Waltz with your Fears

I find that absurd metaphors often guide the heart's intuition to places the rational mind can't go on its own.

The following is a poetic dialogue that occurred between a friend and myself. I asked her a question in a moment of fear, and her answer led us to one of the most delightful metaphorical explorations of how to deal with unpleasant feelings and experiences that I've ever experienced. Here goes:

Where do we go when the heart-wantings come for us?

To our heart’s shrine,

Who knows your authentic desires.

We go the lake that does not wave;

It is as still and whole as the

Day ice water ran into it.

But what when cupid’s arrows

Disturb the still waters of the heart shrine?

If the heart feels

Elation as disturbance,

Perhaps there is a need to give pause and

Recollect without the

Fogginess that the

Arrow undoubtedly brings;

Take a dip in the coolness and clear the

Way between rationale

And happy lustings.

The heart’s elation is no disturbance.

It is a sunrise.

But in the new light,

Forgotten fears reveal their ugly faces.

Dear one,

When the past comes knocking,

Don’t answer the door.

It has nothing new to say.

What a potent thought!

This potency pierces the pestilent parlance of prophets past and 

Puts recollection to pause.

Pausing,

I see that the present is always new.

So, ugly fears now visible in the light of elation,

I bow to you.

Will you waltz with me?

Peppered with grace,

The profundity proliferates to penultimate 

gratitude for song and dance—

A party is made by its guests.

My guests and I waltz through time immemorial,

Sweetening the day with our streaming hearts

And succulent turns.

There is no end to gratitude,

Just that closeness.

Every guest is welcome in our dance.

Pain, we are grateful for your presence.

Sorrow, we give thanks for your ballet.

Longing, we bow to your strange ability to tango.

All are welcome,

And each will receive a gift bag at the door

Filled with honeycomb rubies

And scarlet ribbons.

The glint off those jewels

Is the very smoldering furnace of our deepest yearnings,

Made manifest by those strange guests.

What do we do with our heart longings?

The same we do with all our dearest friends:

Bow, give gifts, dance, and smile.

This is the recipe for something marvelously delicious!

Our hearts have long told us these

Immeasurable things;

All we have to do is listen.

After all,

We ourselves live at the 

Head of the banquet table.

And we ourselves are the feast!

Painter and paint brush…

And every color is an important part,

The galling gray along with the

Buoyant blue and prescient pink.

Dearest, put on your dancing shoes!

Let’s see what sorts of love-mischief we can 

make with our day :)

I hope you all remember your dancing shoes and make some great love-mischief! Every breath can remind us we are ALIVE. And every living moment can become a reason to rejoice!