Still They Come
A poem about my life’s path and calling.
This path has cost me dear.
A lifetime searching for the truth.
Blind alleys and faithless lovers,
loss upon loss…
ridicule and scorn,
companions
on the journey to myself.
Still the fire raged.
Many times I prayed for release,
but
this scalded skin / my torment
fastened my will to greater things.
When brought to my knees
I rose again
only stronger.
I knew no other way.
Oh, to know the security of ignorance.
The bliss of fitting in,
blinkered to the world
and all its pain.
A pit pony instead of
the canary in the coal mine.
It never could be…
I chose this path before I came.
When I resided with the stars
and deep compassion sent me here
to try in my brokenness
to reach out
to those who felt in need of love…
sharing that empathic bond
through self reflection.
So now,
embracing the last quadrant
of my medicine wheel.
Chastened by circumstance
and the hidden power and beauty
in suffering
(because it always comes gift-laden)
I remain in service to the people.
My Red Road has forged a heart
that loves deeply with no restraint.
That sees the light in others
and strives to help them shine.
So still they come…
and I am at last
at peace.
“So now, embracing the last quadrant of my medicine wheel. Chastened by circumstance and the hidden power and beauty in suffering (because it always comes gift-laden) I remain in service to the people. My Red Road has forged a heart that loves deeply with no restraint. That sees the light in others and strives to help them shine. So still they come… and I am at last at peace.” Beautiful journey to peace Alison. No wonder you have become a healer with a heart that loves deeply and, perhaps, unconditionally. Good one from your pen again. I feel less empowered… Read more »
Hi Supratik Thank you for your kind words. Getting back to writing has not been easy. That’s a very interesting question you asked about the hyphen. I wondered myself as at first I had simply a comma but decided that a hyphen made the words sort of interchangeable but more than that as I am speaking about my scalded skin ( extreme sensitivity) and my torment at seeing so much in life behind the scenes so to speak…but also my scalded skin is also my torment so I thought it worked better in that case than a comma. However if… Read more »
Quite a journey you describe here. I think you should be proud that so far you have followed your own destiny (if that’s the correct phrase) and not drifted along in the wake of ships in the night like so many of us are inclined to do.
Being at peace is life’s greatest gift. (I don’t mean death of course :))
Thanks so much for commenting.
Yes, there have been many ships that passed in the night but in the end got tired navigating the stormy waters in their wake , so to speak. 😉
My greatest fear was leaving the world with never a trace as though my life meant nothing.
I was aware of this from my very earliest days in fact.
So now I will face what lies ahead with the comfort of knowing I shall always be supported as before.
Alison x
Very challenging to pen one’s painful experiences and relive them as one inks. But then the triumph over self and life’s vagaries has to be written and shared. Thankyou for this amazing poem Alison.
Best Wishes, Gomathi.
Hi Gomathi,
Thanks for commenting. I was a bit apprehensive I made myself look like the second coming lol but in truth it has been so long since I wrote anything that I said to hell just get it out there and hopefully that will get the ball rolling;-)
Alison x
Agree!! And we got to read a really moving poem!
Best Wishes, Gomathi.
Amazing self analysing poem, tearing away your skin and exposing deep emotions to find your true meaning in this life. Very brave of you to share your inner torments over the years. As one who at the age of twelve realised I was in the wrong time and felt out of place from then on I seem to have stumbled across the rough terrain of life to arrive here, none the wiser but pleased to have made the distance. The turbulence certainly came through very clearly in your writing, I love the lines ‘I chose this path….with the stars’. Sue… Read more »
Hi Sue
Yes I always felt from very early on that you wrote from another era.
So interesting you say now that at age 12 you felt that way.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Alison x
What an insightful and interesting reading of my poem Trevor. 🙂 I think that “still they come” is precious to me now because it shows me that I have something to offer, that my long probation was worth it and that gives me inner joy. We shall always be at odds perhaps on the workings of the universe but I believe in honouring everyone’s journey. Everyone makes of it what they will. I never met more judgemental ism than I found in organised religion to be honest…so now I count among my friends people of all different convictions. Each has… Read more »