Saving Lives

Just reflecting on a current theme in my life

Not always as dramatic as running into a burning building,
Or saving vacationers from a capsized boat.
Sometimes it's sitting in a restaurant emanating peace
When the threat of robbery comes,
Not moving until you hear someone voice a change of heart.
Or staying longer than you would with a solo cashier,
As her eyes dart, afraid of being alone in the store,
Until that felt threat of danger passes.
Or picking up a stranger at night on an isolated road-
A Pastor's wife, stranded, praying for someone safe to help.

If you listen carefully, you will hear gentle suggestions,
"That one needs a smile today"
"Don't leave just yet, a little delay is needed"
"Drive over to where those dogs are barking and call 911"
"Pick up the next time the phone rings"
"Don't take your normal route today, follow each turn you feel is right."

Sometimes the life you save is your own.
The night you didn't work late
Because you felt a shadow moving toward your building.
Driving off the course you planned, instinctively sensing danger,
And finding you bypassed a tornado on your original route.
Accepting the mysterious pull of the steering wheel
That moved you out of the way of a spinning car you had not seen.

We have moved away from our instincts
And limited divine intervention by dogmatic beliefs.
But we can change.
We can be like trackers, ear to the ground,
Listening for the vibrations of the earth.
We can notice when birds take flight suddenly or are absent entirely.
We can put our feet back on soil and grass
Rather than spending our lives walking on man made floors.
We can pause and sense what the natural world already knows.

Living in a world that deafens the ears
And drowns out the inner voice
Makes staying in an instinctive place challenging.
But it can be done.
I must remember this when I leave the comfort of my home,
It can be done.
I can do this.

If love is the most powerful force in the universe,
Then staying in a state of love is the most powerful place to be.
This then is my course:
- stand in the power of love
- listen to my native instincts
- follow when I hear guidance no matter how trivial or odd it seems to my rational mind.
It can be done.
I can do this.

Author's Note

All these experiences and more happened to us. Sometimes you don't know the outcome. It's hard to follow the inner voice- Holy Spirit, higher self, Angel, instinct- whatever you choose to call it, it's there. Lately, this feels more important than ever before. Maybe just for me. Maybe for others too. There is a voice that comes too that says "you are released"- it means you've completed what you had to do, and something changed because of it. Sometimes a life is saved.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

listening to inner voices, outer voices, just plain paying attention...yes, in this crazy world it can save lives, help avoid dangerous situations...

we need to wake up and pay attention...stop bad incidents before they happen.

this poem is so smart. And it is well-versed
j.

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you J. I appreciate both your reflections that we need to wake up, pay attention, as well as your feedback/complements. I feel very grateful to have like-minded people like you in my writing life to give affirmation and confirmation of the messages I hear. It gives me hope and reminds me I am not alone in these feelings. Appreciate the time you took to read and review. Thank you!

[Inject Positivity]

This poem is going to stay with me for a long time... I can relate to this message very well as I have been feeling the same way for sometime now... How strange is it that we are the same human beings who once used to follow the instructions of the natural world and the Holy Spirit but with time we have lost it, with modern world transformed with technology we hardly now know how to follow our gut or instinct... But all is not lost we can still find and learn it, we can still find those instructions that are intended for us, if we just open our mind and our sense organs to it...

Your poem is so meaningful and very very important for our lost generation... It is a success principle, we have this brilliant frndly power in our hands and if we use it, it can change our life... The Holy Spirit that is governing our world is always sending vibes to help us, we must open ourselves to accept it... A lovely touching write... Thank you so much for sharing your wise heart... God bless you...

Sincerely
Dhiman

[Marianne Rose]

Your comments are so meaningful to me and affirm that I do have something to share- that writing need not sit in a notebook to be tossed out as just another person's view at the end of life. I do love your comments about what we have lost- a lost generation- but the hope we can change. In my heart I feel that hope, I just don't know whether I'll be here to see the transformation of our culture. My martial arts teacher once said to me, cryptically, at least 20 years ago now, that our civilization has made its choice at the fork in the road to go down the wrong path, and the momentum cannot be stopped now. I hope he is wrong- enough souls voicing the same message in different ways, for different ears can make a difference. I hope for something like the 100th monkey principle to occur. Thank you for adding your insights and responding with such life-affirming hope.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree.
"- stand in the power of love
- listen to my native instincts
- follow when I hear guidance no matter how trivial or odd it seems to my rational mind. "
The above lines are true. I have helped people and people had helped me. Simple gifts of kindness can make someone feel safe or find reason to struggle on. Powerful and worthwhile thoughts my friend.
Coyote

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you, Coyote. It was a powerful message to me, and thought others might benefit too. I often think about what it means to lay down your life for your friends. Still haven't quite figured that out, but I guess if you do the three things listed, there's no need to understand, you just act in the moment in right action. Thank you for your affirming and kind words.

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed and I liked this poem. You are welcome. Needed words today.