Crisis, a tipping point
like lightning,
strikes and divides
what wisdom may bind,
beyond words
(in the space between) if
we choose, and choose,
and choose climbing, descending
into the tangled forest of
no and yes.
Or we could reject
aching discernment,
take solace
in the withered arms of
scorched earth, accept
paths known, every step, eyes closed,
taking up with all the old evil,
abandon struggle and what
may lie beyond, remain rigid,
lying
on the angle of
repose.
Hanging together, falling apart,
in the middle, in the balance,
neither here nor there,
having left and not arrived,
farewells spoken, greetings awaited…
walking with questions, eating questions, sleeping
not sleeping with questions
(in the space between) nothing
and all, after lightning
before thunder.
Our home is on fire;
let it burn. We knew
there was no returning.
Trees split and charred
may grow again, but
surprising and primal…
scarified and sacred,
the only way
some seeds can grow.
Let us try. Not for paradise
but for gratitude now
(in the space between).
Here, in the infant
forest, while the gift
of days
deepens our listening
nurses new visions
tender and green
(in the space between)
We’ll take the broken
parts, the ashes and death,
the questions and loss,
tilling in our soft dreams and
spreading wide the
fans of fertile hope
like stars at our feet.
© Copyright of all visual and written materials on The Daily Round belongs solely to Catherine M. O’Meara, 2011-Present. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited, without the author’s written approval. No one is authorized to use Catherine O’Meara’s copyrighted material for material gain without the author’s engagement and written permission. All other visual, written, and linked materials are credited to their authors. Thank you, and gentle peace.
THE DAILY ROUND 
so beautiful…
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Thank you for your kindness.
I hope you’re safe and well.
Gentle peace,
Kitty
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The last verse of your poem is so hopeful. I like the idea of tilling dreams with hope.
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Thank you, Suzanne; it’s kind of you to visit and take time to share, and I’m so happy you liked the reference to hope…I’ve been sitting a lot lately with the concept of hope and its meaning for me right now.
I hope you are safe and well; gentle peace, Suzanne.
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To stay informed, without being overwhelmed by the tv news hasn’t come easy to me; the confusion, the angst. I feel a readiness to fall into the space between, a well of calm… your poem felt like an antidote in these uncertain times. Thank you.
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Oh, Evelyn, I know; we’ve started listening to music and reading, or following inspiring podcasts instead of listening to the news too much. Once around the news is enough every day, and I’m glad that your commitment to care for your spirit met with some peace here. Thank you for your kindness. Be safe and well. Gentle peace, Evelyn.
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Dear Kitty,
Once again, your beautiful words have worked their way into my deeper thoughts and feelings. It’s healthy to air them out and bring them into the light of day. Thank you again for sharing your gift.
In a piece of music, the rests are as important as the notes. There is inspiration (magic?) in that moment between in-breath and out-breath. Life is lived in the space between…past and future, joy and sorrow, anxiety and relief, knowing and uncertainty.
We live in such unique days of non-answers and the unknown, but huge opportunities to be compassionate, caring, and kind. We don’t know what we are going to meet in the days to come, but when we meet each other, we can fill the space between us with love and gratitude. We, the whole human race and me, are in this together, and only by being together will we come through whatever this is. There is a new world waiting to be born; can we let go of the old and be ready to birth the new? We can if we learn to live in the space between. The space of infinite possibility.
Breathe. Love. Breathe. Gratitude. Breathe.
With love and appreciation,
Susan Short
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Yes, Susan; I love this. We are musicians, and have several professional musicians, composers, and conductors in our families and friend-circles, so this analogy resonates deeply with both my husband and me.
Our first neonatal breath is inspiration, and at our death, our final breath is expiration. Spirit in–life–Spirit out (with our own eternal essence in tow). And yes, how we notice, cradle, and create with all the opportunities and encounters coming our way matters (“matter,” being derived from “mother,” and the stuff of this life), more profoundly than ever, in these years we’ve been blessed to live.
Thank you for your deep kindness in sharing your intelligent and loving wisdom; it is so appreciated, Susan. You have modeled such exquisite stillness-with-thought and the seamless gift of inspiring, coherent words that can be shared from time spent in true “pondering;” we need this more than ever. And thank you, too, for shining light upon the opportunities we have to be grateful and compassionate. Choices and the actions they produce.
Be safe and well, Susan. Gentle peace, and continued compassionate breathing.
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Hi Kitty! Here we are again… sharing in brazilian portuguese, a translation of your amazing poetry.
The link: https://carmengoncalves.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/no-espaco-entre-por-kitty-omeara/
I give thanks to you for your gentle voice to tell us the (self)questions lying in every all.
And I hope you give us the honor to do this translation and share.
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Thank you, Carmen; that’s kind of you. Please stay well and safe; I know your country is suffering, as is mine.
Gentle peace to you, Kitty
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Thank you dear✨ we already won🙏 if we walk through the learning wild forest, braves about our will🌻
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🙂
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Loved this!!!! I think my brain works best on the space between. There is the practical side of me, the creative, the fearful, the arrogant…etc, but the spaces between center me! love and huge hugs.xxxx
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Love to you, dear friend. You are a woman of so many talents and gifts that you offer the world; I’m glad for those spaces where you can center and find your peace. Bless you, love you; stay safe in your beautiful gardens. 🙂
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