Morning Gold, Silent as Breath

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

She is such an artist, the sun.

I watched her rise today,

a brilliant yellow-orange backdrop

to the dark green silhouette

of the neighbors’ bamboo.

Her morning gold, silent as breath,

spreads wide,

slides between cane and leaf,

creates a shape-shifting mosaic,

light and dark,

shadow and shine.

She shoulders higher up the sky

with wise warmth,

quietly whitening thin-stretched clouds

feathered across the high, icy blue.

She is just getting started,

for the whole world is her canvas,

and she takes her time,

for she has all the time in the world.

Her fluid beauty ebbs and flows

as shade and light flirt,

drift,

slow dance,

weaving magic into the day,

sparking autumn-touched treetops

into gold and copper leaf-flames.

She is angling now to give us

her brightest and best

even as the days shorten and cool.

I will watch her paint this day.

I will watch her dance with shadow.

And maybe I, too,

will dance.

-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Magical Moon

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

The moon is magical,

always shifting,

always gifting a glow

not of her making.

She cools the sun’s burning blaze,

lets it sift

and drift peacefully

into our night.

But sometimes—

sweet celestial surprise—

she sails into our day.

Look! A child points.

Adults nod. Yes,

an afternoon moon, and—

did you know?—

at the peak of her power, she can

dim that bold sun,

block its light,

darken the day,

cool the earth,

hush birdsong,

shape rare shadows,

and gather the world’s watchers

who gasp and whisper

as the trickster makes the sun

disappear,

reminding us all that in the heavens,

she too can take center stage.

But a few hours are enough;

she is soon satisfied

and settles into her old habits,

tide-bringer,

love-teaser,

shape-changer

emptying herself,

filling up again, only to

pour herself out once more.

She is generous,

this elegant,

smiling,

powerful,

magical

moon.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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What’s the Hurry?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Today’s to-do list is long—

Clear the back deck of dried beans

and a drinking straw

left from yesterday when I taught

my grandson how to make

a pea shooter

Clean the upstairs bathroom

Vacuum

Bake bread

and whatever else comes up in between.

But my cat was on my lap,

curled and cozy

as if to say,

what’s the hurry,

this,

this is what’s important.

And I noticed how brown strands of fur

mingled with gray,

how the white was growing whiter with age,

how her closed eyes smiled

and her breath gentled in and out.

I hushed the waiting tasks,

felt the warm sun on my shoulders,

listened to the quiet

for a moment

and a moment longer.

When I rose to tackle my to-do list,

my cat followed me upstairs

and sat in a splash of sun,

watching

as I calmly cleaned the bathroom

to a porcelain shine.

She was at peace.

And so was I.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week—Black-eyed Susans are still blooming:

Shadow of the week:

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The Sun Yawned

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

It’s the first day of Spring.

With a slow stretch,

the sun yawns into the deep, still sea of sky,

softens the clear, cloudless blue,

reddens the top branches of the elms,

slowly slides its smiling light down the trunks.

I watch from my upstairs window.

Oh, Spring, at times

I thought you had forgotten us.

But your name is on the calendar square.

I’ve underlined it.

And here you are!

Warmth is drifting through the air, I think,

anticipating a day without a coat,

maybe even without a sweater.

I’m thinking bluebirds,

white blossoms on the dogwood,

seeds to be planted,

spring-fresh air to breathe.

Then I notice the roof of the first floor

just beneath my window.

The shingles glitter with frost.

I flick my phone to the weather.

Twenty-six degrees.

Twenty-six!

Oh, Winter,

you may be gone,

but in your wake, you’ve left a chill.

Of course you have,

for it’s only

the first day of Spring.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Silent Green Tongues and Blushing Petals

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

The sun peeked out once today.

Clouds barely gave way,

then slipped back across her bright face.

“Our day,” they said.

And, truly, it was.

They cried,

softly, quietly,

leaving tears in droplets

on window screens,

on the silent green tongues of lily leaves,

on the blushing petals of Lenten roses.

The wind sighed.

“It will pass,” she said.

And, truly, it did,

for the clouds moved on

to weep somewhere else,

and the sun smiled.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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When Evening Edges Soften

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Tip of shadow,

rimmed in light,

your sharp edge softens

in the lowering sun

and you melt

into the quiet peace

of night.

– kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Sun and Shadow

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”

– Maori proverb –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – two vases:

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The Unvanquished Sun

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“The huge great clouds move slowly, gently, as

Reluctant the quick sun should shine in vain, . . .

In all the myriad grey,

In silver height and dusky deep, remain

The loveliest

Faint purple flushes of the unvanquished sun.”

– John Freeman –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – kitchen tools in my dish drainer:

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Lighting Up Our Whole Lives

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“One day the sun shall . . . perchance

shine into our minds and hearts,

and light up our whole lives

with a great awakening light,

as warm and serene and golden

as on a bankside in autumn.”

– Henry David Thoreau –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Like the Sun, Silent and Still

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Be like the Sun,

King without courtiers,

silent and still as a fulcrum.”

– Rumi –

Wishing you moments of silence and stillness this week. Close your eyes. Listen to your breath. Feel the subtle messages your skin receives from the air and the textures you touch. Catch scents that drift to you. Open your eyes and focus on one small object. Notice its shape, size, colors. Listen to your breath again. Feel the peace of the moment. You’re a fulcrum, a support, a point of balance calming the world around you.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Carry the Calm

Karyn Henley

sun

Magical Moon

What’s the Hurry?

The Sun Yawned

Silent Green Tongues and Blushing Petals

When Evening Edges Soften

Sun and Shadow

The Unvanquished Sun

Lighting Up Our Whole Lives

Like the Sun, Silent and Still