Freezing Fog
Terry Tischmak 12/18/2023 All Rights Reserved
The freezing fog envelops me,
wrapping me in an embrace
that is sticky, yet sharp as a knife,
cutting through to my core,
while it shrouds the world as I pass through it.
Dense, impenetrable,
I must open,
and trust what I know,
to make my way.
My inner sight
is my only sight.
I am vulnerable,
open to what cannot be known
until it arrives.
Darkness and haze,
shifting, morphing what arrives,
tantalizing with hints of
what might,
but doesn’t.
My footsteps echo,
muffled,
silenced by the air,
thickened, crystalized,
stinking of cars and industry.
Everything has an icy shell,
sparkling, beautiful, unbroken,
slippery, and impossible to grasp.
I wish for the same coating,
but I am unprotected,
inside out,
and this night, ghosts
come out of the fog
to haunt me, flickering
moments of my past,
each one a capsule of painful
possibility, twisted
by my hand
into something dark,
ugly,
misshapen.
Another scale in the shell, that keeps out
the world,
keeps out life,
and holds my misery inside,
safe,
and protected from harm.
Each ghost,
each flicker,
is a moment
of turmoil, of conflict,
of possibility.
Each is a moment, which,
unpacked,
offered liberty, reward,
transformation,
if I had simply shown up
with honesty,
calm in my integrity,
without
a story to defend.
Each moment begged for me to
trust, to accept
responsibility, to accept
the outcome, to accept
myself, to risk being seen,
without defenses, naked
before God,
and the world, and to open
a crack,
where magic can get in, and light,
finally allowing me to see, to understand, that
my perfect armor,
my beautiful, unbroken shell,
was holding in a lie, was
protecting it from being disrupted,
and which, my steady hand had
skillfully, artfully,
empowered, guiding me, without fail,
to the expected, predicted outcome of
rejection, of failure, of loss.
Any other outcome
would expose the lie
for what it was, and reveal to me
the world that exists outside of the bubble,
beyond the story,
beyond the misery, the suffering…
beyond the judgment.
What is beyond that,
is what is Real!
What is Real is foggy, scary,
unpredictable,
and what you set down,
with confidence,
may simply slide off
an invisible, icy shell, if you are not aware
of its presence. To live in Reality
demands courage,
while living in a lie insists upon
cowardice. A lie must always create
its predicted outcome, if it is to sustain itself,
and we can become very skillful at
making that happen.
Reality cannot have a predictable outcome,
because it is created, in every moment,
by the unfolding of infinite possibility,
infinite potential,
and what it will hold,
the shape it will take, cannot be guessed,
for it is shared,
it is not private, like a lie is privately your own.
The Universe, and all of its resident beings,
take part, add their piece, and,
together,
shape what is.
You are one of those
resident beings in the Universe,
and your part is added,
whether you are conscious of it,
or not.
Do not underestimate your power
to shape Reality, and change it
for the better! A single, awakened soul,
aware of its potential,
can have a profound effect upon
what becomes Real.
With a steady hand, a clear
intention,
unshakable faith, and
a noble heart, miracles can happen!
So, cast out your lies,
tame your demons,
burst your bubble,
and step into the light!
You are a Sacred Warrior.
Remember who you are, and
start acting like it!
Hidden agendas make toxic results, so
let all of your secrets be known.
That shield you are so fond of,
it doesn’t protect you,
it just shelters the story
that wants you to hide!
Do not fear the fog, let it open your eyes,
because, without it, there’d be
no such thing as,
surprise!
You carry a story that waits to be told.
Let go of the old one, so it can unfold.
