment

I am so proud of myself

for you losing the weight

It could be more…but…

I guess it is the best that You can do…

So, what is going on with you?

You should go make up with your sister

She did not mean it

I am sure did not really hit you

You are exaggerating

You are the one that has to forgive

You did pretty good on that homework

For You….

We all know you are not as smart as the other children…

You have to apologize

Even though they hit you

You must have upset them

You have to keep going back

for more abuse

You are the scapegoat

No Time to Fall

Sometimes life is like trying 

to balance in the middle

of a See-Saw

All by yourself

One foot to the right

Other foot to the left

A little more this way

A little more that way

No that isn’t it

One wrong shift and you fall off

Back on again 

Don’t stay still too long

One leg will get numb

A little more this

A little more that way

No…

It is time to fall

But

There is no

Time to fall

Amazing Spoken Word Poetry by a Young YouTube Poet Allen Minor

I came across an excellent young poet, who has videos on YouTube about feelings and thoughts from the inside of mental illness.  These poems are by Allen Minor. He has a YouTube Channel with his spoken word poetry.

Allen is reaching out to other people through his wonderful poetry. He desires to validate and comfort the ones suffering from depression and anxiety that may be reached by his words.

Young people like teenagers are more easily reached by someone their own age. I think that young creative people that reach out to their peers, are very important and will be helpful to our young people who are suffering depression and other mental disorders.

This one is about social anxiety and anxiety disorder in general. I could totally relate to the feelings in this and his reading of the poetry is great. His words about the poem are “A poem entitled Unreliable about social anxiety and social responsibility”

He talks about the difficulties keeping up with social obligations with friends due to his anxiety disorder. Many of us can relate to words and feelings in this one.

This next poem is from the inside of the mind of depression. It has a story telling style, which is very interesting. Check it out.

Allen’s words about this poem “A more somber poem called Speak Fast about mental health (possible TRIGGER WARNING)”

This one is an anti-bullying poem. The reading and the poetry is excellent. He wrote this one for Pink Shirt day, which was the anti-bullying day.

This next one is about writing and what it feels like to be a writer with mental illness and an past that has caused mental suffering.

This final poem is one of my favorites. It has a beautiful spark of hope. It speaks of the magical perspective of childhood and how we tend to lose that viewpoint as adults, as we et caught up in the worries and stresses of adult life. He lets us know that we can still have magic and wonderment in our lives, even thought we have grown up.