poetry

Jeffrey Johnson
(And so it goes. We asked for shared creativity and it makes sense that the first entry we received was from a pivotal artist who swims in the deep, is raptured by intuitive moments of life, and flies free with the passing winds of connection. Someone who is equally comfortable with the shameless selfie as they are drowning in the ripples of Ken Wilber. Jeffrey Johnson was raised in Wyoming and has lived in the Rockies his entire life. He went to school for visual art and has always had an appreciation for other artforms such as music, literature, poetry and film. Oh, and people. Embracing the abstract and the comfort of his skin…his layers are deep and crypticaly exposed. Enjoy cracking the code…)

Spirit in Time

the waves of time
direct
and bind us
we weave
with choice
into endless flow
create the currents
bind ourselves into
the ripples and waves
of endless time

we are leaves
carried and blown
from branches
and branches
of endless time
we feed the soil
from which roots grow
the endless murmur
life must flow

as civilization fails
halls
of endless time
beckon and call
of lost heights
lessons learned
though generations
endless
through endless time

spirit bonds matter
bonds spirit
through body
grows mind
through watching
breathes soul
touching spirit
matter's meaning
growing body into mind
soul watches on
bonding matter
back to spirit

so mountains
they rise
through seabeds
through time
dust floating
and frozen
coalesces

stars burn
and stars shine
and matter
she rises
embodies
for mind

flesh and bone
permutations
as endless
as time
turn to fingers
and eyes
matter
she rises
through womb
she bears mind

words and whispers
grow endless
weaving through time
building temples
toward meaning
for fingers
and eyes

matter she rises
through words
she bears mind
the dust
coalesces
spirit bonds
spirit shines

lost essence
pervades senses
body finds mind
mind finds body
rippling through time
dust coalesces
fingers and eyes
reason finds existence
matter lifts
matter shines

words and whispers
turn to stories
mind digests
mind
fingers lifted
eyes look further
matter finds time

soul
like light
arises
watching matter
watching mind
though shadow
through form
spirit rises
dust coalesces
and
endlessness shines

I’m undistracted
Oh no, there’s me
People with courage
Good God, they’re free
How can they share
Look in my eyes
Uncovered, unsheltered
Exposed and seen
Through my lens
And their own
A willing canvas
Of what’s to be
No expectation
Other than voice
A story so bold
The unborn sea
Ride each wave
Let it soar
With your mind
And mine
Perhaps now
We are born

Beat up inside

The emotions they do

The twisting and turning

My face it feels blue

My hands, they are shaking

My body too

Unsettled and shifting

How much can it do?

My throat is tight

Blocked and unsteady

My ears are ringing

Shoulders are heavy

My chest is constricted

My eyes a bit fixed

Tension and worry

Energies mixed

But not in a way

That feels typical or true

A blending I may avoid

Though, not at all new

Each time I face

My own judgment and fear

It feels like rejection

Before I am clear

I sit in the muck

The layers are thick

The weight they bare

Makes my stomach feel sick

A lump in my throat

My eyes welled with tears

The discomfort takes over

I become this fear

Take a breath

Give it all space

Room to move

Do not replace

The process is rich

Please let it unfold

The undoing is nothing

If you try to mold

Let it be

Just let it be, my dear

I will hold and keep you

Safe right here

Stay so near

Just pause and be still

The knowing will come

Make room without will

I’ve got you just now

And, in fact, always do

Settle into me

You are me. and I am you

Eyes in the rear view

A quick wink you share

You act like you know

The depths that are there

But, afraid you are

To touch at all

What lies beneath

It’s to befall

Stay on the scratch

Or, reach down below

Projections

Assumptions

A perfect show

The keys in minor

A tune undercover

Do the efforts feel alive?

When did I forget

The beauty of my soul

The fragrance of my presence

The dance that made me whole?

Turn me down

Drown me out

This bass runs deep

These chords in harmony

No more playing on my strings

Out of sync

The surface, the disguise

So obvious, so trite

A new chorus

The crescendo, well

Hello, me.

Cutting the chord
An anchor so deep
Lodged
The clay, it holds
My ship afloat
Dying to follow the tide
Throttle down, bow up
Pulling back
Stuck
A tear in the rope
Over time
Threads they wear
Weak
The prongs are deep
The ship, weathered
A night, a storm
Winds they blow
Salt in eyes
Caps so high
Snap
Thrashing side to side
Then, in the clearing
The sun ahead
Pieces of thread
In the wake
Engine roars, sails fly free
Blue water, open seas
Nothing but me

And she was weary of dipping her toes

Suffocated on the surface of the depth, the light

Forward she moved with sensual grace, beauty, ease

A divine strength so connected and delicate it moved the grains

But with a wound so open it breathed fire

With any shift, she could be engulfed

Swept away with passion, grief, sorrow…but air

A surrender only she could trust

When her glow met the tide

It was as far as she’d ever seen

And, she knew it was unending…

Uncharted
Undeveloped
The sky, no limit
I sit under No barrier, no reef
More stones unturned
It’s all for me
Let it flow
Allow the entrance
Abundance of everything
Lack of nothing
Breathe it all in
With ease, as function
Let it all shine
OverflowingDivine
I share with all
Shower with gifts
We have every experience
At our fingertips

Aiming my focus
Attention not for rent
My energy is precious
In your lane, it’s spent
I want to break the frequency
Dare to shift the tide
Why do I stray so easily?
In you, where do I reside?
Be so gentle
Be so kind
Walk with grace
Peace of mind
Know my worth
Value my space
Never again
Quick to erase

It’s been inside her all along
Glimpses breaking through
With each touch above
So below, the energy grows
It builds, and it flows
And the moment that unlocks it
Matters not, she explodes
Chest open, arms wide
She’s fully exposed and she flies
Freedom…

This restless night
I toss and turn
Waking up
Not sure of this burn

My mind is spinning
My body too
I feel the heat
It’s such a clue

You steal my peace
It’s what you do
I hand it over
I give it to you

Totally human
I feel it all
I’m alive
To catch my fall

I choose myself
To have my back
No longer I’m yours
There is no lack

First the knowing
Then, the throat closing
My heart compresses, restricts
My gut fills with sickness

The chord feels familiar
In an unforgiving way
I don’t want it to grip me
But it weaves with dismay

I feel confused I hear what you say
But the words feel different
From the actions you portray

It matters not
Judgment of this
My ideas of you
They only exist

I want to believe you
But why do I care
You sever the notion
I complete the tear

What is the fear
To be left in the cold
Betrayed, abandoned
A story untold

It is mine
The squeeze
Do not believe
The external life is what’s to bleed

The sun

I’ve always loved

The warmth

The energy

Radiant abundance

Fills my heart and soul

I’m alive

I can do anything

Soaking it in

It kisses my skin

And permeates my soul

I glow

Within

Without

The light

It holds me

Even in my darkest hour

You rise

With each new day

You rise

Pulling me up by my open chest

Let me in

Let me out

The darkness below

The light shall not fade

Not today

Anyway