One

I want nothing.
Nothing pleases me.
I celebrate nothing.
I love nothing.
Nothing beckons me beyond the urge to strive,
a constant yen to stave off Zen.
I want no sound, no taste, no smell,
no color, shape, or texture.
Nothing has plenty of nothing,
respite for my senses,
and that is what I want,
for a bit of time every day.

​- Velma Lee Barber

​

Dear Jamie-
I am nearing the end of my journey
And I've been with you through much of yours
I was there when wanting to off yourself
Was still in your thoughts every night
And I'm glad that you stayed around to take care of me
And that you stayed around to let me take care of you

Remember, dear Jamie, you named me Joy for a reason
I am the only animal in your life you got to name
And you named me Joy
You needed more Joy in your life
And I was happy to give it
I still am

I hope that now, as I near the end of my time
You are closer to learning that Joy is within you
Love is within you
Light is within you
Like your beloved Dorothy, everything you need is
Already within you

Including Joy
I still have some time left, so I'll hang around
Until I know that you've gotten it for sure
At least I know that
You will never let anyone
Lock me up in a cold basement again

Old with new
out Grown
Child with Adult
Responsibility Shifts
Kid like heart
It is tough
Truth with Lies
oil and vinegar
They don’t mix
Sometimes holding on
creates Confusion
Contusions
Who does she want to be?
A kid
Not possible.
What is real?
What is her present moment?
32 next week.
Single.
Differently Able
Perspective Changer
What makes her go on her own?
Playing with going
No one else
Just herself.
Fireworks Beautiful colors
Got scared
Loud noises
Echoing
Just wanted to see.
She drove through traffic
Testing her ability
She felt fear and she felt...
Freedom
It’s weird.
Guilty for going alone
and no one directs this life anymore.
She just cannot wait for someone to say “lets go”
No.
Boundary
Self Power.
She’s got perseverance.
She’s got Community Damn it.
Go try. Break fear.
Wallowing chokes out growth.
She’s shifting.
Transitions are meant with tears
and that’s okay.
Cry.
Supported.
Didn’t see that one coming.
Space opened just for you to feel
other people’s presence
and kitties
heartbeat’s
Balance.
She opened-up her
Rib cage.
Not everyone sees.
How she copes
reads and challenge
with Comprehension
oooo
that not easy.
They have been trying
and she dropped her wall
She doesn’t want to live in fear
that’s not cool at all
She’s worth more than
the self-sabotage
Thankful for a moment
spoken into her life
Speaking to her “let them control their own boundary”
And the body is hers for purposeful slowing down reasons
Not to ignore the fact asking for help-- is in that lesson
Logic with emotion
Won’t work hand and hand
and hers is human
Expression is in discovery
Be
It will come through play
Allowed to create
Silence and with speaking
Hmmm.
Silent no more
She works to speak.
Connect.
Yes, it’s tough
And well hell
She meant to be heard.
Slow and steady
Practice
She gains momentum
Nothing to prove just gains for herself
A Voice, Freedom, Living, and Personal
Growth.
Blessed to be among
people who see this when she has fallen
And helps dust her off
and stand her back on solid
ground.


Painted rock image featuring the expressive arts therapy practice of Irene Rodriguez

"Bacchus, how are you so in the moment?"

"What is moment? You mean chew and stretch? Yawn and sigh?"

"Yes - Those! How do you do all that?"

Bacchus then yawns, repositions his head, and closes his eyes,

thinking to himself,

"Human is asking weird questions again. No wonder she needs me to protect her."




Rose Kormanyos, LMFT is a Dancing Mindfulness facilitator and student in the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy program; she (and Bacchus) are based in Cincinnati, OH.

​Don’t be fool by me
I may smile
I may seem to have it all together
But inside I may be falling apart
I may seem to have all figure it out
But inside I may be playing by ear
I don’t  have all the answers
I’m looking for myself
If you see me around
Please, just call my name

               -Irene M. Rodriguez

In the supreme quiet of morning
I can just be
Sitting on the deck
Surveying the landscape
Both internal and external

It's good to have land
Especially when I can walk on it
As myself
Breathing fully into
The possibilities of each day

The water neutralizes
The fire within me
And I swim freely
Refreshed and renewed
Returning to sit once again

How sweet it is to be home
My anchor, my ground
My renewal and hibernation
The wayward come and go
Filling my space with delight

My home lives and breathes
Ebbs and flows like the seasons
The common thread is
Profound gratitude for having
Learned to come home to myself.

Lord Hanuman,
Send your monkey army
To heal my broken heart.

Fly down to India's southern tip
Like you did to rescue Mama Sita
Rescue me, my sweet Baba.

As I pray to you, I wonder
Have you given me the
Answers I need all along?

The answers to heal myself?
Breath that flows through me
And a heart that only knows how to love?

Lord Hanuman,
Send your monkey army
To heal my broken heart--

You already have!

Before I even knew your name
You equipped me with my salvation
My heart breathes into the sacred union.


Photograph by Jamie Marich

In my mind, there is a very distinct difference between justice and vengeance.
Justice is a principle based in objectivity.  Vengeance is based in emotion.
Justice is an attempt to fine tune balance in the eternal.  Vengeance is an attempt to balance a ledger by any means necessary in the present tense based on the past.
 
Justice is blind.  Vengeance has 20/20 tunnel vision.
Justice is based on reason and logic.  Vengeance is based on instinct.
 
They can, and often do overlap and intertwine in various ways, which may lead to some confusion in the moment. 
They can sometimes be the same.
They can sometimes only appear the same.
They can sometimes feel the same.
They can sometimes only appear to feel the same. 
And can be everything in between.
 
They also can be something altogether separate.



- J A Meade, A brief essay inspired by a Hinduism/Taoism/Stoicism philosophical combination

Photograph by Dr. Jamie Marich featuring the Dancing Mindfulness practice of Lexie Rae