Michele Lee Sefton's Blog, page 19

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Surrounded by soft morning blues and vanilla creams
upon her I gazed
a beautiful woman with one exposed breast, framed
above my parents’ bed
Jesus did not hang in our house,
though his name was never spoken in vain
Sundays were spent at the lake, not church
My dad’s “ten percent” went to gold-colored six packs
topped with pull tabs
an explosive combination with my mom’s fiery spirit
a young union that came to an abrupt end
fourteen years in
not a minute too soon
for the seventh daughter, raised on a southern farm
to find liberation
though some shackles are invisible
requiring a lifetime to chisel thin

Oil and water, she and I
however,
her strong body gave me life
and her fiery blood still fuels me
now coursing through her granddaughters,
one, my only child

Before death pulls either of us under
it is this poet’s wish
that I honor my mother’s lessons and sacrifice
as I look onto a morning that matches her eyes

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a pleasant weekend. Warm regards. Michele

featured photo of woman in a sheer dress taken during sunset by Zolotarevs / my Oregon flower photo

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Natural rouge

Confident crimson spun with a blend of subtle

            drip
                        p
                                    ing

                                                onto the soil

rushing toward the horizon
            disappearing

            she noticed

pausing to pluck a petal
feeling its softness
between fingertips
smelling it sweetness
arousing her senses
gently applying
final floral offerings
to her pale cheeks
high-boned and stoic

She reached her destination
watching worms pushing earth to feed
hearing confused insects buzz, crash, and bleed
under the only glow left
she is waking to her essence

Thank you for stopping by and to those who joined me yesterday for a first community gathering focusing on the subject of creativity, I appreciate you very much and look forward to supporting inspiring connections and engaging discussions. If you’re interested in joining us in the future, please send me a note through my contact page. Best to you in all that you do! Sweet regards. Michele

my photos, park in Oregon

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

What remains

Reaching the ever-moving line
where life, flowing and formless, crashes
before swiftly covering sandcastles
was a journey, unpredictable and long
and because the path was scattered with things that sting
they could never freely skip.

Carefully and cautiously, they proceeded,
taking their time with each step;
sometimes distracted by the fascinating transparency
of the stranded jellies who once harmonized in the ocean,
as an orchestra of propulsion. Now misshaped bells, silenced.

Too busy looking down, to notice the brilliant backdrop
being created for them.
Surprised they were, when their toes were suddenly covered
by the gentle cold. They were finally able to sit
and take it all in before letting the last golden sliver
pull the past under.

Thanks for stopping by and to those who’ve expressed interest in joining a discussion on the creative process and creativity in general, we are all set to go for our first zoom call, this Tuesday, October 29th. I’ve emailed the agenda and zoom link to those interested; if you did not receive a return email, please let me know. If you would like to join us, but have not reached out, please do so – we have room for a few more, depending on which time you select (10 AM/4 PM PST). For added inspiration, I’ve been reading Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. One hundred pages in, I am finding plenty! I am excited to be your host! I intend on offering these community calls once-a-month. Email my contact page, if interested in next week or in the future. Warm regards. Michele

my photos: Newport, Oregon during sunset and cover of Rick Rubin’s book

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Growing sweetly, for you

Growing in a garden
close or far, depending on where you are
take a look then close your eyes and imagine
being there
breathe in deeply
pink petals sharing sweetly
not perfectly –
never to be given a blue ribbon

whatever the life occasion
            the first sounds of a newborn
            sweet sixteen surrounded by laughter and dancing
            the (short-lived) exhilaration of a first crush
            under the toss of a cap after a job well done
            to see a lover smile and blush
            to comfort a broken heart, or bone
            above a hand signing an ending or beginning, or both
            scattered across soil replaced, fresh
                        a fragrant footnote to a final breath
            or just another day to get through

growing sweetly
they are yours

The tulip bulbs from Holland were planted a few weeks ago. They are now in great hands, being nurtured by Oregon’s rich soil and suitable climate. A sincere thank you to everyone who shared my excitement in their arrival and interest in their progress. To write my heart was warmed by the exchanges feels like a cliché that falls short. Please know it is true and how much I appreciate each of you, dear readers and friends spread across this beautiful planet. Although a first attempt, I believe the gracious outpouring of tulip support can only help the foreign bulbs bloom beautifully so! Thank you for stopping by and my sincerest regards. [image error] Michele

P.S. I will be sending out the agenda and link by the end of the week (to those who have emailed) for the first Creative Call (via zoom) to take place next Tuesday, October 29th. There is still room for a few more! If you’re interested, please send me a note through my contact page. Thank you! I am looking forward to introductions and our first discussion about the creative process and the topic of creativity.

my photos: pink roses and covering the tulip bulbs

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Sunday stretch

“Move your joints every day. You have to find your own tricks. Bury your mind deep in your heart, and watch the body move by itself.” —Sri Dharma Mittra

Stretching it out. Reaching a little further. Going a little deeper. Holding a little longer. Every muscle, bone, and limb feeling the results of muscles tested and the resistance of modern life, rarely designed with the body’s needs in mind. Flexibility, strength, and rejuvenation, the reward. Thanks for stopping by. Be well. Michele

my photos: Newport, Oregon

© 2024 myinspiredlife

World Wide Webs

God willing,
I’d rather be out enjoying
            noticing
the way natural light shines upon
a silk thread
appreciating nature’s delicate balance
than getting caught in the sticky mess
of crisscrossed communications

Spiders can spin an intricate web
in sixty minutes or less

Creating a life that nourishes your soul
can take decades of laboring
to fully experience

Don’t be dismayed by those
who spend more time judging and destroying
delicate dreams
than building their own

Thank you for visiting and reading my Saturday morning ponderings. Wishing you a pleasant weekend. Michele

my photos: spider webs seen in the Netherlands and Oregon

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Supermoon Rising

“Some Dreams You Never Wake Up From”

Black moon rising in the night sun
The light when the river turns red blood
Secrets you’re never gonna outrun
Some dreams you never wake up from

Truth reaching up through the crack in the pine box
Stole in the night by the teeth of a red fox
A shadow that creeps through the dark through the cold fog
It’s the weight of a chain, it’s the sound of a dead lock

Black moon rising in the night sun
The light when the river turns red blood
Secrets you’re never gonna outrun
Some dreams you never wake up from

They stay
Six feet
Deep
They stay
Six feet
Deep

God put you down from the sins of your own lust
Bones break apart and return back to the dust
Wolves at your door, took who you once loved
You can pay off the devil but the demons still hold on

Black moon rising in the night sun
The light when the river turns red blood
Secrets you’re never gonna outrun
Some dreams you never wake up from

They stay
Six feet
Deep
They stay
Six feet
Deep

Black moon rising in the night sun
The light when the river turns red blood
Secrets you’re never gonna outrun
Some dreams you never wake up from

Song lyrics ~ Valerie Broussard

“Some Dreams You Never Wake Up From” by Valerie Broussard

Supermoon viewing invites dramatic dreaming. Thanks for stopping by. Michele

my photos: Hunter’s Moon, dark river, and red Dahlia flower

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Solo flyer

Protection may be lost when leaving the flock, but it is only then when wings can ride their own current, when the only companion is one’s own reflection, and when the golden has a direct connection.

Thank you for stopping by. I never go anywhere without a journal and pen. Scribbling thoughts as they flow. No gadget or app will ever replace that. My current notebook is so beautiful I wanted to keep it for a “special occasion.” I filled up the first page after deciding that alive and breathing is special enough for me. The cover design is by artist Tiffany Arp-Daleo and just like her prints, her work emanates a vibrant energy that is wonderful to behold and hold.

Quick note about the first Creative Call that I will be hosting (via Zoom) on October 29th at 10-11 AM (PST). I am considering offering an additional call later that day for those who are interested in joining but are not able to make an early call. The focus of the call will be to share and discuss the creative process. More info will follow. If interested, please send me a note via my contact page. Thank you; I am looking forward to facilitating introductions and dynamic discussions! Michele

my photos of solo bird flying during golden sunset from beach in Newport, Oregon

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Unleashed

Playful
pup wildly
lapping up joyful laughs
water, wind, and birds, his playmates
cheering.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope this happy dog brought you a smile. He sure did me! Kind regards. Michele

Poem follows the American / Adelaide Crapsey Cinquain structure

my photos of dog running on beach and birds in flight taken in Newport, Oregon at sunset

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Muted miracles

The twirling to the ground is glorious and oh so brief. Tiny dancers freed, falling to their rooted place of resting, to be reborn in the spring.

Whatever your season, I hope you have time to twirl to your own tune. I will be around for a bit then I am unplugging for a few days. I appreciate you all so very much and I don’t just mean those who stop by for a visit w/or without comment, I mean everyone sharing their creativity in a world that does not always see or support all the effort (and courage too) that goes into individual expression. Be well. Michele

my fall photos, changing leaves in Oregon

© 2024 myinspiredlife