Dear Shirley:

I like your intro for the “Beautiful as the Dawn” poem. And your appreciation of me is much appreciated by me! Your thread here, the longest running thread in tiny buddha’s history means a lot to me! I wish it would never end.

I very much like your poem “Into the Divine”-and my goodness! The Inner Bully is here: “The worldly critics and the inner bully don’t control your life. It is you who make the decisions and experience your accomplishments and failures. How can the worldly critics and the inner bully know your true experiences when all they do is put you down restricting you from being happy?” Bingo! Well said!

Excellent points in this poem (as in all your poems). You mentioned the expectations placed on the youth and limitations brought into light, and you asked: Will we ever be enough?

The inner bully will tell you that you are not enough. The critics of the world will send the same message. Marketing will too, social conventions. But you, Shirley, were born enough and you are always enough. Rest in that knowing best you can, take it in and hold it in like a breath of fresh air: you are enough.

And you state these thoughts in your poem “Follow Your Star”-

“You shouldn’t lose yourself in the competitive expectations of the world. Sometimes the path you take may go against society, but that doesn’t matter.” Always return to self. What is important is your well being, your peace of mind. This really is all that matters.

Regarding the intro to “Follow Your Star,”: I like your emphasis on mental clarity. Indeed it is crucial to have that for the peace of mind I mentioned, all that matters. “Refocusing within ourselves,” you wrote. Yes, always return to self. And like you wrote, it is about what “the journey life can teach (us)”.

You wrote: “I want to know myself without the expectations of the world, to focus on my true self. Here is a poem that expresses my insecurities and passions.” To know yourself independently and regardless of others’ expectations. Yes, this is the journey, the way.

Your third poem here: “Youthful Reflections Interconnectedness of Life”

“When souls touch the heavens
How we wish we could stay among the stars forever (beautiful!)

Dreaming as immortal Souls
Drifting in divine love (more beauty)

Must we lose our wings and our visions of heaven and take on the responsibilities before us? (No, says I)

…Those who are creative may be told they have their head in the clouds and those who are logical are pestered by thoughts flowing like a stream through their minds (I see Shirley in this sentence, told the same and pestered)

The youth set out on his/her path pulled in many directions
(You expressed the distress in these two lines many times before, being pulled in many directions, even Andrew and Dave pulled you in two different directions!)

…We need to see our interconnectedness to the universe to experience the wings of our youthful soul
…When we lose sight of the creative spark within us we become like paper always bending to whatever dictates us rather than listening to our hearts (excellent point, well stated)
…Aren’t the pure love of the elderly and the youth the same? (reminds me of the term you came up with in this poem, earlier: Childhood Integrity- I like it. Many lose it. But it can be recovered).

…As we were born from star dust, we return to the dust of the soil
…Nothing is ever lost (true: mass doesn’t appear or disappear, only changes, same with energy)
…We are told many things of which to believe
Yet we must listen to ourselves and our hearts and always reach for the stars.”

Yes, always return to self.

Thank you for these treats. I don’t mind you posting a poem you already posted, with changes or not. I like your poetry. You are amazing, Shirley the Poet, the Scientist, the Thinker, The good friend, Earth Angel indeed.

anita