This poem was written after a retreat at the Alcyon Center in Maine some years ago. Walking their outdoor labyrinth brought me this experience of how confusion and disintegration can be transformed when we simply focus on our next step, one at a time.
As we enter into the turning point of the year, in a time of world crisis where the way forward is very difficult to perceive, I wish you well in whatever you are seeking. May your path emerge as you walk it.
Labyrinth
I look into the world:
so many paths
bewilder me with multiplicity.
Which do I choose?
Where do I start?
What way will I go?
How will it end?
Then I see
there is only one path,
the one named
Who am I beyond appearances?
I pick up this thread
and walk.
Back and forth
around and about
distant and close
backtracking, backsliding
foregoing, forgetting
but following, following
till I come to the center,
the heart.
My heart
your heart
our heart
the heart of hearts
still center of silence
pulsing with faith.
There the thread of love
leads me outward again
to rejoin myself
to collect, to connect
the fragments broken
through heartlessness.
So hope is born
in the restful place
where nothing moves
except
everything.
Originally published in Amethyst Review
Oh Lory! This is exquisite. I’m at a crossroads and have to decide which one to take. Thanks for the beautiful reminder that there is really only one road. I heard a song on my long drive yesterday. I don’t know who was singing but the refrain has stuck with me: “listen to your heart that beats, follow it with both of your feet.”
Merry Christmas ❤️
I’m so glad this resonated with you, Raven! And may your heart lead you in your decision …
We have an outdoor labyrinth where we live. My husband and I love it.
You are lucky. I’ve yet to find one here in Switzerland.
I’m not a churchgoer, but the church down the road from me has a similar labyrinth to the one in your picture. It’s a lovely feature to contemplate on/in/about.
Happy Christmas.
It is indeed.
Beautiful poem for reflection at this time, the turning of the year.