Tag Archives: poetry

My Gifts from the Sea

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

The quote by Anne Morrow Lindbergh reminds me of one of the first Christmases away from my family whilst traveling. Heart sick in Australia, I was missing them terribly, so I went for a walk on a beach at Glenelg, Adelaide to center myself.

I had walked that beach quite a few times before, but there were never more than a sparse few shells. That Christmas Day the beach was covered with them. I’m a huge lover of the ocean, and I walked in bliss for a long time, soaking up the sunshine, immersed in the beauty, and collecting a few shells to takeaway. I felt that some angel had heard my prayers and laid these gifts on the beach to soothe my soul.

My family’s heritage includes Scottish, and I love the stirring sound of the bagpipes. From a balcony high up on one of the apartment buildings overlooking the beach, a lone sentinel dressed formally in kilt, played them for me as I walked under a cloudless azure sky. I can still see and feel all of it.

What were the chances? I suddenly did not feel so bereft; I was clearly cradled by energies watching out over me.

Everything is part of One. Never doubt it for a second…

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

I Am Ocean

Snowflakes
falling softly
tentatively
pure, white
innocent
new life.

I Am one.

Earth
cold hard
dormant
I land here.
I am ice, I am lost.
I wait.

Spring comes
warm sun,
I melt into
playing, trickling
tiny Rivulet.

I am born.

Playful riffles
gently learning
to flow
to maneuver
to be Stream.

Time passing,
stream is good
but I want more,
then suddenly –
rushing, roaring,
swirling, foaming

I become River.

Sometimes sunlight
flowing smoothly,
other times storms,
rocks, gashing
hard, struggling.

Learning
to be with rocks,
trees, sky,
other rivulets,
and streams.

I Am more.

Time passing,
waiting and
wanting,
with a deep
hunger inside
for vast.

And finally,
I let go
of myself
and transform,
to endless, infinite
water ocean.

I die.
I am born.
I Am One.

The poem I Am Ocean is from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life. It’s free to read or download here.

For Small Creatures Such As We

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“For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” ~ Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan was right, it’s our love for our families, our love of life that keeps us sane and going in an insane world. But will love sustain us forever? I suppose in the higher realms, yes. But what about here on Earth, right now? While some madmen are threatening each other with atomic weapons, and others are building AI they hope to use to control human civilization, where are the true humans in the equation? You know who I mean: We the ones who are thinking about our work, our families, how to build a life within all of this madness. We love. And there’s the crucial difference from the “inhumans”. We love.

We are caught up in the minutiae of our lives, and perhaps not always paying attention to the bigger drama unfolding before us. Yes, I think our love has the power to save us, but not in some fairy tale, Pollyanna way. Spiritual warriors love, yes, but they are also prepared to defend that which they love, with eyes wide open.

There is a very good word, it’s a very short and powerful one, but much underused. That word is “No”. It is important to simply say no to and turn our backs on that which appears to not have the best interests of humans at heart. Then we can use our energy to imagine and build the world we want, together.

In It Together

In a system that feels
heartless and remote,
now more than ever
we must reach out to
others in kindness,
in a personal way,
human-to-human.

The problems of
all of humanity
are now breaching
our own backyards;
it’s no longer possible
to turn a blind eye,
we’re in it together.

“In It Together” from Humanity’s Lament: Poetry for Our Times

Susan L Hart 2025 | HartInspirations.com | Free ebooks

The Power of Love

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Love is the force that draws us inexorably together, the glue that will not allow us to give up on each other. It is our greatest challenge and biggest source of miracles. Infinite love already exists in everything that is alive, including you and me. Our love lessons are about removing the obstacles to love. They teach us out how to access, express, and live it. That is, if we choose to learn.

Do you realize? Your love gives you immense personal power to change the world. The mass media news is too often rife with division, hate, and fear. Some people just wait and hope for an external power or institution to cure the big problems of the world, because the events feel too big and out of their control. They will have a very long wait.

Consider that perhaps the high tension in the world right now is a challenge to each of us to work on unlocking our own love. Together we could collectively unleash a world of love that has never been seen before. It begins with each of us, with one random act of kindness, a single word of compassion, a step upward on the stairway of understanding.

It’s one bit of love at a time. It ripples outward and builds. It comes from you and I, and anyone else who chooses to participate instead of just complaining about how bad things are. It’s what the ancient Greeks called “agape”, a selfless love for humanity, and the world sorely needs more of it.

Adopt a global consciousness. Choose to be a living example of love, compassion, and understanding. Work to bridge the divides you encounter. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Is a genuine smile a form of love we give to someone else? I think so…

Smiles

Smiles have
this way, they
captivate and
illuminate,
they raise up
our energy
and light up
the world,
the ripple
outward and
boomerang
back to us,
they’re a gift
we give to others
and to ourselves,
so just –

Smile.

The Power of Love is an excerpt from my free ebook Becoming Bigger: In a world that wants to keep you small. The premise of this short read book is that when we free ourselves from the limitations that hold us back, we not only create a better life for ourselves, we also create a better world. Please feel free to download a copy here.

Susan L Hart / HartInspirations.com / Find other free ebooks

Wholly

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Living life wholly, fully, completely,
is a process of learning,
with full awareness
and reverently,
for life IS holy –
I don’t mean religiously,
but yes, spiritually,
and respectfully
of All of Life,
not sacrificially
of yourself,
your own soul,
your learning,
but cooperatively
with humanity,
compassionately,
understandingly,
gracefully,
lovingly,
becoming
wholly
One.

The Beauty of Our Souls

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Sometimes we forget to look for the deeper beauty in life. Beauty is easy to see on the face of a young person, fresh-faced and attractive by the definition of the particular culture in which they live. And admittedly, we all love to gaze upon a beautiful face. Beauty gives us pleasure.

But when physical beauty fades around the edges, then we have no choice but to look deeper. And there comes a point in our own evolution when we realize: The full, deep beauty of a person lies in their heart. Ironically, it is in this realization that our own souls grow to another level of beauty. We start seeing and connecting to people in a different way. We start living from the heart.

Some inner wisdom, expressed by the model and actress Audrey Hepburn, who was revered in her time for her exquisite physical beauty:

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”

Later in life, Audrey worked hands on in some of the poorest communities in Africa, South America, and Asia, to help alleviate poverty and be an example of what the Greeks call “agape”, or love for humanity. She became an icon for beauty yet again, but this time for a different kind, that of her heart.

Yes, (no matter our gender): The wisdom accumulated from our many life lessons, the shine in our eyes, our caring and compassion for our fellow human, our enthusiasm and gratitude for life itself, and a deep desire to keep living it with the full on curiosity and passion of a child – these are what grow us into the fullness of the inherent beauty of our souls.