The trick is to know when,
and for those who truly seek to bloom
their time will come.
There will be an urgency
like a rebirth,
the years of confinement over
and time to take a risk,
to burst through,
break loose from the safety
of the bud and say
Here I am.
This is true discernment,
a risking of good for better
and better for best.
Because a bud will eventually
outgrow its purpose
and if not broken
will droop, hang limp,
a withered head, brittle
and packed tight with
the crushed brown petals
of what could have been.
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Sep 17, 2014 @ 12:50:07
Hopeful and thought provoking. Especially for me today- I appreciate it. 🙂
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:01:56
Thanks Pete. Pleased it said aomething to you 😊
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:26:58
Very powerful Christine! It quakes with the vibes of revelation! xxx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:28:51
Thank you Lea! A kind of awakening! 😊 xxx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:30:42
That is what I thought Christine. Don’t you love awakenings! 🙂 xxx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:36:18
Absolutely!! 😊 xx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:45:35
You go girl! 😉 xxx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 13:45:31
Well said, thought and expressed. Nothing haunts you more than wasted potential, but you are discovering yours more and more, as each succeeding poem shows.
Sep 17, 2014 @ 14:01:34
Thank you Peter; your comments are always encouraging. I still have much self doubt when it comes to writing.
Sep 17, 2014 @ 15:39:13
Quit the bloomin’ doubts and just bloom, Christine! You’re already among the fairest flowers I know about…no chance at all, of your being nipped in the bud. Don’t worry about writing, just write…..or don’t, if you don’t want to. A wise person once told me I had to just do it, and learn to love them all, those poems, the good ones and the not-so-good ones….you never know when a seemingly hopeless bud might bloom after all….there’s always hope, as old Emily says…”Hope is the thing with feathers—that perches in the soul….” and who knows? You may be getting ready to take flight….in any case, take care. ❤
Sep 17, 2014 @ 15:49:31
As always Cynthia your encouragement urges me on; thank you. Between you and me (and now everyone who reads this!) someone has offered to publish a collection of my poems. There will be discussion and editing etc etc and I am very nervous but thrilled at the same time, and although this poem isnt solely about this project, or about poetry or even necessarily about me really, it did play a big part 😊😊
Sep 17, 2014 @ 16:54:35
Now how do you like that! I am in the same boat……in the same process (though up to now I have not wanted to do it; I have considered my blog publication… the opportunity was presented, so I’m going for it.) I’m not doing an e-book, just a hard one….I know that’s a chore for you, but I plan to send you a complimentary autographed copy anyway, for your bookshelf 🙂 since you have been my encouraging buddy from the start…you’ve already read most of the poems in the book!
Sep 17, 2014 @ 17:28:51
Well you could knock me down with a feather! How about that?! That’s wonderful news, and thank you! I will treasure my copy, and yes it is a bit of a chore but as I have said before, some books I cant get on kindle so I have a soft book rest thing that holds the pages down and I can use one hand to turn it. And likewise, most of my poems have appeared on my blog too. Exciting times 😊 x
Sep 17, 2014 @ 16:06:10
Hi Christine, this is lovely, so much to find in life but no one knows when it is their time to bloom 🙂 And every one has a different goal of course. Yours has been the publishing of your poems and that is going to happen, so it must be a great feeling 🙂 I remember our first conversations, a lot has happened since. Goals changeing, life changeing. It is exiting to surprise ourselves and do stuff we never thought we would 🙂 Enjoy the editing phase! 🙂 ❤ xxx L&H
Sep 17, 2014 @ 16:41:45
Thank you very much Ina! Yes it’s an exciting time. And it is strange how life wanders down paths seemingly on its own with us merely following! The original plan for publishing went a bit pear shaped so I was all set for self publishing through a random publishing company when this opportunity jumped out at me !! Of course you are an old hand at all this! But just to get this one book published, really published is such a huge thing in my life, and is something which is completely beyond my wildest dreams. 😊 ❤️ L&H xx
Sep 17, 2014 @ 16:17:45
Christine, this speaks to me. Thank you for inspiring us to bloom and not droop. Beautiful.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Sep 17, 2014 @ 16:43:24
Thank you very much Wendy; Im so pleased the poem had something to say to you. It’s such a lovely bonus to writing when I receive a comment such as this. X
Sep 17, 2014 @ 19:18:39
Beautiful Christine.
Sep 17, 2014 @ 19:22:43
Thank you Harry. 😊
Sep 17, 2014 @ 19:23:28
This is another example of the magnificent strides you have made in your writing, Christine … especially your ‘use’ of imagery … which blends so effortlessly and lyrically with your observation and sense of what goes unseen, too. Following on Ina’s comment – this is an exciting time as you embark on publishing your poems, and I am so honored to be taking a part in that. The intro is done and this particular poem of yours really speaks to its ‘theme’. XO ♥
Sep 17, 2014 @ 19:29:38
Diane, this is such a wonderfully encouraging comment, thank you very much. And thank you also for the intro which I am so looking forward to reading. I am thrilled that you are involved in this process. When this book is done I don’t think I will ever want to stop looking at it! 😊❤️ Xxxx
Sep 18, 2014 @ 14:14:06
I always enjoy reading what you write.
Sep 22, 2014 @ 11:55:17
Thank you very much for reading and for your comment x
Sep 18, 2014 @ 18:44:34
Very positive and powerful Christine, I kept thinking of a phoenix rising from the flames – reborn. Fabulous poem 😀 x
Sep 22, 2014 @ 11:56:19
Thanks very much Becky! A phoenix! What a wonderful way to look at it. 😊 xx
Sep 18, 2014 @ 18:47:44
I love the idea of that blooming and saying “Here I am! Staying young, a bud forever would be very boring. There is a time for us all to bloom, it just doesn’t seem possible sometimes. 🙂
So you’re about to do some blooming of your own! Someone offering to publish your poetry – sounds exciting Christine! 😀
Sep 22, 2014 @ 11:59:32
Thank you Suzy! And you are right, sometimes it does seem impossible.
Yes, Im somewhat nervous about this book project but I am working with a very dedicated publisher who is helping me through the process very gently – well so far its been gentle! 😊 xx
Sep 19, 2014 @ 21:52:39
Christine even though I am heading for fifty I feel new buds growing after the cold winter months. It is never too late to bloom nor does age stop us if we find our passion. Happy day to you an excellent poem my friend it resonated with my feelings of just setting out on my true path. A second chance maybe.
Sep 22, 2014 @ 12:03:56
Thank you Kath! Well I am way on the other side of fifty and I reckon Im just about to let a bud break free. 😊. It’s never too late for any of us as long as the passion to bloom remains with us. I have to say you are blooming beautifully all over the place right now and there is lots of ‘spice’ in your blooming!! 😄 xx
Sep 20, 2014 @ 03:36:26
Chris, this is a lovely piece exuding hope, encouragement and stepping out of our comfort zones. I love the imagery you’ve used, too. I must confess that I’ve read some of the other comments and didn’t know you were publishing your first book. I’m so happy for you and excited, too! Can’t wait to see the finished project! Hugs and Blessings! ♥
Sep 22, 2014 @ 12:06:11
Thank you Lauren! Its never too late is it?! I never thought this book would happen, but the opportunity to publish my poems presented itself so here I am!! 😊❤️ Xxx
Sep 20, 2014 @ 08:36:58
Beautiful Christine, that final image of the withered unopened bud is incredibly powerful. Your poem reminds me of this from Hafiz, ‘“How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, otherwise, we will remain too frightened ” What is it that we, and I say here also I – what is it that I fear so much about saying, being, ‘Here I am!’? Hugs and blessings always, Harula xxx
Sep 22, 2014 @ 12:09:33
Thank you so much Harula as ever, for your in depth comment. Yes, what is it that keeps the fear inside us? Its like bindweed trying to strangle all the buds. I know it is deeply rooted within me but lately, well, since my diagnosis I guess, I have become just a very tiny bit braver. 😊 hugs and blessings xxx
Sep 22, 2014 @ 03:19:41
Touching, true, and both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Marvelously done, once again, my sweet. (((HUGS!)))
❤
xo
Sep 22, 2014 @ 12:16:48
Thank you very much Kathryn. Your words are always full of encouragement and this gives me the incentive to keep going, especially when I want to stay in the bud too long! 😊 And thank you for the hugs! ❤️ Xx
Sep 22, 2014 @ 04:27:46
Christine, I’ve read and re-read your poem ‘Breaking Free’, it speaks on many levels through your use of imagery and extended metaphor, beautifully layered.
The lines ‘…years of confinement over / and time to take a risk…’ have a depth that tugs to the core. We see different meanings to different people here.
I can’t wait for your book to come out, what wonderful news, I’m delighted to see this poem will be part of it.
Sep 22, 2014 @ 12:24:11
Thank you very much Polly, both for your lovely constructive comment and for the reblog. That doesn’t often happen!! Lol. I know I said my next poem would be about our grandson, but this one barged its way in!!😊 x
Sep 22, 2014 @ 04:28:37
Reblogged this on Polly and commented:
A lovely read from Christine.
Sep 26, 2014 @ 18:02:25
Oh, Christine! This is my new favorite of yours – I love the metaphor, and the message and the beauty of it – everything about it. We must dare to bloom, to take the risk (physically, spiritually) or we die. Inspirational!
Sep 27, 2014 @ 12:18:17
Thank you very much Betty for this wonderfully encouraging comment.! I feel humbled by it.
Sending love and hugs xx
Oct 19, 2014 @ 11:00:21
My special friend, this is a poem full of love and encouragement. I feel it also speaks of the love and support we get from our loving connections when we do break a bond. I love you ❤ xXx
Oct 19, 2014 @ 12:39:31
Thank you very much Jane. Deborah has decided to put this poem at the beginning of my book, before the actual bulk of poems begins. I love you too ❤️ Xxx
Oct 19, 2014 @ 12:46:56
Oohh, that sounds so good to me…’Your book’…let’s just say and savour those words again my special buddy….’Your book…’ ❤ xXx
Oct 19, 2014 @ 13:07:45
❤️ Thank you my lovely friend xxx