Poetry Month Day #17: “Sanctuary” Poem

Happy Day #17 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Sanctuary.” It celebrates the many places my soul has found a peaceful sanctuary including my creativity (art and writing), yoga and meditation practice, home affectionately known as “The Chakra Castle,” Elmina Slave Castle in Ghana, La Regla in Cuba, the city of London (Brick Lane and Forest Gate neighborhood in East London, London Buddhist Centre, and the Southbank Centre), museums like the Brooklyn Museum and the National Museum of African Art, and Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC.

Sanctuary

My soul seeks a sanctuary
Where the peace that passeth all understanding resides
And the grace of the Almighty exists in abundance.
I travel from DC to La Regla in Cuba to Elmina Slave Castle in Ghana to Forest Gate in East London only to find that which I’m seeking is always seeking me because it lives inside.
So I settle into myself and travel within.
And I discover what sages have written about for ages.
My sanctuary of peace exists in my present moment.
It appears wherever I go and in whatever I feel think, say, and do.
It is my creativity.
It is my yoga and meditation practice.
It is my Chakra Castle home.
It is my cup of ginger tea.