“ When you get quiet inside, the right words come a little easier.” — Maya Angelou
Poem of the Month
Magic
Popcorn clouds pitter patter in the north
to the east spilt cream spreads
across a pale blue horizon
a zipper divides the southern sky
each tooth a jagged cloud
behind me a brilliant sun dances
in a rainbow of tiny cloudlets.
I am alive in the center
of this vast and vivid universe
of light
and movement
magically arising and dissolving
all around me and
in my flesh and bones
marrow and breath
my heart miraculously beating
to the same tune as the planets
and stars that circle in fathomless space.
Writing of the Month
The Random Musings of an Aging
Bi-polar Meditator
I am beginning to see, or maybe sense is a more likely word, a pattern emerging in my Substack writings, a pattern I am recognizing in my aging life, a pattern made up of all the threads that have woven through my years on this planet –– threads of my heart opening and closing, my nervous system clanking and crashing, picking up and humming along, my mind darkening and lightening, my body aching and shutting down and rising up and dancing again.
It is the path of a bipolar meditator getting old and becoming aware of every cycle, every roller coaster ride, every seesaw up and down, watching the waves crash and slide back into the sea pounding and smoothing the rocky edges. Happy and sad, hope and fear, open and shut wearing themselves out like an old shoe, loneliness becoming love, anger no different than joy. Holding with kindness all the bad parts, the lesser parts, the too much too chatty parts, the parts that want to wake up dead, the I am better than and I am the scum of the earth parts.
We are all crisscrossing, spinning and spiraling, weaving in and out. There is no one in control anymore and thank goodness for that.
Each day I pick one of Atisha the... who... Today’s slogan is Give up all hope of fruition which on first reading seems a little bleak, but as I spent time with it, I could see another way of framing it. A wave of relief washed over me as I contemplated what it would to give up all hope of fruition:
I wouldn’t have to win.
I wouldn’t have to be the best...
Or always get it right..
I could fail without feeling like a failure.
I wouldn’t need to keep pushing sweaty and irritated to an elusive finish line.
I could take all the time I need. I could stop and let my mind wander, take in the view, forget why it was so important to arrive at a conclusion.
Most of my life, I have been impatient, anxious for this to be over and the next to begin, always pushing ahead without being here. All the moments I have missed not being here, not savoring a meal, not sitting still long enough for the hummingbird to land on a blossom and sip the nectar, slapping the lotion on after a shower, never taking the time to massage it into my skin.
Now I am old. My body is slower; my gaze is softer. Even my anxious mind is finding ways to relax. Thank goodness I can lose sight of the goal and live the journey.
This boat is gliding through pods of hippos, crocodiles slithering through the mud, elephants tromping across, and kingfishers swooping skimming the river. Who knows what’s ahead. Right now there is nowhere to go but here. And all I can say is hallelujah for that!
Learn more about my memoir A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home
To read more writings check out my Substack page.
Poetry Books Available for Purchase
Who Knew? 23 Poems on Aging
Who Knew? is a new collection of twenty three poems celebrating the joys and sorrows of aging. Through unflinching and loving attention, Victress Hitchcock shares her journey of discovery through the sometimes hilarious, often heartbreaking, always surprising world of getting older.
“This little book of poetry is an intimate and insightful exploration of aging.”
- Frank Ostaseski author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully
“What fun, sharp, a little outrageous but undeniably true and just liberating poetry!!”
- Johanna Demetrakas, director of Feminists What Were They Thinking
Available for purchase on Amazon
Whoosh Stripped Bare
“In the spirit of Mary Oliver, whose poems helped me forget my day-to-day problems and connect with the magic of existence, Victress Hitchcock’s new poetry book brings me pure joy, like chocolate for my soul.” – From the foreword by Anam Thubten author of No Self, No Problem and Choosing Compassion.
“Vivid, moving, and wise, this collection of poems offers an abundance of delights and surprises.”
- Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, author of Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories & Teachings
“A heartful, fluid appreciation of life in and as radiant glimpses.”
- Reed Bye, retired Chair of Writing and Poetics at Naropa
Available for purchase on Amazon
Hello Honey: Eighteen Poems from the Path
A joyful collection of poems and images that celebrates fifty years of being on the Buddhist path.
“As if harkening to us through the title itself, “Hello Honey”, author Victress Hitchcock lovingly invites us into a sweet and intimate tapestry of reflections, poetry, and images.” — Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, author of The Logic of Faith
“The poems trigger an awareness and longing that is truly precious.”
- Lama Tsultrim Allione author of Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine
Hello Honey is now available at Blurb Bookstore.