The sun now begins to climb higher above the horizon
after standing still after the winter solstice. Days in the northern hemisphere
will grow slowly & steadily longer as the cycle of life continues onward.
May all those you love be held dear & told often of your love. None of us
are promised another turn around the sun, so love deeply, thoroughly, &
with untamed joyful enthusiasm. May you know deep & abiding peace of heart
& mind, a true gladness of outlook, & an attitude of living love in all
its wondrous splendors. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Any season that has creative imagination involved has
magic to transform hearts, minds, & lives. Luckily, all seasons have this.
Some just need extra care to bring out the magic more or to tame the competing
energies bent on warping the magic & wonder. I like both because chaos is a
wonderfully fertile bed to plant new life to develop from. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
Of the many natural, cosmic events thru the year, the
winter solstice with the shortest day/longest night during the cold season is
most likely my favorite of all. Each wonder thru the year & in our cosmos
thrills me as I have always been one to look up into the skies (day or night)
& dream, think, & be moved deeply in awe. Happy Solstice to all no
matter where you are or if you find this a spiritual holiday or part of the
grand cosmic story of the ages... or if you just don't care (hush though before
I make you star gaze with me for months & months lol) *hug* ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
In my lifetime, several dog species were targeted in the
same way pit bulls are now. Among them are boxers, doberman pinchers, german
shepherds, huskies, rott weillers, & bulldogs. None of them are the terrors
they were made out to be, nor are pit bulls. It has a lot to do with the humans
in the lives of the dogs & not the dogs themselves. Plus, no 2 dogs are
alike - same as no 2 humans are alike... we are all unique unto ourselves even
when similar. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I remember fearing for our only son each day he went to
school because of the violence that was already directed at him thru bullying
(student, teacher, other,) & the violence potentially aimed at him as was
to others who are considered different, envied, or just a target for another's
mean-spiritedness. Many of the bullies were good religious people who looked
down on those they deemed as "not worthy of anything less that
hell..." hell just being one more weapon of bludgeoning & cruelty. I
do not believe that god is vindictive or cruel. Humans are very capable alone.
I also do not believe my way of being is better than or less than your way of
being. I would honor all life in the best way(s) I know how, & my wall is a
declared kindness zone for this purpose. All are welcome here as long as
respect & kindness are observed.
Meanwhile, my heart grieves again for more loss of
precious ones - here in the USA, in China, in Pakistan, ... the list seems
endless. The grief is heavy. The outrage hot. And, I still believe we humans
are capable of so much better. We have so much work to do. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
Never forget that I am an impish dragon-ish person who
just also happens to tend to be sweet, kind, giving, gentle, & of longer
than most patience in many things. The rapier wit is as sharp as any fang or
claw. And, I have earned various nicknames such as "the Matriarch of
Volcano Deities" for a reason. Defensive actions can be swift & unseen
by the oblivious in coming... all on my call. Consider this an unusually
compassionate, friendly warning. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
If you could go anywhere in this universe/multiverse for
a vacation, where would you like to go?
Me? I'd like to visit each & every person, place, time... that has ever meant anything to me - from real face-time life or virtual life or fantasy life or bookish life.... And, I'd like to do it in my healthiest, most mobile, least painful, inexhaustible form... I guess that means in my dreams. So, see y'all there. *hug* ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Me? I'd like to visit each & every person, place, time... that has ever meant anything to me - from real face-time life or virtual life or fantasy life or bookish life.... And, I'd like to do it in my healthiest, most mobile, least painful, inexhaustible form... I guess that means in my dreams. So, see y'all there. *hug* ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Smiling fondly, wistfully, a sigh, & a bit of a sob
on the breathing, I dream longingly of holding you forever within a more
perfected woman than the broken one I am, but perhaps the brokenness allows
more entrances & accesses while allowing the softness & light within a
venue to you. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I share little pieces of my heart & soul showered
here & there, opening myself like a wild flower swaying in the windy
crevice, not easily spotted or perhaps more easily ignored but once finally
seen, difficult to look away. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
A victim being told to be quiet, to go away, to forget
& let it go, to stop whining, to stop exaggerating, to be strong, to be a
winner not a quitter, to keep the chin up, & above all to preserve the
right of those who benefit from the silence to continue living their
comfortable lives of having permanently harmed & endangered an innocent(s)
without penalty to the party(ies) responsible but borne a whole lifetime by the
innocent(s) might be the way of the world, but it is evil & has numbered
days. Nothing like this ever lasts forever despite seeming like it does. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Why should your being a butterfly & my being a dragon
keep us from loving each other & being friends? Just stay out of the line
of my fire breath in case I sneeze & we should be just fine. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
You're not like us. You're different. Your way is wrong.
Only our way is right. You deserve to be tortured with glee, suffer untold
agonies forever, and remain ever forsaken. And I say this with love. We are a
peaceful and loving people. ENOUGH. My head will explode with the enormity of
the sanctimonious, self-righteous hypocrisies of our species. How many times I
want to resign from this species! Those drops of waters in all the oceans could
have been dropped from my tears. The eruptions of all volcanoes could have come
from my exasperation with it all. How hard is it to understand anyway that
another life is life just as our own? How hard to accept another human is as
human as we are? How difficult is it to grasp that understanding one another
might take time and effort but is worth every bit of it? Peace is not gained
thru war. Love is not shown thru hatred. Good grief! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Cold, rainy, overcast day gently soothes me into a
contemplative quietness that feels like floating in air or water. Maybe it is
how dolphins dream of flying or birds of swimming. Listening to the drizzling
patterns & smelling the damp chill, my heart sings wordlessly of joys heard
only in solemn silence. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
You touched me deeply although you didn't know it. Your
words & your intent came to my dying heart to give me hope & strength
to look up again & to continue on living despite all. Your heart will
forever in mine be kept. Nothing I can say or do would be adequate to tell you
I love you, so I will live my love for you forever. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Life sparked me with a hope unquenchable. Love whispered
strength to carry onward despite all. My heart believed & demanded
everything of me. So, here I am living, loving, believing, & dancing no
matter what has come before & despite all that will come ahead. I dance the
joy of my soul & sing out my story. It's a love story, you know. Dance with
me? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Doing my toes, feet, & legs exercises to magical
violin-orchestral music, pretending to be that fairy imp who likes to post on
my behalf sometimes... flying with my mind, dancing with my heart, soaring on
my magic carpet of my fancy. Come dance with me! What adventures we'll have
together. Wheeee! *hug* ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
The sun breaks through the clouds. The crows caw. Silence
still fills the chilly mountain air on a spring day that should still be in
winter. The day is good for breathing deeply & smiling contently, love
flowing through my peaceful heart. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
The weather is bouncing around many choices lately from
foggy & drizzily to snowy & cold to overcast & chilly. My old bones
protest, but my heart loves the view of the changes & the smell of the
crisp air. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Foggy, chilly, spring-y day inspires the various birds to
call out their mating songs as winter hides somewhere in the whited depths of
the forest. A crow caws. A hawk flies for safety. Snow only dots the mountain
now. But, it should still be winter. Perhaps this is only a thaw. Life goes on
on the mountain. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
We are all here only for a short span of time even though
now is forever. We live, breathe, move, have our being in a time/space called
"now." Now is all we are granted, but it is everything. It is already
that forever we long for, that eternal we ponder. Our bodies only last a little
time-space, but our love lives on. When I am gone from you, I hope the love I
shared is enough to keep you warm & to remember I love you. Notice I say
Love... present tense... for love is. Always. Forever. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Around, around, around, expressions of ecstacy, one hand
up, one hand down, around, around, around, My Beloved calls, my heart sings,
around, around, around, the circle goes on, my love is forever. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
I don't care if you are young, old, healthy, broken,
rich, poor, big, small, of the same or different something from me. I care that
you are alive now. You're a stranger? Give us even a small chance, & we
might just become friends. Even if we don't become close friends, we do not
need to be enemies. Relax. Smile. I won't bite... not yet anyway. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
I refuse only to march to the beat of a different
drummer. I prefer minuet-ing to a harpsichord, polka-ing to an accordian,
waltzing to a cello, or whatever suits my fancy. Why be limited only to marches
or drums? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Music & art are languages of heart & soul, using
sounds, sights, spaces, & silences beyond mere intellect, able to bring
smiles or tears to join hearts together in ways nothing else can. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
So I spread out my dreams before me as a map to my
heart's vision, trembling at my audacity as much as my excitement. Afraid? Yes.
But more afraid not to live wild & free, untamed by this mad desire to embrace
impossible hope & more impossible love. To burn brightly. To love deeply.
To be the dream. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Let me see your immeasurable worth, your sputtering
magic, your lovely silliness. Let me sense your cuddliness & sexiness
through the mud splatters, messy clothes, & sweat. Let me always smile when
you "check your eyelids for cracks" soon after you sit down for the
evening. Let me be the one you first think of when you must tell someone
something. Let me be the one. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Let me know you. What makes you laugh. What makes you
cry. Let me look tenderly when you fall. Let me help you up or let me fall with
you... over & over again... as long as we're together. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
Art, regardless which art, is a language that goes to the
heart of us to show us ourselves and our world(s) in ways we cannot express any
other way. Art speaks deeply even with a feather-light touch. May my art be a
channel for good always. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I often am accused of being "immoral &
evil" for standing up for the rights of various Living beings. I want all
Life respected, protected, & allowed to live in real peace. Period. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I don't mind visions of sugar plums dancing in my head as
long as the Sugar Plum Fairy also brings baklava with her when she visits. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
The mountain is covered in blankets of white. A cold
brisk air freezes all. The animals are all fluffy in their winter wear. Silence
fills the mountain. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Come dance upon the frosty air with me. Come. Let's put
the roses in our cheeks, the nip on our noses, & the crystals in our eyes.
Let's play between the snowflakes, dancing with us in our merriment. Come now.
Let's enjoy each other. Don't you worry about the cold. I will keep you warm.
Come. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
You wish to hold me? Can you hold the wild wind, ride the
raging rapids, climb the steepest cliff, sail the ever-changing seas, embrace
both the sun & the moon, & still be as gentle as a newborn fawn or a
baby rabbit? Can you sing the song of my untamed heart & add your harmony?
Or do you merely wish to cage me? Beware of trying to cage what was born to be
free for it will devour both the cager & the caged. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
The imp has decided that extension chords & long
tubing must be added to the list she is preparing for Santa Claus. There's a
full moon out & short chords just don't boogie well around the snow drifts.
~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
While talking to a nurse about the heart/breathing
monitor worn for a brief interlude in my life just yesterday, I told her it did
not really match my night clothes. Did they have other styles? She laughed
& asked what style of night gown did I usually wear then? the birthday
ensemble.... ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Rain mixed with snow, foggy morning first, windy howling
earlier between the extreme Arctic bursts. The temperature goes milder, almost
like spring to begin, then plunges down to rainy ice, my joints can never win.
But I like cold. winter is my friend. Most times I do not overheat nor my
breathing end. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Modesty is more of an attitude instead of the regulations
concerning cloth, hair, or eye level. A human can be 100% nude & be modest
or 100% covered by cloth & be immodest. Being unpretentious, unassuming,
simple in style or comportment as opposed to being proud, arrogant, entitled,
superior, or haughty are some keys in the essence of real modesty. This does
not preclude dressing in very expensive clothing, for example, because modesty
means being appropriate in the place where you are. Wearing sack cloth to the
Oscars would not be modesty, for example. That would be arrogance pretending to
piety. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Dance, my heart. Dance & show who you are. You are
enough. Shine your dance freely, caring not if you balter, falter, or bail. Get
up, get up! Dance again. Others will be encouraged to join you if you just keep
dancing as if no one else cared as well. It is so important that you do, my
heart. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
The sad but wild guitar played as my feet kept the beat,
stirring the rising fire within me. From my eyes, sparks. My fingertips
lightning. My hips a signal fire. My smile a gentle, slight. Untamed hearts are
free. Sorrow, joy, travail, good tidings... all danced from a primeval soul of
ancient woman shown forth in a modern woman's body & mind. I will dance my
dance. Dance on the whirlwind with me. Let us play on the lightning storm &
the blizzard. Let us embrace each other in a dance of life. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
May I ever be able to feel the depth of thankfulness in
my heart which has no tongue but shines throughout my life. Let me dwell upon
the honorable, the kind, the pure. Then may my tongue speak from the overflow
of the goodness of heart. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Shimmering, shammying, undulating joy, rolling hips,
flying long hair, eyes shine fire with beckoning hands, proffering lips,
shoulders up then back, that smile with a woman's knowing laugh, dancing only
for you, my beloved. Only for you. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Atatürk said, "To see me does not necessarily mean
to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me." It is why I
love the internet connections I have here so much. Those who read my
thoughts/poems/writings, see what all I post, & can put the whole picture
together, will have seen the real essence of me more than just what can be
garnered thru merely looking at me. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
All of us are valuable treasures, born to be free,
because we live. None of us deserve to be slaves to anyone or to anything. We
are all in this life together on our beautiful earth. Let us all work together
to free ourselves of the chains that imprison us in whatever way we are
trapped. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
A friend was debating which to choose: food or sex. The
imp said that if there were that much doubt, go with the food unless you can
get creative and combine the two. The imp favors multitasking & creative
endeavors. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
My approach to the abyss? To throw down secured ropes,
rescue resources, bull-horned messages of hope & love, and to have
emergency aid at the ready. I am definitely a storm the gates of hell & get
those captives out of there kind of gal. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Life is a series of challenges to be danced with until
the end of life's music. The dance of the warrior/ess is just this: instead of
seeing only blessings or curses, the warrior/ess expands his/her heart to see
life just as life, needing moment by moment decisions best done by keeping a
concentrated but freely open balance to move or to be precisely still as
needed. Are there pains, sorrows, complications, or other difficult parts? Of
course, if those parts are chosen to be looked at as such. OR, those same parts
can be an advanced dance sequence to be mastered. That is the choice the
warrior/ess dances. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Wind, water, strong & powerful, gentle & soft,
fluid not breakable, survives all. Obstacles? None prevail. I flow. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
My heart is ever onward on the only path that makes any
sense to my heart. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Sometimes heart peace to be made manifest takes time with
myself, with non-humans, with nature, silence. Silence. The quiet nature meets
tactic meets habit meets quiet nature. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I have a dream, too... of a world where differences are
cherished & celebrated instead of feared, hated, stigmatized, or in any way
mistreated. I dream of a world where we want to learn & share wonder for
ALL... including other Life & even "non-life." I dream of a world
where real justice & real mercy flow like the clear, cool life-giving
waters do in a mountain stream. I dream of real peace for ALL. ~ Daphne Yvonne
Bradshaw
Just because some people have suddenly dropped off my
friends list or gone silent with nary a peep... I hope all is well with you
& that you still breathe. Some friends have suddenly died - some with
someone to tell us FB friends & some not. So, to reassure all y'all about
me: if something untoward should happen, most likely my son will be the
spokesperson here to tell y'all. May this particular service of his not be
needed for a VERY long time yet. I still have too many people to annoy, too many
windmills to tilt, & too many fires to start. Busy schedules do not need
interruptions! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Howling winds blow snow, outlining then re-outlining
everything, chiseling sculptures in the drifting snow piles, & sending icy
fingers everywhere while the dog & I enjoy the other's company & the
view. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Remember you are more beautiful to me than the sparkling
diamonds on the ice crystals in the sun on the snowy mountain, of more shimmery
iridescent than the light thru the icicles, softer than the powdery snow for
sledding down the mountain, & stronger than the animals & plants who
lie sleeping in the deep wintry Arctic blasts chilling the hillside. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
My Piscean heart of amethyst does sing
Of clarity, of purity, of a majestic bearing
That cannot be mined from the earth
But from my soul is wearing
That royal purple so desired & sought
Shows in my spirit's deepest caring.
~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Let love lead the way. Love is the way. Love is. Love. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
We are who we are, & no one else has a vote or a say
on that or our worth. We can consider their input if we wish, but it is ours to
decide how much if any of it we accept. We are good, beautiful, sexy, worthy of
dignity, etc. just as we are. That is not an easy lesson learned for many of
us, but it is nevertheless still true! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I am writing my name on your hearts with my magic, super
duper love pen & also putting you in my own heart for safe keeping. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Wait a doggone minute, Ms Maple Tree! You did not need to
throw that smallish branch at me just because a fierce wind came ripping
through here while you shiver in the ice & snow. Please show a bit more
decorum. We ladies must stick up for each other. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
How many selfies could a selfish selfie pose if a selfish
selfie could self-pose? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
The cawing crows flew over outside my window for two
mornings in a row, stopping to sit on the branch nearest me. They wished to
tell me something. Then a smaller bird flew right up to the sill cawing in a
different tune, pecked to get my attention, & looked at me strongly. A blue
jay. Then they all flew together, circling around back to me as if to keep a watch
on me as I read on the laptop. It is so refreshing to be included in a corvid
extended family even if my feathers are more white than black now. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
The wind roared. It ripped. It howled. Thru the forest it
loudly growled. It shrieked. It moaned. It even cried. It loudly shouted...
well, it tried. And, it brought snow. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Even when it felt too difficult to impossible, I managed
to convince myself somehow to keep going. Then I decided I might as well enjoy
the trip as much as possible since I had to take it anyway. So, I just kept on
keeping on. Here I am now. Onward. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
I had to do it. The imp was insistent. I filed a
complaint with the Malaysian Royal Academy of King Bomohs for not consulting me
before making pronouncements. I understand there is now an FBI (Federal Bomoh
Investigation) team looking into this serious breach of bad conduct. ~ Daphne
Yvonne Bradshaw
When asked if I were wearing green today, I simply
answered honestly - "I never wear anything unless I am forced to, but I
did eat green." That should count, right? The imp is dancing a reel now. ~
Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
Beloved, you are like
the moon shining on the waters of the sea at night, the loud rhythmic waves
flecked with magic light kissing the shore before retreating to the sea only to
ever return to the beloved sands. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw
