Welcome to Poetically Yours, where you'll hear the voices of Illinois poets as they share their words about the world around them. This week features Rhonda Parsons. It's called, "Dew on the Rose."
Dew on the Rose
How can we thrive, how can we flower?
if we don’t bathe in the sunlight and drink the water
that turns the City of the Heart into a veritable rose garden?
We’re rocky soil
trees for fire
It’s not supposed to be that way
We, the earth, are living spirits of the Eternal Rose
Let’s turn to the Mother and follow her ways
Look into her eyes of water,
Break through the illusion of separation
flecks of green and shimmering sun mingle with clarity above
behold the beauty of the Divine within
Heaven’s but a breath away
Just like the surrounding pines
Study her limbs swaying to melodious birds
flexibility, strength, grace, the twirl of the green
Can you see her dance casts shadow and lets light in?
Consider her breath
how it cools the swelter
how it stokes the fire
no person
no prairie is caught downwind
what can it say,
but you are me, I am you
unrestrained in Love we be
Admire her posture, how she stands just so,
something about it says I’m with you all day
Can you see her “hello” as a revolution of love moving with her?
She holds a brush in her hand and paints twice daily
A call for pause and reflection
appreciation of beauty
these colors convey
She sends the stars and moon out and I love to see them play
they tell me I can be calm even after a hectic day
“She’s amazing in her movements” those stars say
little do you know it
her revolutions mark the sacred circle of time
I see the confirmation in the twinkle, twinkle
and her eyes like the lake.
I hear it in her breath, subtle over peaks and valleys
There’s a sense of urgency
yet she’s warm as the noon day sun
“Grace is the breeze from the sweltering heat
love is rain seeping through cracked soil”
But you’re wilting in the sun, petals losing color
because you’re not rooted to common ground
Heartache, Struggle, Striving, yearning to be,
Spirit, better life, better world
these elements make the human garden grow
Stop,
blocking the sun saying yea and nay
without the inner search
Stop,
tumbling from heavens embrace
labeling things good and bad
don’t you know, it just isn’t so?
When it seems too much
Remember: There’s a lotus in the mud
and roses among the thorns
just turn to the breath
there’s power there
Breathe in through fear's sting
breathe out when doubt looms strong
send out sweet scented thoughts
till the downpour quenches every thirst
till every heart petal opens
Trials and tribulations will cease to alarm
and become dew on the rose
Rhonda Parsons discovered she had a talent for writing when she elected to take creative writing at Hononegah High School. The first assignment was not a poem, but a story inspired by the wind. In an effort to prepare for the assignment, the class went outside, linked themselves together and ran into the wind. She said it was such a unique way to become inspired. The story was to be read out loud with a piece of music accompanying it. She chose instrumental music and the wind was metaphorical. Hence, the title, Written on the Wind. That story was the first of the positive feedback she received that semester. It encouraged her to continue writing after the semester ended.
Since then, she has received an award from Rock Valley College and the Rockford Writers' Guild, for her book, “If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.” She’s also shared her vision in newspaper editorials and performed publicly at Holy Day celebrations.
Parson said, the reason for her success lies in the words of one of her favorite poets, Robert Frost: "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
She is excited about the opportunity to share her poems with new people. The reason lies in a rather interesting story which occurred several winters ago. She was looking out the window. Most of the ground was covered with snow, except for one green patch. To most people, it would just be grass. However, Parsons said she has been blessed to hear the "voice" of nature. Thus, the grass had a message: the world is waiting for your vision.
Besides writing, Parsons enjoys painting, hiking, meditating, and playing with the family’s chihuahuas.