Reflective Writing

Lotus Petals

Lotus Petals is the first poem I wrote for a 5-day writing workshop at Chautauqua Institution. Drawn to its title Portals to Secret Gardens and Other Paths to the Numinous, I signed up as an observer. As the week progressed, I was gently encouraged to write and share a poem of my own. I came away encouraged and eager to continue. Every summer I return to Chautauqua and look forward to taking a poetry workshop. Poetry is intimate, and often cathartic, amusing, or uplifting. Sharing poetry is the best way I know in a short space of time to make new friends and gain insight into others.

Lotus Petals

A portal opens
whispering the way
to secret gardens –
where perennial wisdom
laced through layers of leaves
quietly awaits discovery.

Ask a seasoned gardener…
The first year they sleep,
second year they creep,
third year they leap!

From dirt to divinity…
Nothing of lasting worth
is done in haste.
Beauty is born of Faith.

What joy to enter the garden!
How I long to stand and gaze —
Like a child, I would pluck
a bloom, and inhale the essence
of every specie and kind
of flowering mind.

But now it’s enough
to stand back and behold
the abundant sanctuary illuminated
through the portal’s glowing arch
where one glimpses
hummingbird flights of imagination
and darting thoughts of dragonflies
vining and entwining with strands
of Whitman, Keats, Merwin, Stevens,
Wrights, Hecht, Hughes, and Herbert,
layered with shoots from Hilles and Bo
Pat, Gina, Martha, Chris, Susan and Sheila…

There is Gratitude for
preparing the soil with passion
germinating seeds with example
watering roots with acceptance, and
fertilizing blooms with praise.

Cross pollinating vigorous strains
of imagination in the
splendor of creation
who can fathom what hidden gifts
the tightly coiled fern
may reveal
in its unfolding?


Ann West, Chautauqua, 7.13.07
For poet Rick Hilles and participants in his poetry workshop, Portals to Secret Gardens and Other Paths to the Numinous

Love Like a Garden

Love Like a Garden was written to my son, inspired by my best teacher, the garden.

Love Like a Garden

Cherish the butterfly
that lights gently
upon open hands

Prepare the ground with good intention
Clear away rocks of obstructive fear
Remove weeds of negativity
Loosen the soil with acceptance
Fertilize with kindness
Sprinkle seeds of possibility
Germinate with gentle patience
Water with warmhearted smiles
Feed regularly with appreciation
Weather storms with commitment
Foster new growth with praise
Encourage shoots with hope
Nurture buds with encouragement
Remove thorns with forgiveness
Celebrate blooms with laughter
Harvest with humility
Share abundance with gratitude
Spread love’s light around you
Illuminate the darkness.


Ann West, January 3, 2013

Love Re-Imagined

Love Re-imagined is the truth about the evolution of love as I’ve experienced it.

Love Re-Imagined

Poet David Whyte rightly observed
when two people fall in love
each has a vision of how it will be —
when in fact what transpires
is a wholly different third thing
which neither could have imagined.

That first week in Maine adult music camp
despite my intention to practice non-attachment
since he smoked and lived cross country
I fell in love with the violinist —
a well-educated and traveled lawyer
independent yet approachable
proper yet potentially passionate
reserved yet constant friend.

After hearing me perform Dvorak’s Dumky Trio
he was ready to import me for his string quartet.
Overcome by the resonance of his beautiful violin
I was ready to pack my bags.

Funny now that I think of it —
He never revealed his vision, but no doubt
like mine, it was naively skewed, impossibly promising and thoroughly intoxicating.

Reality has a way of deflating dreams.
Nevertheless love’s illusions struggle
against sure defeat.

There is dedication to land, work, family,
friends, loyal pets, place, and possessions.
Yet the greater obstacles to union are invisible —
unconscious negative patterns and fears.

Thus intimate friends become intimate strangers
and the real relationship turns inward
in search of true Self.

Could this darkening leading to inner growth —
the individuation journey to wholeness
be the gift necessary for authentic relationship?

Can we only discover the Self through relationship?
Can we only grow to cherish the other
by learning to love ourselves?

Then the seasoned pilgrim might begin to wonder
if relationship’s hidden profound purpose
were to provide stepping stones
into deeper mysteries.

After decades of proud resistance
if the inflated little ego could bow
to the archetypal unconscious

“I — it” might cross the threshold
into the eternal realm of I — Thou,
in which giving and receiving love
joins in the round dance with divinity.

Looking back,
who could have guessed
where the heart would lead?


Ann West, 2013

Love After Love

Love After Love depicts mature love ripened over time.

“I think there’s a dimension of love that’s far beyond what we know
in terms of healing, in terms of expansion.
You can experience the healing that’s going on through the love that exists between two people;
you can see the light in the other’s body and you can feel it in your own. It’s a huge energy.”
— Marion Woodman

Love After Love

Cupid twin of Hermes,
Tricksters inscrutable
No matter three decades past,
different cultures, languages,
continents apart.

An unexpected visit
a wrinkle in time
synchronized landing
in perfect cadence
missing not a beat

The delicious feeling
of new socks
in old slippers.
Open to possibility
pleasure in the moment
coupled with memories
shared by fond friends
who long ago let go
and forgave the past.

Choosing to retain
only the dream and
good intentions
tempered over time
into essence of kindness,
good will and affection.

But in truth there’s more —
Phoenix reborn
risen from ashes
ageless, glowing
seasoned by sorrow
deepened by longing
blessed in love.


Ann West, 2015

Recipe for Misguided Love

Recipe for Misguided Love was a necessary rant. Anger is not a primary feeling. It’s an emotional defense against pain, disappointment, or trauma caused by others or events beyond our control. Over time, forgiving [not condoning] is the best antidote to be able to let go and move on.

Recipe for Misguided Love

Take a tender heart.
Break it in two.
Marinate in lies.
Cover with secrets.
Set aside in the dark.
Let fester.
When questions arise
stifle them with rage.

Meanwhile
Prepare Frosting:

Combine stiff upper lips with
equal amounts of saccharine.
Blend with constant activity.
Chill for decades.

Serves: No one.


Ann West, January 3, 2013

Lelio’s Graduation

Lelio’s Graduation is a retrospective poem on the cyclic seasons of life and what is everlasting.

Lelio’s Graduation

Upon Graduation December 19, 2004
The University of Maryland


We planted clusters of red roses to celebrate your birth.
Each spring when they bloom,
we remember the joy of your arrival and early years.

They’ve survived transplants and harsh winters.
Their prickly thorns provide sharp defense.
They started out very small,
but nurtured by love, fertilized with care,
have grown deep roots and far reaching branches.

As you begin the next season of your life,
learn the wisdom of nature,
take solace in the cycle of seasons.

You will feel the rapture of spring
languid heat of summer
fading retreat of autumn
and cold death of winter.

Cycles of death and rebirth will give you hope
and also teach the truth of Impermanence.

Throughout all the seasons of your life,
know your roots are secure in our hearts
and that you are deeply loved.

Wishing you an exuberant bloom
as you enter the summer of your years.
Only our love is unending.


Ann West, edited 2019

Wabi Sabi

Wabi Sabi expresses my affection for beauty in imperfection.

Wabi Sabi

Japanese, beauty in imperfection

“It seems everything in this house is broken,”
observes my visiting thirty-some son.

He wonders —
Why would I keep chipped vases
wingless angel statues
a wounded trumpeter cherub?

Why would I glue together the shattered shards
of Grama Lil’s porcelain sugar bowl
or the miniature Japanese vase
he gave me as a child on Mother’s Day?

Why would I wear his grandmother’s faded apron
or use her stained potholders,
Settle for hand-me-down furniture
Leave my mother’s favorite “Happy” jacket
hanging in the closet, years after she died?

Emily D. understood . . .
Build a house, and over time
it becomes a Soul.

Mere objects retaining the owner’s energy become symbols
that bridge past to present, so we may hold loved ones
distant or departed, very near to us.

Being broken open, we grow through loss.
We learn to forgive the fallen angels who parented us,
friends and lovers who betrayed us
and others who hurt us.

Accepting faults in ourselves and others,
irritation slowly softens into affection —
so like the oyster, we can live with sand between our toes
and culture some of life’s pearls.

Imperfection, within and around us
over time
takes on a tender beauty.


Ann West, 2014

Universal Archetypal Web

Grander and more magical than the 21st century “worldwide wide web” is a universal archetypal web that connects human beings to all of creation.

The archetypal web is the ancient shape-shifting sea we swim in — a protean invisible structure that energetically shapes us and defines our destinies. Our animal bodies need to be connected to nature and other animals. Many of our peak experiences happen hiking mountains, navigating oceans, on safari, bird watching, walking forest trails, paddling winding waterways, or communing with a beloved pet.

God’s Kiss

God’s Kiss shares a synchronistic epiphany on the lake in my kayak.

God’s Kiss

Lake Quonnipaug, North Guilford


I have only an hour, but a persistent voice whispers, urging me beyond reason —
Calling me to the water.

Drawn by this longing, I drive to the lake and slide my kayak down the sandy bank into calm water.
Crouching down into the seat my whole being sighs…home once again in my kayak.

Senses fully alive, inhaling wet wind, absorbing colors, gazing through clear light
touching cool water, feeling the sun’s warm welcome on my face and bare arms,
Boundaries dissolve. I breathe in the lake.

There’s a stiff north wind. I change course and paddle through a narrow channel.
Radiant red vines rizzle down to the water.
Sun-lit autumn boughs hang over the banks
like soft curtains framing the scene.

Kayak slithers through dense vegetation in shallow waters.
Paddle finesses rocks and bank around a bend,
through a low portal that opens out onto a quiet cove
where a deep spring, the lake’s source is hidden.

Only a navigable thread winds through the channel choked by dense lily pads.
Fallen tree trunks lurk just under the surface.
In front of my bow soft splashes, then ripple rings announce the presence of life below.
I peer beneath the surface, but alas wild creatures know how to hide.

Lying on the lily pads are white feather fragments
not from seagulls.
I wonder…

The narrow channel unwinds.
I paddle ‘round a bend of tall reeds into yet another cove, hitherto unknown,
when suddenly I come upon a family of swan — cob, pen and speckled cygnet.

Startled, we all react.
They prepare to take flight. I fall back in silent respect.
Many minutes motionless we observe each other.
Slowly, frozen figures melt. Heads turn, necks bow.
Beaks nuzzle deep into feathers.

Cautiously my paddle resumes the most minimal movement.
As I drift closer, the swan turn in graceful acceptance.
Following their lead, I become the fourth swan.
Sun and wind on shimmering feathers, we begin a delicate dance
gliding around the cove in elegant ecstasy,

As I near the threshold of comfortable distance, the male shields the others.
Lifting his wings in warning, his exquisite form becomes translucent, bathed in golden light.
I gaze in grateful awe at this marvelous sight, knowing this is the gift that was calling to me –
Beauty, the eternal embrace, complete and everlasting in this fleeting intimate encounter.


Ann West, October 6, 2007

Bowser’s Last Banquet

Bowser’s Last Banquet honors the passing of a beloved companion.

Bowser’s Last Banquet

Much more than a pet
my soul-companion Bowser
was born blessed in spirit
curious, mercurial, and loving.

Our thirteen shared years
were a gift cradled
in a love that deepened
as his life waned.

When his miracle drug
could no longer save him,
he hunkered down on the
fireside hearth to die.

I had to relieve his suffering.
The call was made
Tears were shed
We had only one day left.

Then there was a choice —
to mourn his imminent loss
or celebrate his life and
help him live ‘til he died.

So Bowser’s last supper was a banquet.
His brother ET and sweetheart Tess
gathered ‘round him by the fire
to feast one last time together,
all relishing a main course of tuna
side dish of intoxicating catnip
and kitty treats for dessert.

Curled up close to my beloved Bowser,
I became the fourth cat,
grateful he could eat,
taking pleasure in his pleasure.

Fully satiated, he stretched his full body length out on the warm stone hearth
at peace and deeply contented
to dream by the fire.


Ann West, 2.11.15

Participation Mystique: Bella and the Fawn

Participation Mystique: Bella and the Fawn captures an amusing unlikely encounter.

Participation Mystique: Bella and the Fawn

Chance blessed me one autumn morn
to witness an unlikely encounter —
portal to an enchanted world surrounding.

Glancing up, I was struck to behold a young buck
planted front and center below my window,
his attention fixed on something nearby.

Deft as a Ninja, I stepped out to peer over the deck.
There was Bella, sitting fully aware on open ground,
her feline back to the buck.

He stomped the ground with his hoof.
Bella slowly turned her head
to hold him at bay with a backwards gaze.

Again his hoof pounded the ground.
Bella held hers.

The buck so yearned to nuzzle this alien being.
Still Bella’s cold stare held him in place.

Then with frustrated snort and parting stomp
the buck leapt up and away, with Bella
running behind in curious pursuit.


Ann West, 11.6.17

Poems that Talk to Each Other

Often another poet’s writing calls forth a poetic response. For example, Rumi’s poem below inspired me to reflect in a series of poems on “ways I kneel and kiss the earth.”

Today like every other day
we wake up empty and scared.
Don't open the door of your study
and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument
Let the beauty we love be what we do
There are hundreds of ways to kneel
and kiss the earth.

Kissing the Ground

Kissing the Ground embodies transformation through the practice of Yoga.

Kissing the Ground

Musings from the Heart of Yoga

Winding down Watering Pond time bends around the curves
Hard edges dissolve in a sylvan lake

Massive stepping stones lead to an arboreal entrance
Shoes removed, bare feet ascend a candlelight stairway
On the landing a lotus bearing Buddha bids peaceful pause

Then more stairs open onto a serene glass-enclosed tree house
Yoga mats mindfully placed flank left and right
In the center vibrant flowers excite the soul
Soft music graces the space

I arrive near the hour, only a few spaces remain
Namastes are exchanged, palms join at the heart
Pretense melts, persona falls away

Here is Sanctuary, safe and free to simply be, fully present
Coming into our bodies we settle into quietness
Linking breath to movement, breath becomes companion
Holding a challenging posture, we remain fully committed

Once the weight we carry is realized, we can discard it
and enter into the beautiful spaciousness of the body.

Each inhalation deepens the pose

Grow the body with the breath, Feel what you feel
Soften your face . . . the back of eyeballs

Take your time . . . Let e v e r y t h i n g go
Experience tension unraveling . . . the quality of mindful release
Edges are temporary . . . There is always more to soften

Breathing in, I calm my body — Breathing out, I smile

Hands come to heart, Head bows...

May all beings be safe, May all beings be happy
May all beings be free from suffering, May all beings be free

Om-m-m-m-m
Golden light bathes my closed eyelids

Practice becomes a blissful pathway to
t r a n s f o r m a t i o n


Ann West, 2010

Beloved Muse

Beloved Muse celebrates an ongoing love affair with my noble friend, the cello.

Beloved Muse

As a child yet unscathed by cupid’s bow,
I was drawn to my beloved’s deep voice,
mellow and soothing like my lost father’s.
With him came an old world tradition
that he patiently taught me over time
to hone and honor with deep devotion.
Life became an adventure! Together
we performed Bach in Banaras, Bartok
in Budapest, Ravel in gay Paris.
He still beckons me to take the high road,
obey my heart, follow what I love.
Even when I stray, he silently waits,
ever responsive to my warm embrace.


Ann West, 2017

Psyche & Care of the Soul

My psycho-spiritual journey has shared a parallel path with the cello. Now with my study of Jung and Mandalas, music and psyche are beginning to merge and enhance each other.

Tending the Subtle Body

Tending the Subtle Body was inspired by a Jungian Conference in Ireland on Creativity and Mystery that explored the Subtle Body and Archetypal Symbols in Alchemy.

Tending the Subtle Body

Obey thy heart
Be drawn to what you love
Unknowing is most intimate

Let it come to you
The path will meet your feet
Obey thy heart

Enter the silence
Call to the blackbird
Unknowing is most intimate

Quiet devil intellect
Let the white bird light
Obey thy heart

Float on tremulous waters
Under the luminous moon
Unknowing is most intimate

Harbor the ruby redbird
Breathe deeply into light
Obey thy heart
Unknowing is most intimate


Ann West
April, 2011
Jung in Ireland
Creativity and Mystery
Sources of Meaning and Healing

Who's Captain

Who’s Captain? takes a realistic look at life choices through a Jungian lens.

Who’s Captain?

Do we live by Fate or Destiny?
The little ego, a tiny island rises up out of the deep
atop a huge iceberg submerged in dark waters —
the Unconscious runs the show, personal and collective
with Archetypes inherited from ancient ancestors,
Genetic memory going back four plus generations.

What we focus on is enhanced, may be true
Yet, Caregivers control us
Romantic love unravels us
Loss breaks us open
Parenting humbles us
Vocation calls us
Aging defies us.

Trickster life has its hairpin turns.
Is How to respond our only choice —
Attitude our only card
To fight against or accept what is?

More consciousness the cure ?
Follow Your Bliss, Love
Religion, Buddhism, Service
Detachment, Surrender?

Does Life live us?


Ann West, June 2019

Affirmations

Everything we wish to manifest is seeded by an idea. Setting an intention is crucial for creation. When I need clarity in making choices on how to prioritize my time, or which path to take, I find that writing affirmations helps manifest the vision I ultimately will put into action.

Bending Time and Space

Bending Time and Space allows one to live “Out of the Box,” and take “No” for a question.

Bending Time and Space

Thank You Mr. Einstein

How we spend our days is, of course
how we live our lives.
— Annie Dillard

In our crazy busy lives
how do we make space for what truly matters?
How do we find time to nurture ourselves?
How do we stop and become so quiet
that we hear the voice within?

When people we love live far away
How do we stay connected?
When external tasks keep us apart,
In brief times together,
how do we weave a common thread?

Go deep.
Bend time.
Span space.

We have uncommon dimensions
beyond height and width.
We have the depths of the heart
and the mercurial life of the spirit
that travels beyond space and time.

We have EST, Central Time, Mountain Time,
past, present, future . . .
And we have Sacred Time —
Presence
Now.

We experience Impermanence —
witness our own slow decline,

Yet we live forever in the eternity of Love
and virtue of good Deeds.

We live our values.
We make time for what matters.

Some sleep before they die.
May we live now with intention
courageous and awakened
to greet each new day as a blessing
and respond with grateful heart.


Ann West, 2009

Play Grounds

Play Grounds is an invitation to re-imagine possibility and rekindle joy and enchantment in everyday life.

Play Grounds

Hamlet’s weary world was a stage.
A child’s enchanted world
is a playground.

Raise a glass to Beginner’s Mind —
the simple art of Being,
curious, present, fully engaged in play.

Here’s to an unfurled brow
and softened gaze
in my wisdom years.

May my smile lines deepen
in gratitude from simple joys, and
belly erupt in mirthful laughter.

May every room of my soulful house
become a playground
for my inner child

to immerse and re-imagine
all that is sacred, true and beautiful
in cyclic renewal each new day.


Ann West, 2016

Body-Mind Reflection

Body-Mind Reflection was inspired by an Integrative Nutrition assignment, hence the inclusion of Primary and Secondary Foods, woven into the fabric of Integrative Transformation.

Body-Mind Reflection

An Integrative Nutrition Assignment


Task
What! Write a letter to my body?
Another country, an island unto itself existing somewhere below the neck?

Perspective
Isn’t one’s physical body an integral part of wholeness —
temple for intellect and emotions, at best an alchemic vessel
melding Mind-Spirit-Soul into essence?

Apology
If so, amends are due to a system complex and miraculous
from a lapsed consciousness that too often overlooks the gift of everyday life.

Regret there is for abuse from a fierce intellect that rejected my chubby child,
enforced starvation diets, ignored pleas for balance,
and forced my body to work without adequate food, water, recreation, or rest.

Gratitude
there is for my youthful body’s natural ability to heal —
for years of beauty, strength, flexibility and agility to run, dance, swim, make music,
make love and birth a beautiful boy, cultivate gardens and create Arts community.

Intention
now is to care for my body with kind moderation —
adequate rest, nutritious delicious foods
restorative baths with home-made sensual body balms,
and a wardrobe of soft flowing fabrics
for daily exercise and gentle yoga.

Practice
To mindfully integrate Primary Foods
Nurturing relationships, Meaningful work, Daily exercise, Spiritual practice
(add Lifelong learning)

with Secondary Foods • Peacefully prepared, Generously shared
More pure water, whole grains, sweet root vegetables, dark leafy greens
fresh organic fruits, berries, beans, seed, lentils, and nuts
(with minimal dairy, animal protein, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol)

Surrender Embracing aging and mortality with appreciation for a body still fit and strong
Cultivating contentment
Sourcing energy from Inner light
Deepening wisdom to pass on beauty and blessings.

The Goal: Integrative Transformation for Optimal Well Being


Ann West, 2015