Poet. Writer. Photographer.
I wish
in my towering height,
bloom stretched
to the beautiful sky,
only to
bear seeds,
to take hold
inside of you
on this breath
of love’s breeze.
Among your shadows,
I yearn
to sprout
to devour
all choking
self-doubts
and leave
your soul
to bleed
only in white.
I wish to feed you
my excess
light.
One by one,
I pluck the thorns
barbed-wiring my heart in;
obstacle after obstacle
I surmount to prove
that love
will win.
Naturally, the plucks
unclog also the ducts
that keep the dammed rain
bayed,
but that doesn’t mean
the salt will wilt
the bloom who’s too far
on its way….
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Amidst the thorns,
beneath the wounds,
we can take turns
bringing self-love
to bloom,
we’ll smooth
the edges
so raw and jagged,
each lend the silk
of virgin petals
birthed in kisses
and gentle touches,
countering the poisonsÂ
of previous “gardeners”
with ill-intentions,
fencing us fromÂ
freedom.
We’ll remain
faithful companions,
take turns in the cycle
of taking and giving,
in sun and shadow,
through every internal
season and weathered vane.
We’ll simply heal
and learn
what love is,
together
the right way
until we both
blossom white,
centers exposed
to feelÂ
the cleansingÂ
rain.Â
Love willÂ
beget love
which willÂ
beget love
to spread.
It begins
with us.
It beginsÂ
within.Â
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
With the enchanted key
of my irises,
I slowly turn the handle
leading to the secret garden
that I will landscape with my lenses.
I gather and paint in my mind
a glorious Eden
made from what February offers:
bright daylilies and sun to burst
my heart open at its seams.
I will visit this created place of dreams
eternally!
I let myself be
in my own secret garden
the one whose touch blooms
She fans silken petals,
the softest of shells,
not to be coy, just discreetly
distancing herself,
comfortable cocooned,
guilty of pretense,
privacy preferred
over others’ presence,
never unfriendliness,
just not social;
passions and interests
captivate most when alone.
Tending to her own tendrils,
internal biodome,
nirvana nurtured,
nature, home.
She shows the sides
she chooses;
do not assume
that’s all there is.
No longer fear-restrained:
for the first time,
she fully lives.
She fans silken petals,
simply introverted,
but continuously gifts
translucent colors and
serenity’s scent.
Poem and image ©LauraDenise
I will bend to please,
for I put first others’ needs;
overempathy makes me weak.
Forceful winds,
whether intended or not,
push with invisible pressure
until my insides knot.
In opposite direction
of secret desires,
the flight I am put on
with unpurchased ticket
takes me higher
but farther
on false wings
to where I wished to be;
nonetheless, I relentlessly
look for the positives
in my surroundings.
Rock, boulder,
my anchor,
my center,
my stationary:
I move the mountains
with the strength
of my unshakable faith
in the Almighty.
Bent tree.
Flight path.
Criss-crossing trajectories.
I will bend back.
I will disembark.
And wherever that leaves me,
I will find where
the wildflowers are.
And if you pluck them all,
I will water the seeds
in my heart.
I will persevere as me,
no matter how many rounds
I smartly, politely, or wearily
concede.
Each of those fertilize
bloom potentiality.
I will grow my own
wildflower fields
until they rise
out of me.
Unfurl your light,
one ray at a time,
no hurry,
for there are plenty
of cloudy days and
star-inspired nights
to regroup strength
in between
the seasons and petals
and dreams.
Keep tenderly nurturing
that inner glowing seed;
no need to even reach
your full potential
this spring –
the journey is in the growing
and the courage developing
to achieve
all you were designed to be:
simply you, bloomed
into belief of your
beauty.
Poem and image ©LauraDenise
Standing bold and bright
before the woods,
a single yellow bloom…
the contrast stops my shadow;
what a story we’ve stumbled into!
The single yellow bloom
seems larger than the sun
when all alone beaming
against a backdrop
of humdrum.
No other bloom around,Â
just towering matchstick pines;
the only flame, though, ignitedÂ
from a heart of gold
cocooned inside
brave enough
to shine.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Shades of bright pink–
magenta, fuchsia, cerise–
through a sea of gray, peek,
a reminder that soon it will be spring.
In the shroud of fog and mist
that seems to perpetually persist,
nature refuses to statically subsist;
every cloud will again disperse or lift.
Time was constructed with the condition of motion
with clauses that require stages of hibernation;
every living thing needs rest and recuperation.
Time ticks on at the same rate; speed is but perception.
Fill the moments wisely with balance,
tenderly caring for each personal aspect.
Mind, body, and soul are both one and separate;
each undergo necessary, natural occurrences.
Embrace each season that inevitably occurs;
even the cold, the dark, the thorns, the spurs
have their purpose in the slows and the stirs.
We are nature within, designed this way by our Creator.
This too shall pass: it’s happening for a reason.
Let’s not be in a hurry for every next season.
This moment now is infused with more than you can know.
We are not meant to understand, only to continue to evolve,
to grow.
We will reach the sun when we are meant to.
Side by side or entwined, let us together bloom.
No hurry, no need to be bold;
we can take our time, be led by
the whispers of our souls.
Poem and images ©LauraDenise
Laura Denise 