What You Love – 321 Quote me

Thank you Rory for inviting me to 321 Quote Me! It was marvelous fun. I confess I had a terrible time narrowing it down to two….so I fudged a bit and added a third. 🙃

My choices for the Topic of Today: ”What You Love”

There came to me among the letters I received last spring one which touched me very closely. It was a letter full of delightful things but the delightful thing which so reached my soul was a question…

Frances Hodgson Burnett

*

Each friendship and love is the intimate journey where the soul is born and grows. It is the drama of the heart’s voyage into the tide of possibilities which open before it.

John O’Donohue

*

Even now,

I know that I have savored the hot taste of life

Lifting green cups and gold at the great feast

Just for a small and forgotten time

I have had full in my eyes from far off my girl

The whitest pouring of eternal light –

From “Black Marigolds” translated from the Sanskrit by E. Powys Mathers

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321 Quote Me Directory

321 Quote Me Created by A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip!

Rules: 3.2.1 Quote Me!

Thank the Selector

Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day.

Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3.2.1 Quote Me!’

My 3 Lovely Bloggers are:

Kinsey

Sarah

Niki

Tell the Story… eternally I pace the darkness…

Tell the Story –

Rory of A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip has tagged me to follow up in this challenge of “Tell the Story’ which was created by The Eclectic Contrarian .

Above is his image for Tell The story.

****

I am weary of being misunderstood in the twilight world of men who claim to know.

They only see what they have a mind to see.

**

Eternally I pace the darkness

Rumbling about my cave in thunderous tones

That you, oh lost one, mistake for signs of danger

But, it is to my own dear love that I cry out.

Her silence fills my nights with fireflies

She alone sees beyond my masked and stone facade

…to find the gentleness of who I truly am.

**

Before I tell you the tale of her, I humbly ask, what do you see?

Do you see a mountain…that you will not climb, as you believe me to be the unmarked path leading to the cliff that will drop you to your failing…

Do you see waters of the deep…fearing I will take your life…your very breath is at stake…you choose instead to float helplessly on the surface, gasping for air…

Do you see a desert…closing tight your eyes against the biting winds heavy with my stinging sands…and leave me parched and alone…you haven’t the stillness to weather my life giving vision…

Do you see a rock…casting me as the stoic boulder on a dreary forest floor…only a hurdle that blocks your way and nothing more. Once you paused to look a second time imagining that you heard my beastly growl. You turned and fled all the faster…

Do you see a burning sun…and feel me in the scorching rays…too hot to touch….You run far, until you come to the land of cold shadows and bundle yourself in ill begotten furs…never trusting that I could thaw your frozen heart…

Do you see darkness…quaking in the unknowable abyss of nightmares and time gone wordlessly by…drifting and forgotten…neither clouds nor moon…only an emptiness of nothing…

**

Is there any place at all where I reside that you can understand?

When you look upon me

Wherever I may be

You only see the reflection

Of your own fear and longing.

That is not

And never will be

Me…

**

There is One who knows me.

Her heart is strong.

She listens and searches for the truth of me.

So, to her…

I am the softest mist that whispers to her soul on a hopeful mountaintop…there she is free to touch the sky as she waits in peaceful rest.

I am the swirling currents of the ocean tide rich with life and iridescent beauty. In passion I bear her to the depths of ecstasy fulfilled.

I am the river song with no beginning embracing soft her luscious land, an ever giving oasis, the growing mystery of the sands.

I am the lover that stands resolute beside her in the magic of the faery wood. The growl that you thought you heard…that was only my laughter as her breath tickled soft my ear.

I am the warmth upon her face on a cold and bitter day. She turns to me in a graceful arch believing spring is on its tender way.

I am the shooting star that holds her hand as we dance across a midnight sky…lighting up her darkness…never do we ask how or why…

I am the sweetest dream that kisses her to brilliant life in a moonlit voyage of once upon a time.

**

And now…

Do you see me for what I am…

Or are you still wrapped tight in fear of what you cannot understand…

It’s alright…

She holds my soul and it is enough.

**

Her love is the very strength of me

And I am the gentle beast of her trusting heart

We echo in forever dreams

Sailing celestial waves never more to part

**

I know all of these treasures because she tells me so…because she sees me so.

And now, if you’ll excuse me…I’m off to all the wheres that we will go…

****

ellie894 February 4, 2019

My warm thanks to Rory for a grand and friendly blog site, the kind tag and his strong and wonderful image!

Below is my gift of an image to All of you. I invite anyone who is so inspired to use it to tell a tale!

If you would have a heart to love

I retrace my path of yesterdays, a step and two and three

At the edge of where the ocean comes to land

And where my heart is free…

*

I pause in awestruck wonder…

An enormous hourglass of wood and clearest crystal

Suspended above the terra firma, afloat in a cloudy sky

I cannot see you within, my love

But, my heart knows you are there and I am lost in why…

*

The sands of a thousand days and more

Have flown and settled here one simple grain by one

*

A life they make, full and rich with much of this and that

Yet, as I stand outside of it and gaze at the towering mountain within….

*

I know in my very depths…

My love…he cannot breathe…

For the weight of it all upon him now, he has never any ease

*

The sands of time are closing in with each and every passing day

They tighten so about him

He cannot rest, or find his way

*

Infinitely it swirls upon itself letting not a single thing escape

My thoughts, they spiral in a pleading search

Hoping for an answer robed in grace

*

I am very small…whatever can I do…

*

Within my reach a gleaming sword stands ready

In silence does it wait

I fear it will be too much for me to wield

I fear I will fall short…

But, for my love

I choose and try

To take it firmly by the hilt

And raise it high

I swing with all I am

And although the glass is met…it trembles only slightly

Over and over I brandish the blade

Against the clear enclosure

Yet, to no avail…

Worn and weary…I fear that I have failed

I drop the steel,

Watching as it crashes to the ground

…my heart begins to weep…

…to cry without a sound…

*

This trap of holding time

How smooth and cold it is, and heavy with the world,

I close my eyes

While my fingers, feather soft reach forth in gentle touch…

And, with such as that, in less than a whisper

I hear the echo of a break begin…

A tiny fissure runs along the side…

*

What ray of hope is this!

*

One single grain of sand slips out

Racing through the air to solid earth

Another follows…and another still…

Until it becomes a healing stream of letting go…

*

The sandy scars of days that have been crushed upon each other

Swiftly fall away…

The rhythm of my heart begins to beat anew

As the melody of life does play

*

Soon enough the weight on him will lighten

My love will breathe once more

The morning air of a hopeful dawn

Fresh and simply pure

*

Time is neither linear or by a circle bound

*

One needn’t have an hourglass

To forever turn

And so command the moments

Within your heart to always burn

*

As the minutes and the hours fall

Joy and sorrow, both therein

We seek to collect them each around us

In a vain attempt to hold too many all at once

It is a fearful thing, this holding

And we begin to suffer from the force of it

*

Let the sand slip easily through

And come to rest where it belongs, upon an open shore

Caressed by tender winds

Kissed hungrily by ocean waves of evermore

*

If we would have breath to live

And heart to love

We cannot carry the entirety of our days

We were never asked to…

*

Like the sturdy world beneath our feet,

Moments are intended to hold Us…

Not us to hold them…

*

Mark the days if you must, my love

But only live them one by one

And let each of them gently go when their now is done…

*

Time was never meant to be contained within a glass

No matter how beautifully crafted it may be

*

So, I offer you this…

*

Gaze sweet and long into the endless ever blue

Warm yourself in the fire of the golden rising sun

Wish for wisdom from your guiding star

Dream deeply in the night for all the beauty yet to come

*

And last but mostly this, I hope for you to fly…

And breathe in ease and knowing love

I shall always be nearby…

****

ellie894 January 2, 2018

My Dear Brave Knight

Bravely He set out to play

A questing Knight on a summer’s day

With rope he tied his wagon to the brightest daytime star

A rolled up map to guide him on his journey far

There were dots and dashes and so much more

X marked the spot of buried gems galore

The wagon was empty

The Knight hadn’t a care

Only to wander and to search

All that was out there

He discovered a stone from the castle of Arthur

An arrow from Robin Hood’s bow

Even the Captain’s hook that Peter took

When he was young and bold

And so many more besides them

At the very least forty and four times four

He marked the map with this and that

Each time to the wagon he added a prize

That very first X…

The one that marked the pirate’s private spot…

Soon it was hidden amongst so many others

And his wagon was heavy

With all he had collected along the way

And the Knight was lost

Surrounded by forest

In the heat of the summer

And nary a breeze

Only the hum of cicadas stirring the trees

With weary arms and downcast eyes

He paused for a spell

In the dragons shadow that long ago fell

Silence descended

What would He do

Dwarves and giants

Threatened his quest

The great unknown would never let him rest

A lone leaf from overhead

Drifted through the air

Coming to rest upon the ground

And with it a notion he discovered

A plan did now appear

His eyes burned with excitement

The fire he did not fear

He must climb the mountain

Search the horizon far and wide

And know the way that called to him

From somewhere deep inside

The map with all its marks was useless to him now

The wagon laden with objects of the past

Was nothing but a burden on this new journey that He faced

Each thing must be left behind like an X upon the parchment

If He would reach the pinnacle

And begin to find his truth

So, bravely He set out to play

A questing Knight on a summer’s day

One step at a time

His tired legs did climb

Leaving the map and the path…

Letting go…

Of the castle stone

…the mighty staff

…the protective cloak

And oh so very much more…

Until, at last he reached the very top

Looking over all the way that He had come

His wagon long empty now

Light as a feather in the fading sun…

Yet his heart was overflowing

Eyes open and searching below

As a smoky mist curled up high

Marking an X in the evening sky

There was the treasure!

So true and so prized

Heart racing wildly

He jumped in the wagon

Pushed off with his feet

He steered with great care

Down the face of the mountain

Quickly he sped….

As It all flew passed him

Every great moment

That lead to this one here and now

The darkest forest

…raging seas

….wisdom of silence

……..knowing breeze

Then…

His wagon slowed and stopped

Before the waiting door

Wide and joyfully it opened

To He…so brave…

And there waited She….

She who gathered him to herself

As the treasure that He was

In a sweet embrace

And a gentle kiss to his dirt smudged face

How I’ve missed you So

My dear brave knight

While you have been so long away

Tell me…

Wherever did you go

Whatever did you see

On this fine fine summer’s day

And He began to tell the tales

Of the beastly and magical moments won

As She listened and loved

And loved and listened

Well beyond the setting of the summer sun…

****

ellie894 December 18, 2018

you always know why

Have you ever noticed how the loveliest things have no real beginning

Or at least not one that you recall

It’s as though they always were…

And never were not…

Once upon a forever fireflies sparkled in a dear night sky

Even now I can see them dancing before us

Tiny stars, you told me

They left the heavens to embrace we two

In a playful magic rarely known

And so we find ourselves here again

Hand in hand at the dusk of a long long day…

Are you hungry, you ask

I only smile in return

You know why

You always know why

Me too, with a wink and a whisper you softly reply

The offer of your strong and gentle arm

And off we go in search of our enchanting corner

Almost as cozy and warming

As your touch upon my skin

I like it best when the space is nearly empty

With only a candle between us

We have it all to ourselves

Inviting soft exchanges

And lingering gazes…

Let us then venture from our blazing hearth

Closing the door in sweet knowing

That soon enough we shall return…

For now we journey outward

Pausing…where no one else in the whole wide world would notice

I love this place

Soft graffiti swirls tangle in brilliant confusion

I tighten my hand in yours

You know why

You always know why

Hidden among the cherry reds and the lime greens

Of an artist’s dream gone wild

Our own initials are tucked safely in an inky heart

I like to reach my fingers out to them as we pass

Recalling another firefly moment

When in silly tenderness

I bade you stop and turn around

Don’t peek, I teased

You knew why

You always know why

I could feel you smiling behind me

As I carved us forever into being

Then you held me close to your heart and

Loved me for it

I like that part best of all…

And so this eve under a soon to be firefly sky

As we slowly make our way

I tighten my hand in yours

Asking, may we pause

You know why

I love the way you always know why…

****

ellie894 December 8, 2018

Rose

I am sweetly inspired by so very many things. Please visit Val at Colouring the Past to see the photo that settled in my thoughts and inspired this….

https://colouringthepast.com/2018/11/24/young-woman-standing/

I was named by my father,

He so loved to give my mother roses

To see her smile…

With a softened gaze and a silent sigh

I look afar to a place others cannot see

I do recall the sweetest words

Of last evening whispered true

Am lost in the hope of what may one day be

My unruly chestnut tresses gathered up

The best that I can manage

Still they loosen and escape

Blurring at the edges

Much the way my heart does

Longing so to fly

My anxious hands held tight behind

Hiding sweet anticipation

Are you nearing now my love

How much longer must I wait

The ivory pinned close at heart

A cherished gift of our last goodbye

And safe within the locket

At home upon my breast

The smile of my beloved

Doth ever and always rest

****

ellie894 December 1, 2018

Dear love,

Let me hold you tenderly

And breathe you deeply in

Trace my fingers lightly

Upon your warm and dreamy skin

**

Let me hold you gently

And gaze into your starry eyes

Whisper all my sweetest thoughts

Into your moonlit autumn skies

**

Let me hold you closely

And sing my love song true

Dance slow my graceful waltz

Across your heart of Texas blue

**

Let me hold you softly

And when there’s only you and me

Love you so very breathless

As the wild wild wind upon the endless sea

****

ellie894 November 9, 2018

I Love Spaghetti!

I Love Spaghetti!

She declared to me

I haven’t had it in four long years

Because…

My husband doesn’t like it

This spaghetti in a can

I’m going to eat if for dinner

Tonight!

He can have a sandwich

Is that bad…

She inquired of me

Before she flew away…

Not waiting for an answer

Not needing an answer

Not from me anyway

How long it took her to find her way here

Tethered me in sadness

But then…

Her moment of unbridled freedom

Gifted me with hope…

I Love Spaghetti!

I haven’t eaten it in Four years…

****

I was at the market taking my time when this woman happened upon me. I don’t know her and will never see her again. Our exchange was less than sixty seconds and yet I cannot forget her. She shared a heart’s love and sacrifice with me in less time than it took me to write this sentence…and left me with tears in my eyes…as she walked away determined and smiling…

When was the last time you ate spaghetti…

****

ellie894 October 21, 2018

It’s always something…

Dogs do not sneak quietly into my life with built in good manners.

Misbehavior! Gasp! Say it isn’t so… First they are overly generous with their friendly greetings and not one of them is under 50 pounds. Then there’s jumping. Mostly they reserve that for me. It is no fun to have your feet swept out from under you so that one lands on unmentionable places with a dull thud. Last but not least there’s rough housing…with each other. That wouldn’t be so bad. I admit it does use up some of their endless energy. The dilemma is that they do it within inches of me. My smallish self becomes an unwilling participant in their romping games. Remember that dull thud I mentioned before. Yep, there we are again…

Yesterday afternoon I set out on a walk with Dobby on a leash – we are diligently working on good manners. Miss Ellie came too, not on a leash – she already has good manners. We three musketeers headed to the pond, as we do everyday. Ah, a lone mower was at work in the field. The dogs were content by my side but definitely curious about these happenings in what they consider “their” space. I could see their thoughts ticking away at the idea of a new friend!

He was preparing for this afternoon. There will be a couple hours of skeet shooting for out of town guests. Miss Ellie will be frightened by the sounds of the gunshots. She would never have made a hunting dog which is fine with me. Ellie will stay under my feet until the shooting stops. She likes it best when I take her to a large closet and turn on a loud fan to drown out the noise. I sit on the floor with her, crisscross applesauce and pet her gently until she calms and falls asleep.

It hurts me to see Ellie so afraid. She doesn’t understand. It’s a helpless feeling for both of us and all I can really do is be near so that she knows I’m there with her.

So, I veered from our usual walk on the north side. We reversed our footsteps and took the path to the south instead. Across the creek, through the young pines, onward and upward. At the top of the hill rests a very small very old cemetery…

I looked once….I looked twice…I looked three times… no doubt about it; there was a young bull inside of the cemetery!

My first thought was that there must be a break somewhere in the fence – I explored carefully. The chain link fence was completely in tact and the gate was quite closed. Hmm… He stared at us. We stared at him. All of us were perplexed at such a strange occurrence.

My second thought was to simply open the gate and let him out. I wasn’t afraid of him. But, after all he is not my bull. Perhaps he was separated from the herd temporarily for a reason that I didn’t know. You never know…

Meanwhile, a lovely milk chocolate brown cow wandered up to give us a verbal “what for”. She must be his mother. Now, whether she was admonishing us to go away or to open the gate and set her son free, I can’t be sure. There we all were locked in some sort of weird time warp event. No one in any danger. No one knowing quite what to do next.

Now came the phone call which began like this – hello, this is suzanne. I have rather an odd question… I heard light laughter on the other end and the phrase – it’s always something! The friendly lady said – thank you samantha, I’ll be right over to let him out. Yes, samantha. I guess on the phone on Wednesday afternoons suzanne sounds a lot like samantha. I’m good with that. It makes me think of Bewitched and what girl doesn’t want just a hint of magic in her days.

My musketeers and I continued on our walk content that help was on its way. Yet, I was left wondering of the young bull. However did he get in there. How long had he been trapped. I’ll say this much, the cemetery does Not need to be mowed. How long would it take a bull his size to clean up a grassy area that way. It’s a riddle I’ll probably never have an answer to…

I could have stubbornly kept on to the pond as I usually do and not ventured to the south. But, you know that feeling when something changes. You can’t quite explain it but, there it is. And you change with it… Maybe you ease into the changes or maybe you fight them. Either way, you find yourself on a hill next to a cemetery staring at a bull who needs you. Only five minutes ago you didn’t even know he existed. Now, he’s touched your heart and you are forever different for it…

I know…forever is a long time…but sometimes the biggest changes happen in the smallest moments…

I could write all day about what brought me to this one place in time. Every moment is that way though, built upon others before it; a single step on the winding way to an unknowable future. To be honest, there were storms on this path that I would have gladly done without. Nevertheless, there I am… learning from All of it…not just the good stuff.

Simple really… I walked a different way, saw a bull, made a phone call, the end. And yet, it stays with me. I still see him alone and helpless with no way out looking into my eyes…the key to his freedom as simple as a hand upon a gate.

At times in my life I am Ellie shivering with fear of what I don’t understand. Other times I am the bull alone and helpless…not seeing the gate…not knowing how to open it for myself. I am even the cow unable to communicate my heart’s desire. I hold all of these moments until I need them again, the lessons of them. I need reminding often.

When something lands softly before me or crashes, as something always does…to remember how it feels to be on the other side of the fence or to shiver in the unknown…to give from my heart with compassion and my hand in gentle kindness. I’m never only on one side or the other.

There will always be something and the answer will always be love.

****

ellie894 October 11, 2018

The Quiet Cottage by the Everlasting Sea

Will you, asked the girl

Yes! proclaimed the boy

I didn’t ask yet, giggled the girl

Go ahead, said the boy

Will you love… began the girl

Yes! exclaimed the boy

I didn’t finish, smiled the girl

Go ahead, said the boy

Will you love me for all of our days, asked the girl

Yes… said the boy

And all of our nights too, asked the girl

Yes… said the boy

And the boy gathered the girl in his arms

And he loved her

For all of their days

And for all of their nights

And she loved him too

For all of their days

And for all of their nights

In their quiet cottage by the everlasting sea

****

ellie894 September 2018