If you ever lose heart and the earth seems as distant as stars fading into the noise of your busy mind, know this. That a tiny island exists in the blue hands of the ocean. That a tree grows upright into the salted clouds. That two eagles love each other enough to spend their lives greeting the morning sun together. That two eaglets stand in their nest, gazing at the heavens. Looking down to the forever ground. They eat and sleep and flap their wings. And one day in July, one by one, they will jump into the air. They will know the difference between existing and what is beyond. They will hold onto nothing. The hurricane will come, courage catching their pinions on fire, as they mount the wind, climbing ladders into realms of the invisible.


--T.L. Stokes






Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tree of Birds

Tree of Birds
by T.L. Stokes



From vast paths unlit and mysterious
I am pulled back to the water planet,
back to slim light reaching under the window,
back to the sound of a thousand broken songs--
black wings crowded into one old alder
on the edges of the field.

My eyes are sleepy. White curtain drawn
away from the window, crouched and curious,
I watch the birds. Hundreds of wings carpet
the upper stretch of old black arms.
The crow family tries to scare them off,
they all sing louder. A busy roar. A squirrel
travels along dark highways, I can't even hear
him. The alpacas, soft and elegant, stare.

I lie on a pillow at the window, snapping photos
upside down. Loud birds in their monstrous flock
sing and chatter for a long while. Then a handful,
scatter away from the tree's head. Like pepper into
empty space. Then another handful. Over and over
they shake themselves away. I have a picture, of
the last one, what is his name--

what door did he close
when they had all flown away?





for Heather
because she sees magic

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Twitter and George

Notes:

George Wintston is following me on Twitter. That's right. So I'm following him.

And what am I doing today you might be asking. Well, stay tuned. Remember, anything is possible. Take time to imagine, that's how children create the rest of their lives.


T.L. Stokes

Monday, January 25, 2010

Trust

From: Full Body Presence
by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana


Today’s Image:


Trust

”Trusting that there is an unlimited source of nourishing,
life-giving energy in the Universe allows you to recognize
that you are loved, and supported throughout your life, and
allows you to live from trust rather than from fear.”

“Trust is like the aquifer—the huge water pool under the earth—that feeds all of the subsurface wells. In business and in life, these wells are often called innovation, complementary teams,collaboration, empowerment…these wells themselves feed the rivers and streams of human interaction, business commerce and deal making.”

“The capacity to be open to discovery is an imporatant first step in any healing, growing, or manifesting process.”

“Our innate cellular intelligence informs us constantly, like an inner compass of deep knowing.”

“So the key is to train yourself to remember that this unconditional source of energy does exist, and to pause and connect with it in whatever way you can in each moment. Then the possibilities and options become clear and more accessible, and you are able to stop the cycle of negative thinking. You are able to begin to trust."


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