Day 188: You

July 25, 2012April 3, 2013 | Aspergers Girls

DSCN0566 — Washington State Park
by Sam Craft

You

I searched a thousand love songs

I thumbed through printed prose

I edged my mind round poems thick

All words that rhymed with rose

In storybook or tale

The answer did not rest

And so I tried with might

To search through nature vast

From animal to tree

From sky to crumbled rock

I walked from path to path

I tracked the soaring hawk

In vain I hung head low

In sorrow and in shame

I had not found the answer

And had to start again

This time I looked at art

Communicated form

To marble, paint, and print

To oddities adorned

To everything that came

To everything I saw

I could not find the answer

Not hanging on a wall

My legs they soon grew tired

My heart it gave a thump

My mind was spinning top

My throat it felt a lump

How could I describe you

And show you how I cared

Declare my adoration

When you weren’t anywhere

And so I found a tree

So very tall, and sat

And took a deep breath in

And thought of this and that

I reasoned and I volleyed

I cursed and threw a fit

I hollered and I worried

And even gasped a bit

Until the answer flew

Smack straight into my heart

And suddenly I knew

How to piece together parts

I found you weren’t outside me

Not anywhere I’d looked

Not locked within the words

Of any single book

I saw you clearly now

In everything you are

The golden thread of hope

My brilliant shining star

A source that danced within

My ever waking dream

Inspirer of wishes

Interwoven in my seams

Sam Craft

July 2012

I’m kind of in a music mode….hehehehe 🙂

Day 166: Welcome Life

July 4, 2012March 30, 2013 | Aspergers Girls

I came across this list I wrote over a year ago, in 2011.

In This Way I Shall Live

Recognize power is not in money but in the perception and energy granted to the illusion of money.

Explore avenues and options, and discard thoughts that are built on foundations of hopelessness and failure.

Acknowledge the limitless of the universe within.

Welcome abundance into life.

Confront feelings of “being nice.” Discover what “being nice” has meant, what it has brought, and what it has cost. Replace “being nice” with “living authentically.”

Honor true feelings and opinions without judgment of self.

Release the need to be anything to anyone.

Understand and embrace inner potential.

Prioritize what is most vital, including health, clean environment, communication, fun, and gratitude.

Welcome order into life.

Partake in a health cleanse to detoxify the body, mind and spirit.

Continue cleanse day-by-day based on individual needs and desires, and not balanced against the outcomes of others.

Pay attention to what is put into the mouth, where food comes from, who provides the food and at what cost to society and the environment the food is made.

Welcome clean healthy food into life.

Be gentle with self.

Welcome accomplishment into life.

Release the need to contribute.

Pamper the self.

Give back to the giver.

Give by receiving thankfully and fully, without excuse or diminishment of the experience.

Allow others to love the beauty carried within.

Believe in the worth of the glorious embodied spirit of love that resides within.

Reach not for answers.

Relax in just being and knowing essentially all is enough.

Welcome nurturing into life.

Sacrifice for growth. To break through spiritual blockages make a sacrifice through spoken word, written word, or other form of creation.

Take a risk to honor the self.

Speak up.

Claim the right to be heard.

Speak for self and self alone, not dependent upon outcome or response.

Honor the self enough to give voice to passion and need.

Replace silence with truth.

Welcome growth into life.

Let go.

Release anyone, everything, anything, any thought, any memory, any worry, and any entity taking energy from spirit.

Release and know that in releasing in return there is increased compassion and love.

Replace anger, resentment, regret, bitterness, and blame with increased empathy, patience, love, and forgiveness.

Forgive and then forgive again. Make forgiveness an every moment process. Awake and forgive. And awake and forgive again.

Welcome freedom into life.

Let loose the pattern of looking for infractions, wrongs, and imperfection.

Notice the limitless beauty in imperfection.

Know if this was to be the last day of breath, the day will have been spent in thankfulness.

Welcome life.

Panorama 8 (800x600) — Forest in Great Northwest
Washington
Photos by Sam Craft

Day 143: The Raven Bride in White

June 14, 2012March 30, 2013 | Aspergers Girls

Take me to the green in you

The secret valley beneath the sun

Hidden behind the whispering ghosts

Of whom you pretend to be

Open up your mossy arms

So I may open mine

And wrap all limbs round your spirit wide

To exist as half no more

Bring me to your mossy floor

Beyond the shadows of your fear

A raven bride in white

A ladder to your soul

Fold down your branches

Peel open your chocolate bark

So I may pour

As liquid amber

Through your very veins

************************************

The Raven Bride in White

Take me to the green in you

The secret valley beneath the sun

Hidden behind the whispering ghosts

Of whom you pretend to be

Open up your mossy arms

So I may open mine

And wrap all limbs round your spirit wide

To exist as half no more

Bring me to your mossy floor

Beneath the shadows of your fear

A raven bride in white

A ladder to your soul

Fold down your branches

Peel open your chocolate bark

So I may pour

As liquid amber

Through your very veins

Words and Photographs by Samantha Craft June 2012

Day 142: The Sea in Me

June 13, 2012March 30, 2013 | Aspergers Girls

My nano was an Italian fisherman.

He sailed most of the year up the Pacific Ocean from Central California (Monterey) to Alaska.

He was the designated cook on the ship, because of his talent for creating a scrumptious meal from the gifts of the sea.

I thought of him today, as I walked along the docks.

I thought of him today, and his journeys; how I wish I could speak to him now—hear his rough Italian dialect weave the ocean tales of sea monsters, mermaids, and giant jellyfish.

The sea is in my blood.

I know this now.

I can never live away from the ocean again.

The salt water is my refuge.

The seagulls my angels.

And the waves, as they move, confirmation that I am just as source intended.

Whether I wash ashore, retreat, break, or beckon onlookers, I am exactly as I was made to be—an endless ocean of mystery harboring the secrets of generations.

The green that makes me scream in delight!!!

Day 121: Violet in the Morning

May 25, 2012May 25, 2012 | Aspergers Girls

(Teacher says: Music I posted in comment section is a must to play while reading.)

This is Violet in the Morning. My little Labradoodle. I also call her Spastic Colon, but I thought the title Spastic Colon in the Morning might give you the wrong idea. I am carrying her in my arms in this photo. That is my scarf. And, yes, those are her very sad eyes. This is my first time taking a camera on a walk since I moved to Washington. Violet was initially very excited to walk. She showed me this by jumping up and down about three feet off the ground and wrestling with her leash. But once we were outside the front door, she didn’t seem too happy. She was tugging, and pulling, and shivering. I thought she must be cold and said, “You’re a dog. Toughen up!” And I giggled. Because giggling in the morning is fun.

This is my tree. I call him Fred or Sheldon. I can’t decide. He doesn’t care, because trees will go by any name, as long as you hug them.

When I passed this tree Violet was still shaking. A few blocks later and she was pulling back on her leash. Being the logical gal I am, I thought to myself, “Hmmmm. Maybe she senses danger. Like a mountain lion or wild leash-free dog.” I was still a bit clueless and exaggerating events in my mind.

About the time I reached this stump, I leaned down and soothed Violet with gentle pats, and reassured her she had a fur coat to keep her warm and that there was no pending danger.

This crow was watching us outside the lama barn. We kept walking, Violet shivering and tugging, and me clicking away happily.

Flowers by my home

Early Morning Mist. Can’t beat this calming scene.

One of my favorite properties. They have outdoor weddings here sometimes.

About the time I captured these ducks flying overhead, and was thinking I wish I had an audio recorder to capture all the bird sounds, I realized poor Violet wasn’t cold or scared. In fact, she was having a doggy seizure! This wasn’t her first. So I scooped her up and held her. And I continued the walk with her in my arms.

I have a friend who I promised to carry in my thoughts today. So as I carried my doggy, I imagined I was carrying the person’s burdens. This worked for quite sometime.

This scene caught my eye. The two friends, the dog being held, but then I noticed the broken leg. Made me wonder a bit about things.

Me wondering about life.

Fake seagull in ivy

Neighbor’s yard

Fish atop a mailbox

Hidden School Bus

Old Bus Stop

Here comes the sun

I had to keep setting Violet down because my neck and back were aching something terrible. She was sweet. Just sat there and smiled up at me.

Interestingly, this was the least violent seizure she has had.

Here are photos of my favorite part of the walk. To me, this is one of the loveliest places in the whole world. I carried Violet most of the way. First down the hill and then back up, sometimes in a cradled position and sometimes like a baby slung over my shoulder. She shivered. But with every step I took with her, she calmed more down. I kept my friend in my mind. It was a very enlightening experience. Especially considering my sensory issues of having dog breath in my face and my physical issues of having difficulty lifting things. I was quite happy and pleased with the way the walk turned out. I reflected on the way life is—how we never know what to expect—and that sometimes it is best to just make the best of things. And so we walked on.