Creature Speak

Lean in, my love,
for there you will find
the magic inside
the suffering.

Go all the way in 
and towards it.  
Run, if you can
into the night.

Vast hands will hold you
even when you can't feel them
through the cold hard surface
of illusions of alone.


What waits at the bottom 
is the more
you’ve been seeking.

Underworld wisdom
is available to those
with the courage to fall
all the way down,
to see what shadows 
are made of.

Dive into the seeming abyss 
and find dark forests
and obsidian seas
full of ancestors and spirits
and subtle shadows
all eager for a friend.


Sometimes pain 
is the only way in
because we have to let go 
of something precious
every time we grow.

And sometimes Change
hurts less than we imagine
it will, 
because seeing what is 
and letting it wash over you 
is all Change ever wanted 
you to do.


Sometimes awareness
transforms us all on its own.
So don’t close your eyes 
and brace against the night.

Go with courage towards 
your fear and shame,
and into the pain 
and find the keys
 to the Great Mystery
hidden in plain sight.

© 2023, Sheya Forest