The Light Keepers

I am back. And forever changed. I had a feeling it would be pretty special.  I had no idea it would  bust me open.  The eleven women I met and shared with are all phenomenal.  While I waited at the airport for nine hours (that's not a typo), I wrote this poem.  It's dedicated to each one who has made me a better human by showing up and sharing their light with me.

The Light Keepers

I see her, this girl,

Mystified by raindrops of joy.

Wrapped in the tear stains of her light keepers.

She remembers their thunderous laughter,

And the doorway to their feathered stories.

I see her, this girl,

Walking in her paper shoes.

Trying to stand tall without them.

Squeezing her heart with the hum of their voices.

Exhaling the waves of her lonely whispers.

I see her, this girl,

Clutching her handkerchief,

While she sits with a fragile heart.

Her hands embroidered

With the texture of their kindness and love.

I see her, this girl,

Picture-poems gathered in memory.

Bouncy balls skipping by.

Barefoot dreams in one single cup of tea.

Twelve shimmering lights twirling around the trees.

I see her, this girl,

The one I always knew.

Living inside each abandoned sound of a broken heart.

Deeply stained in delicate paper.

Their essence tattooed inside her skin.

I see her, this girl,

Connected to each light keeper.

Fiercely embracing the beauty of their song.

Awakened by her silent voice, her wordless stories

And twelve colorful scarves fluttering in the wind.

For each and everyone of you.  I love you dearly. xox

 This is a self portrait taken after I said goodbye...

tear stained.

One last walk in the woods...

More to come about this trip soon. 

I'm still catching my breath and processing it all.