Tara's Creative Mind

With exposing my shadow,
I become more.
A more balanced person,
than I was before.
-Tara Payne Steele

Deep within there is a glow that illuminates…
When life is painful, the light soothes.
When I am lost, the light guides.
When times are tough, the light sustains.
When my bones ache with cold, the light warms.
When I don’t understand, the light imparts knowledge.
When I fear the unknown, the light reveals.
Deep within there is a glow that illuminates…
The light within my soul.

Lush vines ensnare
The tangled mass firmly secures
the empty vessel that is me
I look below, only hopelessness
I look above, only despair
Before me shadows move
wraiths awaiting my demise
Coldness grips what is left of my soul
Living untruths
My mind descends into madness
A shell deprived of that which feels life
Dying slowly
No light can penetrate the vines that grow ever thicker, binding tighter
Suffocating hope
Will my soul rot as the leaves decay in the vast emptiness of time wasted?
Will I hunger no more for dreams unfulfilled?
I blindly reach out, grasping for freedom
Thorny vines dig deeper, piercing my flesh
Determined to escape
I fight for deliverance
Beyond that which is  known
Beyond that which is safe
As I fade to dust, I float above the dried vines
I am transformed by the dynamic process of faith
faith in life
faith in love
faith in dreams
The renewed me basks in the glow of Self discovery
I inhale sweet life
As I exhale the dried vines float away, never to return.

To be a woman is truly a blessing.
They are the vessels for life and delicious passion.
They are lovers,
mothers,
sisters,
daughters.
They open themselves to others.

To be a woman is truly a blessing.
They are gifted with the wisdom of the ages.
They are intuitive,
nurturers,
healers,
mystics.
They share their bounty with others.

To be a woman is truly a blessing.
I too am a woman.

~Tara Payne Steele

My mother was a belle of the South,
Her grace and beauty surpassed only by her loving spirit.
Her curly black hair French-rolled to perfection.
Her gifts were many, cooking was not one.
She could unexpectedly look down in grass and find a lucky clover.
She could cure ailments with a verse from the mighty King James.
She sang sweet soprano as doves cooed along.

But…

When my mother laughed, angels journeyed from on high.
When my mother laughed, demons forgot their mischief.
When my mother laughed, hearts were uplifted.
When my mother laughed, my world was perfect.

~Tara Payne-Steele