On Display

I’m weary of being on display

for others to assess

inside these walls of my home

as well as when I am brave enough

to cast shadows along the sidewalks

to be vulnerable within a community 

in which at times I feel like an unwanted outsider

my heart often beating wildly outside of my chest

as if wanting to escape the cage of my ribs

and yet there is a steely determination 

to bring YOU

even for a brief moment 

into my world

a desire to speak my truth 

even if it causes myself 

and everyone around me discomfort

My shadows are your shadows

if only you could have enough courage to see 

the mirror of my suffering

to meet my unwavering gaze 

Dare yourself not to look away!

That.is.what.it.means.

To grow together in love

Angela Minard 2021©

Sat Nam~Truth Is Your Name

 

Truth is your name, not the letters behind them, nor your diagnoses, those labels of wife, mother, sister, friend...

Breathe in your grace and exhale the stories that hold you back

Once I knew a quiet and watchful child who held fears hand

befriending a belly that fluttered

her sweet racing heart a constant companion

Insecurity weaved it’s way into every fiber of her tender being; 

a sturdy fabric for such a delicate soul to wear

This is your time to undress without shame

to shrug the heaviness of that old and tattered garment off your weary shoulders

Drape yourself in the finest silks and gossamer threads

Inhale the heady fragrance of peace as you release the hand of fears icy grip

This is your time...

Angela Minard 2021©

Photography by~ Kristina Makeeva

Throat Chakra

 

Weaving the threads of time into a tapestry 

the yellow Canary symbolizes the power to control the voice, feelings, and emotions...

Strum the harp strings of your heart

carrying the echo of your song to the stars and beyond

Your infinite vibration rings strong and true...

Angela Minard 2021© 

The Lie Of Perfection

Each fold and sharp crease between thumbnail and stark white paper

hisses with outrage

refined angles

cutting remarks behind a simpering smile

shooting baskets with the misshapen wads

aim and miss

each paper crane is formed from everything she was told she lacked

her many failures bent into the correct aesthetic shape

forced to acquiesce 

throbbing fingers crimp and tuck

seething warmth rising with each crumpled mistake

these messy pages tell her battled tale...

-the lie of perfection

Angela Minard© 

Artwork by Duy Huynh

Transforming Darkness

Something about the birds today pulled at my heart

quietly tugging my awareness skyward 

Everywhere I went I could feel the fluttering of wings on my skin

like the sweet breath of angels 

caressing the back of my weary neck

Perhaps I had been looking down for too long

the weight of darkness no longer screeching

but continuing to listen intently

as if silence was the monster hiding

While doing yard work on this atypically warm autumn day 

I at first mistook the starlings that caught my eye 

for swirling leaves 

until their musical trilling filled the air

“Look up!” they seemed to be singing insistently 

Pausing to rest

tilting my gaze to the heavens

my eyes widened as I watched in wonder

the transformation 

from onyx starlings to opalescent doves

the honeyed sky dripping like slow rain

weightless...

cradled within the downy wings of protection

-You are safe

Angela Minard© 

Artwork by Duy Huynh