Modern Muse

Hiding in the in-between
She hopes that she remains unseen
She’s shed her former scaly skin
But unsure of who she is within

Hiding in the present moment
Her exuberance still lying dormant
A deafening silence she well knows
Her voice suspended, in repose

Some might call it life’s atonement
Three long days or in one moment
Forty years or reincarnation
A measure of her determination

To emerge into a life of grace
Of humility, not saving face
Of humanity, tenderness and compassion
In some circles, to be out of fashion

Hiding in the in-between
She gathers the stories of where she’s been
The aches, the triumph and the sorrows
The strength from which she knows she’ll borrow

To step into the light of day
To be off from center, farther away
From the life and people she knew before
To create a life of so much more

Hiding in the in-between
She listens to those childhood dreams
She’s patient for her words to come
It takes time for patterns to come undone

It’s the pinnacle of her unraveling
There’s room for her soul to now go traveling
To stretch her arms wide into the breeze
And know, beyond doubt, that she is free

 

This poem is dedicated to and inspired by all the marvelous women in my life who have walked their own walk, or are about to. Who have been both bold and shattered open – enough to venture into the great realms of inner exploration. To go against the grain and create a life of integrity and joy even if it meant temporary loneliness and endless questioning. These women look at themselves every single day asking the hard questions, willing to embrace the discomfort of continuous growth. And several of these women have done so much to inspire my own wandering, blazing, emboldened path.