Fear & The Prospect of Angels
Fear is such a poorly made coat Ragged cuffed and thread bare At the elbows and shoulders. I would hope to see you More warmly dressed In a hand knit sweater Created stitch by stitch With you in mind Fear acts as if it is something Of importance or substance, Giving off the illusion of fullness Like a 7-Eleven Big Gulp Or a bathtub filled with iceberg lettuce I would rather for you A ripe plum Or a tall glass of cool water Something sweet and real That pulls up a moan of pleasure And satisfies all that’s been hollow or hungry. Before we were born Before we floated in our mothers’ womb We both swam in the inner ocean Of the Beloved And if we could only know the truth of this We might recognized one another As the old friends we are. And yet Fear is a growling animal A song with on note And dangerous when cornered. I would hope for you a bird That sat riding on your shoulder All day long Delighting you with how Many many songs it knows That occasionally flutters into the air Wings quickening Softly and beautifully beating, Like a heart when it hears the one voice Its been waiting forever to hear A flash of what angels must sound like When they pass by So near As they so often do.
Question:
What might happen if the next time you noticed a fear holding you back from some small (start small) connection, you stopped and listened for the humming of something gracious and true in your life? Perhaps remember a time when you took a step forward when it felt a little risky and it worked out in a beautiful way?
Did it help you have to confidence to take that small step toward connection? If not…what might be helpful?
Laying my hand on your heart and saying “oh honey” always helps me 🙂
Carrie Newcomer is an American singer, songwriter and author. She has produced 19 solo CDs and has received numerous awards for her music and related charitable activities. She has collaborated with numerous authors, academics, philosophers and musicians. She co-hosts Growing Edge, a podcast, with Parker Palmer. In 2009 and 2011 she traveled to India as a cultural ambassador, including musical performances organized by the US State Department. In 2012 she made a similar trip to Kenya on behalf of the Interfaith Hunger Initiative. Her range of causes, activities, collaborations and philosophies significantly influences her music. Newcomer was called “a prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe. Her insightful, creative weekly newsletter is A Gathering of Spirits.