Guardians of My Heart

When I cannot face the day, it is not in my own power that I rise, walk through the day, and finally make it home.

A miracle emerging from my heart,
Despite the wear of age that presses down,
Speaks gently to prepare for a fresh start
As energy divine springs, heart to crown.

Behind me stands a circle of my kin,
Enlightened beings devoted to my care;
Before me, life-long partner and soul-twin,
His passion poured into the life we share.

I cannot walk this rocky path alone
Nor face the suffering that lies ahead.
Surrounded by their grace when hope has flown,
My angels shine to lift the veil of dread.

In weariness, I pray to summon all,
Knowing their arms will lift me when I fall.



Throughout the day I hear their whispers sweet
That carry me through floods of others' tears;
This legacy assures there is no feat
Impossible, despite collective fears.

For from one long-passed relative I find
Determination and a rock of faith;
Another brings a visionary mind
That lifts the sword to slay each evil wraith.

Grandmother's laughter rings in my own voice,
Compassion's gift from my grandfather's hand.
Wise ancestors to guide each moral choice;
My mate makes soft the places where I land.

Now dusk has come to ferry me to shore
Where I shall rest, my heart to grieve no more.

Author's Note

The first half written at the start of this day, July 12, 2016, the second half after I return home. More play with form at the invitation of my new friend and teacher, Richard.

Reviews

[Diamond]

Simply amazing!! I could see a beautiful painting in this poem. The colors being Love, Hope, Faith, Courage, Determination and Service. I don't know if I could see it from your perspective. But the picture I could see is quite enlightening. Great Job my friend.

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you! It is encouraging to bring forth a piece that calls those attributes to mind, only something I can do when I realize I am not alone, but surrounded by grace. I appreciate your kind review.

[H.L. Cerveise]

This is a lovely poem that expresses your trials and the faith and hopes; you get from loved ones both alive and gone. Each one becomes a part of us, and we do hear their voices in us and through us.

Well done.

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you HL- right now it seems I can't stop writing of the intensity and the protection I feel from all sentience on and beyond our planet, and from deep within our soul-life. I'm glad you enjoyed this poem- may your own ancestral voices and love guide your path. Thank you for your affirming review.

[Coyote Poetry]

Beautiful poetry dear Marianne.
"Grandmother's laughter rings in my own voice,
Compassion's gift from my grandfather's hand.
Wise ancestors to guide each moral choice;
My mate makes soft the places where I land. "
The above lines. Gentle and true. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you Coyote, for your understanding of the power of the ancestors in our lives, for your gentleness of heart that shines through in each review. I appreciate your being here.

[Coyote Poetry]

Always my pleasure and you are welcome.

[Inject Positivity]

It's so beautiful, it's a compact work that contains vision, assurance, peace and inspiration... Since the day I have dedicated myself to the Lord and started trusting him with all my heart, since then I have been feeling those invisible powers guidance in every single moment of the day... When I have a bad day or a tough day, I usually get depressed but from somewhere an inspiring atmosphere drags me towards itself, calming my mind and assuring me that God has sent my dear ones who passed away to take care of me, I'm never alone and they will take care of me...

I really like the structure of the poem, they are very difficult to control and present... But you have placed them in a great way here... I'm absolutely loving it...

Isn't it beautiful when you write things like this that touches the reader's heart with such simplicity? I'm fully blessed to be able to witness this work... You reminded me of my grandmother, and how she used to inspire us through her glorious faith and assuring words... You truly got some unbelievable ways to touch lives dear frnd...

Sincerely
Dhiman

[Marianne Rose]

You speak beautifully of the way God draws you forward out of depression into something inspiring. I'm happy that we share a common faith in the interactive presence of God, who so many still see as a distant figure. Thank you for sharing your faith with me, and for the way you relate to this poem- it is a simple message, we are not alone. In appreciation & blessings

[Darian B.]

There's such a serene feeling to this poem, complemented well by the iambic pentameter. I truly believe that the loved ones we have lost, as well as our ancestors, watch over us on a daily basis and do help us when life gets the hardest. The last two lines create a nice end to a nice poem.

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you, especially for the comment on the last two lines, which came less easily than the other parts- I could well have gone on to include more descriptions of the traits of my ancestors, who live in me as well as watch over me. But I thought this was enough to capture the message, and actually, by the end I was ready to rest! Thank you for your appreciation of both the form and the message.

[louise]

Absolutely beautiful. This person knows she has been loved and cared for in life and she can rest in peace knowing this. Very touching.

[Marianne Rose]

Yes, though life has had many challenges, even with these very people when they were on the earth, the afterlife seems to have a wagon washing away the mistakes and fatal flaws, and illuminating the soul-strengths that are present. I hope to rest in their presence when it is time for me to pass on. Thank you for reading and reviewing- you sensed the deeper meaning in the last two lines, a foreshadowing of My final rest. Thank you!

[Richard🖌]

Gosh, Marianne!
This Sonnet Doublet is an exemplary effort, M'Lady.
In flowing iambic rhythm, you've taken us with you from your distant ancestry, to grandmother, through your soul-mate, onto a plane where you've persevered and found a soft place to land … how enthralling to the senses.
Your counts are spot-on, Fine Poetess, with but a few iambic and punctuation issues we can address in messaging (if you've a mind to), but I am duly impressed by what you've presented here for our enjoyment, with this virtual masterpiece … thank you for sharing You, and for the lovely honorable mention! ⁓ Richard : )

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you my dear friend and mentor. As I said to another reviewer- didn't register that it was iambic- I just followed your form - I am so honored to hear that you approve of my efforts and can feel behind the structure the journey of my day. Please feel free to share your punctuation edits here- I do see that others may learn from your comments. I feel so grateful to have a teacher I can learn from by reading his inspiring works. In appreciation, always for your insights and warmth. . .

[Richard🖌]

The punctuation is an easy fix, the iambs (perhaps), not so easy in a review.
I'll address these issues when tim better allows.

[Marianne Rose]

Let's see if you agree with the lines I am not satisfied with:
"Speaks gently to prepare for a fresh start";
"Knowing their arms will lift me when I fall";
"Grandmother's laughter . . ."
" . . . From my grandfather's hand"

The accents of the syllables in common language are different that the accents here when voiced in iambic . . .so it stops the flow for me . . . Although the lines do convey messages I don't want to lose.

[Teddybearlee]

Very touching work, I love it, I love that you can feel that these presences are helping you through this world. "Before me, life-long partner and soul-twin, His passion poured into the life we share." You absolutely slayed me with that line of course, such perfect choice of words, not that they all aren't, but that made me "sad grin". I hope one day soon I feel such power lifting me up. I also love that you are a student of poetry, that you are learning new styles, maybe one day I'll actually sit down and learn as well, but right now it's just me expressing myself in whatever way I can! Beautiful as always Marianne, a pleasure to read your work.

[Marianne Rose]

And always a pleasure to read your reviews, and see what resonates with you. Yes, without my partner, I could not face the day, even with all the help from the other side and within. Yet now, if he too passes on, so much of him is part of me, I know I will be strong and go on. It is rare to have this, and I hope someday you find it too. The strength of ancestors and other helpers is always there- I just don't always see it. I picture everyone having their own unseen guardians that help them face whatever life deals them. Sometimes I can see them as vividly as I do my own. They wait for us to call them, they will not interfere, or be known without invitation. I hope you also can find the guardians of your life that stand ready to help whenever you call them. Thank you for reading, and for your kindness, always.

[William Liston]

Iambic pentameter has never been my strong suit, so I greatly admire the skill put into this poem. It has a relatable message and is written quite elegantly...I loved it. This piece really showed how our ancestors can carry us through our days; they are always there...even when they're not. Put simply, we all need someone's who's there for us...we can't be alone all the time, and I felt like that message was very well conveyed in this poem.

I loved the line "Grandmother's laughter rings in my own voice" because it shows how characteristics are passed on through generations and how it's the simple things about people that we remember...like a laugh; it's something we may take for granted, but at the same time, it's something special and memorable.

The only thing I can critique is a typo; in S4L1, the 'i' isn't capitalized. Also, for the sake of the visual presentation, you may want to use Georgia size 12 font in italics. It really makes a poem look elegant.

-William Liston

[Marianne Rose]

Thank you so much William, your comments about the form and the content are so appreciated! I haven't tried this form since I was in college writing love poems to a boyfriend- in fact, as Richard will testify, I considered using any structure at all a kind of fencing of my heart and feelings, until just a week or so ago. But he has steered me toward experimenting with different forms, rather than just the stream of consciousness style I prefer. I'm grateful to him for this- it's actually fun to have the challenge of trying to keep the heart open to what I feel and also find new ways to express it. Can't say I would even have been able to name this as iambic pentameter without you reminding me!
The truth of this day - the weariness I felt this morning, the crying out for spiritual help to prevent just calling in sick and staying in bed, and the strength I felt when I invoked my ancestors and divine help - all of it happened for me today. The vibration of weariness and grief is so palpable at work it is difficult to walk a path of service to those who need to be seen and heard right now. But it is what I am called to - and I need all the help I can get!
Will correct the typo you found. As to font- I hand write poetry usually fairly quickly, then type it directly into this site, so I don't know how to set the font within this site, and usually don't have time to get on a computer to type any of these writings. But thanks for the tip whenever I get around to transferring my writing to a word program and formatting things properly. Thanks again for your encouraging and complementary review.