Saturday Poem

Awakening

Awakening is not just

opening your eyes

from a night’s sleep.

It is opening your eyes

from a long slumber

to see what stares at you

beneath the façade of reality

and the mask of certainty.

Do you see the sadness in that smiling face?

Do you see the hope in that youthful arrogance?

Do you see the fear beneath that cynical stance?

It is opening your heart

to the invisible miracles

embedded in seemingly ordinary days.

It is touching the delicate trust

extended to you by those who seek your help.

Or sensing the help that is not requested

but desperately needed.

It is smelling the toxic vapors

that come from the black hole of despair

that swallows those who are discarded:

the old, the disadvantaged, the undervalued.

It is tasting the sweetness

they leave as they walk this earth

sharing their intangible gifts.

Awakening is not just

opening your eyes

to the light of day.

It is seeing what hides

in the dark corner of our minds:

The memories we would rather discard

so that we do not have to face

the lies we have been told.

The memories we hold on to

and play over and over in our head,

fruitlessly trying to change the story

by replaying it

so that it does not break our heart;

but instead imprisoning it in the past.

The misplaced trust we continually bestow

to the people who will inevitably betray us

thus confirming our secret belief

that there is no one there for us.

The trust we deny ourselves

and those who love and value us

because if they believe in us

they must be downright stupid,

thus confirming our secret belief

that we are not worthy.

And the loneliness.

Oh! The loneliness

Silently spreading

through our constant chit-chat,

through invisible cables,

through wi-fi, iphone, labtops and tablets,

through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest,

through texting, tweeting, emailing and voice mailing.

The loneliness

Oh! The loneliness

Silently spreading like a toxic cloud

through the separation

between them and us,

you and me,

me and my Soul.

The inescapable, omnipresent struggle

between our deepest, heart’s desire

and our oldest mind programming.

Ay! That Inner War that paralyzes our intent

while we frantically run from one extreme to the other;

from complaining to confirming,

from despairing to desiring,

from denying to declaring,

from wanting to wallowing

from reclaiming to repelling

back and forth,

to and from

our potential and our programming

as we keep on going

riding our habits to nowhere

and at the end of the day

fall exhausted into despair

falling asleep

into an island without dreams.

Seeking placebo forgetfulness

to find relief

and placebo happiness

to fill the abyss

left by the absence

from our Sacred Self.

Ah! Our Sacred Self,

that Divine being

who stands at the center of paradox,

waiting for us to stop struggling

so that we can step

into our grace.

Awakening is not just

opening your eyes and ears

to the hustle and bustle

of a new day.

It is seeing and hearing

what is radiantly new in that day.

Can you hear the same words you heard yesterday

without tuning out?

Can you hear those same words again,

yet recognize that they seek a deeper understanding?

Can you sieve your judgment

from that question

to find the threshold it opens

into new possibilities?

Can you see that gesture,

yes, the one you’ve missed

as you focused on words and thoughts

and ignore body and feelings;

can you see that subtle gesture

as the passport to a new conversation?

Listen! Do you hear the hum under the hood?

Can you recognize the cacophony of that voice

as the whistle that betrays the breakdown

so that you can prevent it?

Awakening demands

that you open the eyes

that look inward

while truly seeing what is

beneath, behind, below what surrounds you.

Awakening insists

that you open your inner ears

to the truth, purpose and passion

in your Soul

while you put your ear to

the door that needs to open

for you to step into a truly new day

and create that new world

that your heart is dreaming right now.

Maria Mar©2014

New York, New York

This poem is the intellectual property of Maria Mar and it is protected by international copyright law. Please share this poem through the share buttons in the blog. For quotes, presentations or publication, contact the author.

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