Tag: Poem-A-Day

Poetry Month Day #20: “Yes” Poem

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Happy Day #20 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Yes.” It was inspired by a free Introduction to Illustrator (Adobe) software class I took today at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

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The instructor Troy Bent made several statements during the class that reminded me why it’s important to say YES to experiences and opportunities that push me out of my comfort zone and require me to step up and learn new things, make changes, go to new places, meet new people, and work with clients on projects that look and feel bigger than what I’m used to.

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Yes

They come everyday,
Knocking at my door,
Whispering in my ear.
Experiences and opportunities longing for my participation.
Which ones should I choose?
I dwell in a state of endless contemplation with no decision made.
I weigh my options as the day passes into another.
A week comes and goes.
One month ends and another begins.
Before long a new year presents itself.
I can no longer hear the knock of opportunity or the whispers of experiences waiting to happen.
So I sit in silence.
Day transitions to night.
My mind becomes quiet.
Divine wisdom inserts herself and counsels me to invite the knock and the whispers.
I say “Yes” and a whole new world opens before me.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: PanacheDesai.com

Poetry Month Day #19: “Discover” Poem

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Happy Day #19 of National Poetry Month!

“Discover” is the title of today’s poem. It was inspired by a Friday evening walk I took with a friend in Columbia Heights. During the walk, we discovered a large sculpture that celebrated the life and work of Jamaican political leader, journalist, and publisher Marcus Garvey.

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Discover

Walk the earth with fresh eyes.
Approach each day as a new beginning.
Recognize you know nothing.
Live with curiosity.
Discover miracles and blessings you’ve never seen.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Poetry Month Day 18: “Communion” Poem

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Happy Day #18 of National Poetry Month!

“Communion” is the title of today’s poem. It was inspired by a mindful meditation and walk trip I took with my church, Unity of Washington, DC  to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland this morning.

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During the walk, I stopped and sat by a reflecting pool. As I sat in the stillness, the word communion kept repeating itself in my mind. It stayed with me for the rest of the day. My poem below is the end result. Enjoy!

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Communion

Dwelling in the sacred place of the Most High,
I willingly enter into communion with my higher self.

Together we celebrate the April new moon that dances in the fire energy of Aries and prepares the way for new beginnings.

We surrender the past and breathe in the present as we embrace the future.

Our heart rejoices in song.

I am so blessed.
I am so blessed.
I am so grateful for all I AM.

We sing it until we rest in the silence
Allowing the vibration of each word to permeate the core of our being.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Poetry Month Day #17: “Sanctuary” Poem

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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.
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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.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Poetry Month Day #16: “Whole” Poem

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Happy Day #16 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Whole.” It is inspired by a yoga nidra (deep relaxation) class I took on Wednesday evening at my church, Unity of Washington, DC. During the class, Reverend Ivy Hylton, a Conscious Creation Life Therapist, led two guided meditations that allowed my body, mind, spirit, and heart to relax with deep breathing.

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Whole

As I slip into the stillness
Calmness travels from my head to my toes.
All parts of me surrender.
For the first time in a long time
All of me is present.
We are one body, mind, spirit, and heart
Connected to the breath.
So I breathe deep and long
Allowing myself to embrace everything I find within myself.
The strengths and weaknesses.
The consistency and inconsistency.
The beauty and complexity of being whole.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: PanacheDesai.com

Poetry Month Day #13: “Possibilities” Poem

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Happy Day #13 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Possibilities.” It is inspired by three things.

1) A wisdom quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

2) My memory of seeing Hillary Clinton give her “women’s rights are human rights” speech at the UN Fourth World Conference in Beijing, China in 1995.

3) Hillary Clinton’s announcement that she is running for President of the United States yesterday.

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Possibilities 

Each woman who came before me dreamed of something better.
They are my champions.
Their dreams and sacrifices are my possibilities.
They sacrificed with faith and without even knowing what better would mean.
Their sacrifice created freedom to define myself for myself just as Mama Audre Lorde instructed.
Their legacy of walking with faith fuels my choices to express my freedom when I doubt myself, fear sets in, and I think I cannot do what I dream of doing.
Their ancestral spirits cheer me on as I choose to do the things I think I cannot do.
Their love helps me manifest possibilities into realities.
And for this I bow my head in gratitude, give thanks, and say Amen.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Poetry Month Day #12: “Be” Poem

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Happy Day #12 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Be.” It celebrates living in the present moment. How do you stay in the present moment?

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Be

Outside

Mind dominates.
Inside
Heart leads.
Breathe.
Stillness exist.
So I can rest, renew, and reconnect.
So I can BE!

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Panache Desai

Poetry Month Day #11: “Accountability” Poem

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Happy Day #11 of National Poetry Month!

This year, my accountability partner Nia and I decided  to celebrate our accomplishments each quarter. Today is our first celebration. In preparation for our celebration, I reviewed the list of January, February, and March accomplishments I wrote in my Eleanor Roosevelt-inspired journal (the quote on the cover is a great daily reminder) earlier this week.

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As I read the list, I was filled with deep gratitude for the accountability relationship and practice Nia and I have created. Having her support is one of the reasons I have been able to believe in and manifest the beauty of my dreams. Today’s poem, “Accountability” is inspired by the work we have done to help manifest our dreams in 2014 and the first quarter of 2015. Do you have an accountability practice or partner? How has the practice and/or partner helped you believe in and manifest the beauty of your dreams?

Accountability

My spirit whispers at midnight.
Those whispers travel into my sleep and become sacred dreams that call my name.
They invite me to manifest them in my life.
I wake up filled with ideas.
My day passes into the next.
The ideas lay dorment.
They need a lot of help to come alive.
So I sit down at my desk to create a plan.
Steps are outlined.
Deadlines are set.
It looks like I’m ready to move forward, but I’m not.
Fear creeps in.
I allow it to build a barrier.
Nothing gets done.
Frustration sets in.
I convey my feelings to a good sistafriend.
She shares a similar story and suggests we create an accountability relationship and weekly practice to manifest our dreams.
I get excited and say “YES.”
We agree to support each other with micro task texting, email resources,  and weekly check- in sessions via telephone.
Our check-in sessions discuss what went well, what did not go well, what the next week’s focus includes, how we celebrated, what we are looking forward to, and what we need help with.
I decide to journal about my daily priorities and accomplishments.
Within months, I begin to manifest some of my dreams.
Guess what else happens?
By year’s end, I am living with more commitment, confidence, and courage to be who I was created to be.
A woman who manifests the beauty of her dreams with accountability!

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Poetry Month Day #10: “Success” Poem

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Happy Day #10 of National Poetry Month!

This week, I completed Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra’s Manifesting True Success 21-Day meditation series. Meditating each day on the wisdom they shared and chanting sacred mantras helped me redefine SUCCESS and plant new seeds of what it means in my spirit, heart, mind, and body. Here are some of the key takeaways from this experience.

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They inspired today’s poem “Success” (see below). How do you define success?

Success

Had to come in from the world because how I was being, thinking, living, and doing wasn’t working for me anymore.

I didn’t know what was gonna happen from moment to moment or day to day.

I just knew I needed to turn within and spend time decluttering my spirit, mind, and body so I could embrace my wholeness with an open heart.

As I reconnected with myself from inside of the Inside, my fears of failure, not being or having enough, and unworthiness visited me.

I tried to run from them, but there was no place to hide.

Meeting them face-to-face was my only option.

Our first, second, third, fourth, and fifth dates were horrendous because I was standing in a place of resistance.

Things got a little better when I decided to surrender and embrace the courage to sit with my fears right next to me.

Guess what?

They’re still sitting next to me and we’re still meeting face-to-face as I excavate, understand, and work to release their root cause.

Some days this process feels like a really bad root canal.

Other days it feels Lionel Ritchie singing “it’s easy like Sunday morning.”

In the midst of it all, I am learning to trust myself and not what does or does not happen in life.

And my definition of success is being reframed based on who I am and how I value my uniqueness from the inside out.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: ChopraMeditation.com

Poetry Month Day #7: “Bloom” Poem

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Happy Day #7 of National Poetry Month!

Today’s poem is entitled “Bloom.” It is inspired by the beautiful flowers I saw during my afternoon walk.

Bloom

Right where I am lies an opportunity.
It doesn’t look like it, but it is.
It is wrapped in a package I wouldn’t normally open.
My fear of what’s next is stopping me.
I can’t forecast my future.
I have no access to the details.
I can’t control it.
The only thing I can do is surrender, have faith, open the package, and bloom right where I am.

Copyright 2015 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.