The shade of the Magnolia

I am looking back at myself today

through the fragments of shade,

of the Magnolia tree.

I gaze up at the cross of four pedals,

One part, the shadow of the wind;

the other, cues from the sun.

But beneath the tree

pedals have fallen,

And there below,

the broken symmetry has left me unsettled,

Looking for an answer,

and craving easy shelter,

here, with my eyes slightly closed.

But today the sun has found me

on the other side of the shade,

here, between the narrow branches

of the Magnolia.

Week 19. Refuge.

Sometimes we just want to believe that life gets easier as we move forward. It’s scary to think that it might not. A few weeks ago I was on the phone with a friend and I said to her “will it ever get easier?” to which she replied, “ sure, it will, but then, after that, it will get hard again, and then after that easier, and then harder and so on...”. We both laughed. She was right. We always seem to think there is a magical day when we will wake up and “poof”, life is just what we planned. It never seems to do that and maybe that’s ok. Maybe feeling unsettled is part of the road to feeling more settled and at peace. To me, the shade of a tree represents a refuge, a place to rest from all the worry. That’s where this idea of light and shadow comes in. Maybe it is possible to find refuge in darkness, even when things feel difficult. I know it’s probably easier said that done but I think it’s worth a try.