brian shivers

take off     your shoes,     your socks,      your sandals,       your slippers. this ground,    the surface     upon which you stand, is sacred -    grass,    wildflowers,    soil,    concrete,    asphalt,    carpet,    tile,    wood.  divine breath     fills you. within your being     infinite touches    earth. O theotokos,     who births god       into the world, you     are that thin place,       where heaven        and universe          kiss. making all ground,       every place you stand,    holy. stand barefoot  in wonder.   — bshivers 

I am not the boundary of you. You are limitless. Don’t let you end. This is your lasting act of love.   — bshivers 

Every scar has a story. Each speaks  of a journey traveled;  each an altar  to divine encounter. Do not devalue them or attempt to rid life  of their indelible marks erasing  their lines, their invisible presence. They are sacred; sacrament of resurrection. Name them Anastasis.   — bshivers 

It matters not   whether you deem yourself     worthy; grace   will find you,   will surprise you,   will overwhelm you,   will remind you     that you are enough. You always have been. You always will be. You are right now.  She knows who you are    even when you forget. Listen to her voice.

Intertwined;    this story of yours,    this story of mine. Inexorably linked one to another,    these lives we live,    the loves we’ve lost,    the deaths we’ve died       a thousand times, though we may never meet.  Ours     a both/and existence     in an either/or world. May we find one another    in our lived stories       without fear       or apology discovering,  celebrating  the truth of these narratives,    the way we are,    the way we must be, together.    — bshivers 

this life - as a whole, in its parts - a poem. hers, his, theirs, the tree, the flower, the one blade of grass, that house, this building, all share poetic existence together. hear their meter. listen to their verse. these stanzas breathe; each word a single beat of the collective heart. do not dismiss  your contribution  nor the one  of the stranger, of the immigrant, of the other. claim the story. read its whole. read it again. perhaps this is the way toward life together.   — bshivers

Haunted forward  by a future  unfolding in dark cobwebbed corners  of imagination and dank musty caverns  of unfounded worry. The phantasms  conjured there feed on fear of what may be,   what could happen,     what might take place; and frighten us  away from  the beauty of what is and the hope of what will be. Rise up; ring boldly  the bells of becoming to signal  to any and all that “It is me! I am here! Nothing and  no one  possesses the power to stop me  from living this magnificent mystery of life!” Then, step boldly into what’s next and  who you have yet to be. 

You don’t have to pretend   to be more    than you already are.  Your you is enough.    The imperfections     you hide,      the ones from which you run,      are part of what makes you beautiful.   You are you.     Dwell     there.   Embrace your youness.    Rest in the acceptance   you’ll find. #poetry #poetrycommunity

Never forget . . .  you are  necessary.  The world, our world, this world we inhabit together, would never be without your one magnificent life. Live as if you know this to be true. When you have trouble remembering, because of the noise that echoes inside, take  a moment, a minute, an hour, a day, and feel your heart beat, fill your lungs, count your breaths, listen to their wisdom.  They will tell you the truth.  You are necessary here and now.   — bshivers

Call this Love,      this Eternal Force           who created,           who creates,            who holds                all things together,       this no matter who,      this no matter what,      this no matter when           Love, what you will; regardless of the       name,      word,      idea,      concept           used      to identify it,      to explain it,      to define it we are its revelation, we are its messengers, we are its legacy.  May we live      as if it’s true.   — bshivers

one lone shot rang out to end the dream of a King it must live through us   -- bshivers

Today, I touched eternity      this tree,           or was it a forest,           primordial rebirth,      hand quivering with connection,           energy transfer           through spread fingers.  Today, I held eternity       this child,           or was it humanity,           all present in one being,      arms heavy under the weight,           promise whispers           through each coo. Today, I beheld eternity      this lover’s face,           or was it love itself,           who contains all things,      eyes filled with tears,           acceptance pours           from her soul. Today, I breathed eternity       this wind,           or was she the spirit,           who has always been,      lungs expanding with presence,           love courses            through these veins.    — bshivers