Fruit lies in piles around trees,

a slush of waning nectar,

can you love that which has

moved past ripeness?

That which heaps itself

in sticky-scented rot?

Can you love the mottled skin,

petals tumbling to ground,

sharp wind shaking loose

the clutch of leaves?

Can you love what could have been,

promises unfulfilled?

Destiny unclaimed?

Can the current of regret

carry you to old shores?

Will you look in the mirror

at your scars and lines

and see a ragged map?

Will you linger a while,

re-reading the final page?

~Christine Valters Paintner

somehow I made the finest connection to myself….

inquiry for today~ when do you come home to you?

fine lines

By having the courage to stand for one’s own experience,

one begins to give real being to the soul.

Everything depends on the individual’s ability

to stand for their own experience

(symptoms, suffering and accomplishments)

in the face of the world

that gives these things no credit.

~James Hillman.