Fractal Dance

 

Our Mother's Face

Our Mother's Face

Our Mother's Voice

by Brad Schrag*

(1)

You stand there. Where you were not supposed to be.

Your confused face pairs well with my dismayed heart

You are here where you should not have been

Three months ago I leaned over your bed

   whispered final words

   kissed you

   walked out of the ICU

(2)

It was supposed to be goodbye

Yet now you stand before me with our Mother's face

“It's me. Your brother Brad.”

Your confusion fades to recognition

“Yes. I remember.“ 

Our Mother's voice

(3)

In the before, you and our Mother did not share a visage.

Your voices did not evoke the other.

Now a deeper genetic has surfaced

You were supposed to be saved from this

(4)

You were not.

(5)

We sit. Mostly yesses and no’s, pauses

We sing some of your music, your soul

Some memories surface, most do not

I think we even laughed once or twice

We remember together

It is as if the refiner tipped the crucible too far and much of the gold that is you spilled out with the dross.

Yet there is still some gold. You are still there.

Content.

(6)

That is enough for this moment

* My brother, Brad, wrote this poem about our sister, Lori. Her Huntington's Disease had been progressing for quite some time, resulting in diminished capacities in many areas of her life. 

Then, this past May, Lori suffered two cardiac arrests, leaving her brain without oxygen for 8-10 minutes. She was placed on life support. The doctors told us there was no organized brain activity and 

no chance of revival. When they took her off of

 life support after three weeks, 

she began breathing on her own and starting responding to stimulus. She is now living in a memory care facility. There is extensive brain damage, but there are still aspects of our sister very much alive. Brad visited her recently, 

and wrote these thoughts about his experience.

He refers to our mother, 

as she also had Huntington's Disease.

We are innocent. We are holy.

I received a vision
about the day I was born
Many loving Beings
greeted me
One by one they held my feet, 
bowed their heads, and said,
"Welcome.  I love you.  
I honor your life journey.
You are innocent.
You are holy."

The room was filled with
Love, joy and celebration

And I knew
That we have all received this greeting
That we are all honored 
for our journeys on this planet.  
We are known
We are seen
We are loved 

Dear friends

I bow at your feet 

In honor and love

I honor your journeys of sorrow and joy

Suffering and courage

You are beautiful 

You are loved

We are innocent.  We are holy.

We are innocent.  We are holy.  

We are innocent.  We are holy. 

Fractal image: https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fracthumbs.htm 

Calling

This is your calling

This is your calling

to love yourself

to love yourself

you are perfectly you

you are perfectly you

no matter how you feel

no matter how many times you think you've failed.

you have not

you are perfectly you

you are perfectly, brilliantly you

Love is forgiveness
Love is non-judgment

Love is compassion

Love is kindness
Love is grace

This is your calling

This is your calling

To love yourself

To love yourself

You are beautiful

You are seen

You are precious

You are loved

Fractal image:  https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fracthumbs.htm

Deep Roots

There is one Source

One Love.  One Light.  One Goodness 

From which we all come

To which we long to return  

Hunger and desire

send out tendrils 

like roots 

burrowing into soil

Seeking comfort and sustenance 

Shallow roots find ready pleasures

Temporary relief

Easy and sweet

Yet the ache grows

The soul knows the difference

As shallow roots are released

Deeper roots can begin to grow

Finding connection to true heart

True love

True healing

True Source

Clinging to the immediate

Muffles deeper needs and desires.

In the letting go

We receive

Can we release that which no longer serves us?

Can we love ourselves enough?

Can we love and hold each other 

through the losing

the grieving

 the finding

the knowing? 

Yes!

Does anything matter 

more than this?

Fractal image: https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fractal%20images/spinoff.jpg

Opening Heart

My roots reach deep into the earth

Releasing.  Receiving. 

My branches reach high into the heavens

Intertwining

Receiving. Releasing.  Receiving. 

My heart opens

Opens

Opens

Veils part

I emerge 

Bright shining light  

Beautiful bright shining light

No longer hidden

I cannot return to the darkness

Can no longer hide in my smallness

I remember this magic

I remember this magic

I am my Beloved’s 

My Beloved is mine.

The Lover of my soul

God of my understanding

Is within me always

I am never alone

Fractals can be found here: 
https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fractalpages/logic.htm
https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fractalpages/multiplicity.htm

Garden of the Heart

My heart is filled with seeds

Seeds of love, joy and peace

Seeds of anger, fear and despair

Which do I water?

Which do I feed?  

My heart flows with energy

The light of attention brings growth and strength 

The darkness of inattention weakens and kills

What do I water?  

What do I feed?   

I open my heart to all.

I see the longing 

The longing for goodness

For justice

For peace

I speak hope

I speak joy 

I speak life

All of our hearts are filled with seeds

Which do we water?

Which do we feed? 

Our neighbors' hearts are filled with seeds

(and everyone is our neighbor)

What do we water?  

What do we feed?

What do we give?  

Can you notice?  

Meet anger with kindness

Hatred with love?

Knowing the seeds of peace reside in every heart 

Waiting to be seen, watered and fed?

  

No simple task

No simple task, this gardening of the heart

Understand.
This is real

This is very real

Your kindness

Your love
Your compassion
Your smiles

Change the world

One seed at a time

One heart at a time

If you're smiling right now
You are watering seeds of love
If you're smiling through heartache and pain
Even more so
Bless you, bless you, bless you

May all beings be filled with loving kindness

May all beings be free from suffering

May all beings be well

May all beings be at peace

May all beings be joyful

Video of me sharing this poem at Drum up for Peace event

I've lost the source information for my images.  Many of them have been found at: https://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fractal%20gallery%201.htm
My apologies to the creators of this amazing art.