Their Storms

Their Storms

Piece by piece
Storm by storm
Moment by moment

Their pain
suffering
and
wounded hearts

Break me
strangle me
and
cut off
my oxygen supply

My heart aches
My body is sore

Dropping to my knees
in prayer

It’s too much

Too many
are hurting

I can’t just hold
the umbrella
in their storm
or
keep their secrets

Band-Aids
Flowers
Chocolate
or balloons

Will not heal
their pain

I agonize over
How to help
How to support
How to love
How to fix it

And I can’t
but I want to

Because
I love them


Amberley Charlotte ©2023
Photo Cred: Sean Pierce
https://unsplash.com/@prevailz

She waits

She waits

Staring at
what could be

She waits for
a sound
a smell
a feeling

She’s hopeful

She’s never
discouraged

She knows
one day
what she’s seeking
will come

So
she waits….

Amberley Charlotte ©2023
Photo Cred: Willgard Krause

I Can Feel You Breathe

I can feel you breathe

Shivers up my spine
I gasp
then
sigh

It’s you

Your strength
when the wind
blows

Your power
when the rain
falls

Your roots
dig deep
into my soul

Grounding me
Comforting me
Empowering me

Energy rushing
through my veins

I’m beginning
to feel
alive
again

Life-giver
Oxygen supplier

Natures
shelter
protection
heart
and soul

Inhale
exhale
and again

I can feel you breathe


Amberley Charlotte ©2022
Photo: Stefan Keller Pics

Only You!

Transformation
Growth
Change

Pruning a rosebush
Vine by vine
Petal by petal

Letting go
of what
doesn’t serve you

The weight of the world
is on your shoulders

Things you’ve been told
believing they were
there to protect you

Only to find
they kept you
from being
all you were meant
to be
and
all you were meant
to give
to this world

It’s time to
let it go

Life is a journey

The roads are
slippery
icy
and
unstable
at times

Some days you will wonder
how you’ll get through
the day

We hold our breath
and panic
waiting for the
next shoe to drop

We place things
people
and stuff
at the forefront
of our lives
labeling them as
comfort
and support
when really
were worried
to go at it alone

At a cellular level
we don’t believe
we’re capable
of doing it ourselves
so we reach for
comfort
to guide us
when we had
the answers
inside us
along

We live in
what if’s
and
should of’s

We don’t want to be wrong
We don’t want to make mistakes

We live as if
there’s some golden rule
and were getting it wrong

We feel like
contestants on a reality show
but no one tells us
how to play the game

We want a compass
a path
a direction

We need someone
to guide us
to tell us
everything will be OK
if we only do it
this way

But these people
don’t know
the inner workings
of our souls
our deepest fears
our strongest thoughts

What gets us up in the morning
and what keeps us going

Do you want a golden rule?
A path or direction?

Be kind
Be loving
Be considerate
Be compassionate
Be patient
to others and
to yourself

Shine a light
so bright
everyone who
looks at you
will need
sunglasses

Because
at the end of the day
no one knows you
like you do

No one can fix you
No one can heal you
No one can love you
No one can support you
No one can______
like you
can

Sometimes our heart
needs to break

Sometimes our lives
have to turn
upside down

Sometimes
we have to feel
out of control

In order to realize that
only we
can mend our broken hearts

Only we
can rebuild our lives

Only we
can love ourselves

Only we can get to a point
where the opinions of others
don’t matter anymore

But I am different
you say
I’m not like everyone else
If the world truly knew me
they wouldn’t accept me

No
You’re special
You’re wanted
You’re worthy
You light up a room

But the world can’t see that
because you
my friend
are afraid to shine

You are
afraid to sparkle

You are
afraid to let
them see
that you are
magical
majestic
and beautiful

The journey you are on
is courageous
important
necessary
and will
set you free

No matter how painful
No matter how hard

This is exactly
where you’re meant to be
right here
right now

Hold on, dear friend
The sun will shine again
Your heart sing again
Peace
Joy
and
love
will replace
confusion
overwhelm
and fear

Healing
Comfort
Support
and
Love
waits
for you

Trust in this journey
Trust yourself
Trust your intuition

All will be worth it
I promise


Amberley Charlotte @2022
Photo: Susan Del Moore

A Conversation with an Angel

We meet again
I’ve missed you

I’m sorry
I shut you out

You were there
when no one else was

I slammed the door
but you never left

You were always
watching over me

I was a child
I was scared

I grew up
closed my mind
and put my heart
under lock and key

I tried to protect myself
from the world around me
and locked you out

I never stopped loving you
I carried you
in my heart
every day

When I lost you
I became
a fragmented shell
of a person
drowning
in a sea of emptiness
wondering
if I’d ever find
my way back
to dry land

I tried to fill the holes
but the boat
kept taking on water
and pushing me  
farther and farther
out to sea

But you know this
you watched it happen

It had to happen

It’s the only way
I’d realize
I needed to
save myself

I was scared
of drowning

I was even more scared
of not living

The body will float
even if the soul dies

I was dead inside

My focus needed to shift
I needed to start
swimming

Only then would
I see the shore

Only then would
I place my feet
on solid ground

Only then could I
start the journey
home

Change is hard
Treading water is harder

It’s funny

We go through life
doing just enough
to survive

Then we realize
our soul is thirsty
starving in fact
and we want
more

But we’re too afraid
to feed it
to give it  
everything it needs
because that requires us
to change
and change is terrifying

We decide
inadvertently
to live a life
of regret

I remember what it felt like
knowing I might
die with regrets
and it was the
worst
feeling
ever

Thank you
for not giving up on me

Thank you
for waiting for me

I know this is
going to take time

But I will feed my soul
I will live my life’s purpose
I will learn life’s lessons
and when I leave this earth
I will leave without regrets
because the work
even though
it’s painful
is worth it

Thank you for loving me

Now it’s time
I do the same



Amberley Charlotte ©2022
Photo: Amberley Charlotte

TRUST

Trust

Seeing into your heart
Seeing into your soul

A wink from the universe

Warmth
Sun

A painted silhouette

Actions not words

A touch
that sends tingles
not fear

A sunset
The earth’s movement

Honesty

I can see it in your eyes
Don’t be afraid
it is you who
painted that picture

I’m just seeing
what you’re afraid
to show me

Connecting
Soul to soul
Heart to heart
Tear to tear

Can I trust you?
Can I trust myself?

Loving without embarrassment
Loving without fear
Loving without condemnation
Loving without question

Then loving enough
to let go

In weathering the storms
we trust

In seeking answers
we trust

In questioning life
we trust

We trust our hearts
We trust our abilities
We trust the universe
We trust ourselves

We trust our souls connection
The light
within us all

We trust
We love

We shine


Amberley Charlotte ©2022
Photo: Bessi

Angels are watching over me

A blog post from my other blog The Chocolate Poet: https://thechocolatepoet.com/

This poem inspired by Mast Chocolate: Almond Butter Chocolate 50% Cocoa

Aroma and tasting notes: Smooth Sweet, Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Vanilla, Cream, Sweet butter, Blueberries, Caramel

Angels are watching over me

Laying on a blanket
looking up at the stars

The sky is a jet stream of
beautifully painted purple hues

I can see myself in the reflection

I see love
Divine love
Pure love

Angels are watching
over me

Their arms wide open
welcoming me home

Is that angel dust
falling from the sky?

The sun is bright yellow
and warm
I feel loved

I see Castles in the sky
while the song plays in my head

Angels
Castles
Healing visions of love

Amberley Charlotte ©2022
https://www.mastmarket.com/

What pulls you in

A post from my other blog: The Chocolate Poet: https://thechocolatepoet.com/

This poem inspired by Mast Chocolate: Oat Milk 50% Cocoa

Aroma and tasting notes: Sweet, Dark Sugar, Cocoa, Rustic, Cream, Raspberries, Raisins, Oats, Creamy

What pulls you in

Walking down a country Lane
soul-searching

My path not
yet understood

Where am I going?

Then she whispers
Wait, enjoy the walk

But be content
Be ready
Take it all in
There is a time for everything

Stop waiting for success
joy
love

What pulls you in
is who you are
not
where you’re going

Be content
There will be
a destination

Amberley Charlotte ©2022
https://www.mastmarket.com/

This is love This is you

Pay by page
Word after word
Peeling back the layers
of who you thought
you were

Looking in the mirror
The years have been tough
Extra pounds
Age spots

Stories behind
your eyes
speak volumes
and secrets kept
hidden to protect
your mental health

And yet
in that moment
you choose
to love yourself
through it

Memory fades
Energy has slowed

This is you
The newer version

Streaks of grey hair
become natures highlights

Wrinkles are proof
of a life
courageously lived

And while looking in the mirror
you go from seeing
someone you don’t know
to someone you’d like to know
to someone you quite like
to someone you love

Because
you chose
to love yourself
through it

Suddenly you view
the signs of aging as
Growth
Resilience
Courage and
Strength

Who you were
doesn’t matter as much
as who you’ve become
and where you’re going

And when you get there
as weird as it feels
there is comfort
peace
and love
you never thought
you could experience

But you did it

You survived
the self-doubt
feelings of
not being good enough
pretty enough
or skinny enough

You survived the
brutal abuse
spoken from
your own tongue
the self-degradation
and painful thoughts
of comparison
because you were
and could never
be
enough

Now this is
a different time
Life feels different
You are different

Loneliness has
become solitude

Quite time has
become necessary

Self-care
finally has meaning

And you wonder
what is this?

Have I finally accepted myself?
Do I genuinely love myself
for who I am
who I was
and where I’m going?

This is love
This is acceptance
This is you

This is who you
have been waiting for!


Amberley Charlotte ©2022
Photo: https://pixabay.com/users/pixel2013-2364555/

I See You

Crystal vases
            Shadows
                 Walls
                     Doors

Sunlight
       shining through
                     the window

I see you 
        hiding
behind the door

Nature
     Animals
           Secret friends

Committed
        Lifelong

No questions
Just love

Best friends
           Soul mates

I see you
        wanting 
              to give love
wanting 
      to be loved

It’s time to forgive
It wasn’t 
your fault

She loves you
            You'll be
                    together again

I see you
        crying
             mourning
                    carrying the pain

It’s time to forgive
                   yourself
She has

Imagination running wild
                       or 
                        gifted

Spoiled brat
           or
            a child 
                  seeking the truth

I see you
wanting 
      to be understood

Life 
   offers a small glimpse 
                        into 
the capabilities 
               of our souls

Curious or brat?

I see you
        trying to be 
                   who you were 
                              created to be

Grateful
Blessed
Honored

       Peaceful
             Energetic
                     Happy

I see you
        letting go
opening 
      your heart
               setting yourself free

I see you
wanting to be seen 
   for all of you
             not just the parts 
that are easy to understand

And yet finally 
              content 
if that never happens

I see you
It's ok 
      If no one else can


Amberley Charlotte ©2022
Photo: William Duggan