Peaceful moment


Loud country silence is heard. 

Distant sounds; insects and birds. 

Transition from day to night,

Air hinting of chill. 

Softly bathed in Autumn light,

The landscape is still. 
This peaceful moment was captured during a recent trip to Orange and Mudgee, five hours’ drive inland from Sydney. 

Celebrate

  
At this time of year

My heartfelt greetings to all.

Celebrate with cheer.

In hope of peace, I call,
“Happiness is everyone’s right;

Live in love, in light”.
Warm wishes, Robert

Prickly Prima Donna

Ninety five percent of day, The epitome of calm;

Open, helpful, time for all.

As tiredness and workload mounts,

Only takes a look, a word:

(Grim genie unfurls slowly);

Heat building or voices too loud;

(Edging closer to release);

Interrupt or stand too close;

(Darkness oozes to stifle

My relaxed disposition). 

Prickly Prima Donna’s out! 

Unending madness ensues:

Unworthy; shame; guilt; despair.

Exit, take drama along.

Penning this poem is perfect

For regaining control. Back 

Towards the bottle she goes.

Dark clouds

  
Cold stark towers of truth
Bear down on unwary.

Eyes downcast, mind elsewhere,

Moving forward somewhere,

About their busy ness,

Against wind, sunshine, rain;

Gloom pervading pain. 

In search of the pot of gold

 I walk past this inspiring artwork many times every day in UNSW Australia, Sydney. I rarely stop to take in the colours, images, shadows or think about its meaning. This in itself is a lesson for me; my mind often is elsewhere rather than here and now. I appreciate the artist, David Cheah’s words and images and can draw comparisons with my own journey. 

 You can find out more information about David and his work at:

http://www.davidcheah.com/davidcheah-files/navigation/infoup.html

Out of balance

  

For the last few weeks the following strands have been intertwining, drawing a dark shawl over my eyes. 

  • The gradual slump towards ‘hump month’ and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. 
  • Gloom filled days interspersed with a smattering of sunshine
  • A soft tissue injury in my left foot making exercise painful

Peeping through tiny spy holes skewed my outlook. Languishing here provided me with the inspiration to write:

Morning morosity takes hold;
Melancholic meanderings of my mind and
Morbid imaginings of this mindless malaise.

Energy constricted, ebbing. Woefulness clouds; dimming. 
Knowing what is happening, not wanting it to stop. 
Why go on? Hopelessness creeps in, chilling.

Darkness, warmth; slumber away the doubts. 
For now, in this moment balance exists. 

Serendipitous circumstances led to my release: email reminder from the Buddha Bar Healing Clinic, Newtown, Australia; space in my diary; promise of financial assistance from our health fund; and an appointment with the person who ‘felt’ right. 

My journey began with a cup of rose and green tea then I was directed downstairs by Gavin to the ‘Harry Potter Room’. A deceptively large and comfortable subterranean cavern tucked under the stairs. This room, filled with colour, fragrance and spiritual artefacts, welcomed me into its womb like embrace. 

After a 45 minutes massage with lavender oil and a quarter of an hour of Reiki I was decidedly wobbly. I don’t remember my walk to the train station or the trip to Lewisham. While making my way along the platform I felt a sensation in my head, and a slight dizziness as I stumbled to the left. The walk home was taken at a snails pace. The accumulated stress had been replaced by a deep trancelike calm. Like sparks from the fire, thoughts of the previous weeks popped into my head and dimmed without gaining traction. Three days later inner peace persists, a testament to the most profound massage to date. 

More information:

The Buddha Bar Healing Clinic

Gavin Read