Apex of Destiny

 

I could have been anywhere,

Where sky and ocean melt together,

Where place billows with texture, and color, and infinity,

I could have been anywhere,

But I was with you.

Our paths converging in the stories of our existence,

Feet stepping lightly in the synthesis of our terrain,

Enraptured by you—

Once a wild child of the south,

Cigarette and alcohol in hand at ten,

riding horses through tall grasses,

galloping at full speed,

leaping over barriers that could not hold you down.

Your voice now a part of the landscape

Of THIS place, of MY heart,

marked by ahu stones stacked

in the four directions of

where we have been, Where we are,

Where we meet,

Finally here,

Present, in the apex of destiny.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Denial

You say that even if you did,

Though you wondered once,

You’re not, could never be,

Wanting me, it seems, behind dark glasses,

Hiding a sure-footed swagger, and softened face

You are looking at me,

Drawing you near in my dreams, lips numb

With fragrant fruit,

And your hands cupped in denial

Around my heart.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Aching Harvest

In wanting to be loved,

You’ve allowed his storm to pellet you,

To pull you into harsher rain’s constant hammering,

Jolting, stealing pride

you look away,

Your fugitive eyes clinched

In a far-away dream

Of her summer light,

her fragrant petals opening and soft days

aching harvest beauty

Of lips, and tears, and tongue

And heart, too cowardly,

to come out

of the dark, and open your eyes.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Circle

LoveLoveLoveLoveLove                                            Completely

SacrificeSacrificeSacrificeSacrificeSacrifice       Letting go of self

SpiritSpiritSpiritSpiritSpirit                                      Entering unattached

MindMindMindMindMind                                         With no visceral ulterior

EnergyEnergyEnergyEnergyEnergy                     Motivation to preserve

LandLandLandLandLand                                           Richness of life and

FoodFoodFoodFoodFood                                          Health, culture, identity.

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice         Where does it all begin

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice         When it is all infused together,

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice          There is no beginning or end,

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice          Permeated for all eternity,

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice          With all that matters,

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice          With all that inspires

LandFoodEnergyMindSpiritLoveSacrifice          In a timeless circle.

Mind/Engaged/Clarity

Energy/Potential/External

Spirit/Inspiration/Infinite

Love/Fully/Eternal

Sacrifice/Righteous/Intentional

Land/Perpetual/Internal

Food/Embody/Being

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Letting Go

Letting go is not an easy thing to do,

to let your voice be carried away in waves,

and allow the rain to fall in empty fields.

Let me return to the forest to find an embankment deep,

a humus of soil and rotting leaves of winter

to wait for snow,

where glances of sun through rough tree bark

will find me by the frozen creek,

and warm me once again

in my solitude.

KKLE    May 26, 2013

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

To Be The One

I step carefully into predawn,

Blades of grass damp with night,

Blossoms still soft with sleep, parting,

Horizon blushing with pale color, breaking

free of darkness,

Every blade, every leaf turns toward you waiting,

Silhouettes of nature fluttering

in anticipation of you

And I, Seeking that still moment more than anything

Knowing that every second the sun rises,

Every moment purple shadows recede,

Every feather, stone, or discolored flower from the day before,

Every thought unheard, or unseen, waits to be experienced by you,

And I want to be the one,

The one there in that moment,

When every fragrance, every sound,

Every fluttering leaf and whispering wind

Calls your name and shines for you.

I want to be that gift-giver of beauty,

To hold you with a beauty you have never felt before,

Want to capture your sapphire eyes,

Draw you to me, passionately, and achingly,

To be the one,

The one awake,

The one beside you when your eyes open to all that awaits you,

I want to gather all that has been, all that will be, all that can be

Into a timeless dance of unbelievable light, for you,

But I have only my words to make your heart pulsate in soft rhythms,

And sometimes words aren’t good enough,

For I am but an observer of your light, a reflection of your beauty,

And you are the one who must come to me,

When you want,

In that still moment,

And rise together.

KKLE May 25, 2013

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Crescent Moon

A crescent moon hangs low

As I wait for my tea.

A slip of light

On a dark canvas

Dissolves

The clamor of the day,

And I think of you…

As the night hums

To the drum of the universe,

Your voice softening,

Ambrosia-like,

Immortal nectar

In my mind.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

I Like A Good Tree

Your image—symbolic of all life
Your message—Truth
Your gnarly limbs sprawl patiently across solid ground
in spatial movement anchored by earth-probing fingers;
digging deep, reaching high, breathing in, breathing out.

I ponder the fractals in your leaves,
Study the mystery of patterns looping,
Spiraling through the barks of time,
Wonder at your perfect design,
Climb into your embrace
To feel anxieties shake loose and die drifting,
Fluttering gracefully like leaves to the earth,
mulch for the coming season.

If I could be more absorbing, reflecting,
existing in the sun, stars, moon—rooted
in the comfort of knowing the earth
Who is our mother,
If I could be loving like your shade when all else seems unbearable,
And when meaning has lost its savor,
be accepting of transformation—seasons of greatness and seasons of fallow,
be the bearer of richness and depth,
upright, strong and true,
I could be more like you.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Let Me Be A Bridge

When it all began,
I stood as the sun rose,
A triumphant sphere
setting Earth ablaze,
The undefined becoming defined in light,
Defining me in its clarity.

I ask you,
To let me be the bridge
Between your world and mine,
A humble snail leaving a silvery trail
Across your path.
Let me be here,
Absorbing your infinity,
Waiting,
Palms open, mind emptied,
In this present moment
For you.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved

Ready

Picked a Plantain leaf before walking,
Tip of Tongue guiding it into place,
Veins and stems, Ridges and edges,
Resin of skin in sun, Breathing in, Breathing out,
A Visceral entity changing,
Molecular patterns rearranging
With every step, With every breath
Where nothing else belongs,
Hina, Tara, Goddess, Essence,
Enlightened spirits gathering,
Light from blue sky, and
Patience from clouds

Seven times for seven eyes, for seven ears
I am here, I am here, I am here,
I am here, I am here, I am here,
I am here,

A student ready for her teacher,
The teacher is already here.

In my mouth—Green and soft, absorbing, releasing.

 

(c) Karen K.L. Espaniola 2013, All Rights Reserved