my wild and precious yes…
Dear God,
I heard the shouted “no!”s and flinched inside
where you hold and heal me still
and I think it get it,
this collective wound
that rages against the “you” we’ve painted
with our broken down lives
and it smells like puke, the hurt we do
and chills my spine,
that sound of windows breaking
to let the bad air out.
Cause you don’t smell like that,
you who are breath and sky and sea to me,
and hope and wildflowers and freedom to be
and I’m pretty sure of all beings
the most misunderstood
and judged false by blind pain,
your poetry and parables calculated and pinched
until we see you as the worst
of what we are
….as if we could ever know an artist’s heart
with a scalpel
or dissect a living thing
to poke pure creative genius
until we understand.
I likely know less than I think I do
but I want my life space to let you be you
in that same brave way you let us choose to love
or leave you alone.
My soul rests easy
in how secure you seem,
not power-tripping or punishing or pushy
like the posters we paste
on political walls.
And I’m grateful how you set my heart
to twirling
and spatter flecks and speckles of honest love
and awe
I throw my life open wide
with welcome,
I want you
~ my one
wild and precious yes.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
-Mary Oliver
You feed my heart and soul!
Thank you for that nourishing meal!
Love to you dear Jen!
my word for this year is Nourish
and as Mary said, I always find nourishment here
thank you for sharing your mystic heart with us
the world is a better place because of it
you paint pictures with words
which have my soul saying yes
I LOVE your awesome new banner…super pretty! Your art, words, and heart, bring me such JOY!!!!
This is a new favorite for me. I hate the control freak in me but I know He loves me enough to keep challenging me toward a higher more spacious love toward myself and others. Thank you for blessing me with higher, worthy thoughts.
oooh, i love that, about how God smells!
and love your paint swirls and sweet beings that spring from your dear text.
sweet friend, i have a yes post coming tomorrow…we are so otter-woven.
xoxox
Thank you. Thank you a thousand times for this, for reminding me once more how very BIG He is.
One of my favorite quotes – a wonderful finish to your beautiful, uplifting post!!
Love this Mary Oliver quote as well as her other poems. Great photos and words.
Simply beautiful Jennifer, I love the colours and the words…Thank you 🙂
“I likely know less than I think I do
but I want my life space to let you be you
in that same brave way you let us choose to love
or leave you alone.”
i feel the same way… that His love gets squashed somewhere in the midst of all the rhetoric. and this space you have created here speaks of His beauty…
I so get this, we often form our image of who and what we think He is based on our circumstances. He is so much more! Love this piece, love your heart and His expressed here so beautifully. And the art/photos brilliantly georgous!
What a lovely piece as I have said before you have a great way with words, even the lovely comments you leave on my blog.
Such an expressive poem,
it feels like you give us a piece of the puzzle
Sentence by sentence
And at the end of the post
We see the result.
Wonderful 🙂
(and the artwork of the bird reminds me of my little jackie! :))
Hey Jennifer!
I am loving all the beauty on your blog!! Thank you for stopping by my blog!
Hi Jennifer! Your colors are so bright and beautiful…and I don’t mean just in your photos.
Thank you for the precious reminders and faith and joy.
And thankyou for your kind words of encouragement too! The new school year is going well…
Love the Mary O. quote and your artwork and photos…so full of life and color…Nice to meet you, Jennifer 🙂
Love the Mary O. quote and your artwork and photos…so full of life and color…Nice to meet you, Jennifer 🙂
oh dear oh dear oh dear…. those first two stanzas about do me in. Straight home, indeed. Lovely words and form and colors and photos!
Everything looks so bright over here.
Love your beautiful art and your words. I feel like your words captured what I am thinking myself, you just put it so well.
What a blessing, thank you!
why is GOd so hard for some people?
humans…humans did that
Bless your articulate heart
gushing with understanding and love
what a lovely, lovely poem…it’s so reassuring to know there is something greater than ourselves out there!!!
bright and beautiful art and photos as well!!
Another great WOW! from your heart that blesses so many.
Oh, I want to live this one wild and precious life
as my most truest, brave, authentic and colorful self.
Jennifer, your authenitcity overflows in this space.
XOXO
Ahh – your lilting words, Mary Oliver, and beautiful flowers. Soaking it all in with joy. Your friend,
kathy anne
“Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Hearts to you, dear Jennifer, hearts to you!
Thanks you for the beautiful words that make us think and be thankful for all we do have while we are still on earth to see all the beauty that there is. (((((HUGS))))) and Love to you always!
Beautiful post and as always, beautiful pictures from a beautiful soul!
XOXO
Oh my word….what an incredible joy to discover you here tonight….so beautiful. Thank you. XO
Shining yourself girl! I love how you see God. I hear him speak to me through the clouds and breeze. He is love, nothing less.
Oh, Jen, with all the views people in this world have of God, I’m shad you share mine — far more eloquently but much the same!
Good. Very, very good.
Ahh Jennifer, soother of soul you are. Now why didn’t I think of that to make a list of all the things that I love and to forget all the the frightening and unsettling negative man made problems of this world. God is in charge and my soul will rejoice, content with my lot.
Blessings,
JB