Steps

grey eyes see sunbeams sparkling
a lake gleams silver bright
beneath its fluid surface
a world that’s lost to light

the heart descends in silence
all living things expire
beneath the surface drowning
gasping out for air

yet rises in the morning
with whispers from afar
a calm and measured presence
a guiding northern star

take hold the reins are weighty
there isn’t any choice
the path ahead is painful
wisdom lends its voice

take the first step forward
there is no other way
that inner voice is fighting back
to face another day

Reviews

[MrBlack202]

Beautiful poem, reading your poetry always brings delight to me.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much. You just made my day a whole lot brighter Mr Black. Pleased you stopped by.
read moreThank you so much. You just made my day a whole lot brighter Mr Black. Pleased you stopped by.

Chris

[Jansy]

Chris, I love how the poem moves from silent despair beneath the surface to quiet resilience above it. That final push “take the first step forward, there is no other way” lands with a calm, insistent courage. It feels both intimate and universal.
James☆

[Chris Shaw]

Pleased that the quiet resilience came through. A lesson learned from my father. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, they are appreciated.

Chris

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree my dear friend.
(|take the first step forward
there is no other way
that inner voice is fighting back
to face another day)
Life can be hard. We must go forward. Powerful and worthwhile thoughts shared my friend.
Coyote

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear Coyote, one step at a time, even if they are tiny steps. We have to keep moving. I appreciate your thoughts. Apologies for my late response.

Chris

[Soren]

A set of beautiful images set the scene of dawn. Nicely woven words of poetic delight Chris. Lovely describing the difficulty of arising with the morn

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Soren. Some mornings are more difficult than others. We have to make the most of what we’ve got. I appreciate your thoughts. All the best.

Chris

[Soren]

You are most welcome Chris

[red93]

Yes sometimes we all need to persuade ourselves that it is worth getting up in the morning. Resilience in the face of Life's many challenges is so important. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Tony. All the best.

Chris

[red93]

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[duff]

Your words are a calming presence as they ever have been. Stunning Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

So lovely to see you duff. Where have you been? Hope you’ll be back here posting soon.
read moreSo lovely to see you duff. Where have you been? Hope you’ll be back here posting soon.

Chris

[Michael Sun Bear]

There is another way and so many choose it, suicide. And I make no judgement on the wisdom of that next step.

[Chris Shaw]

Sadly you are right Michael, but the devastation left in the wake of a suicide is beyond compare. We recently lost Amy at 29, a member of our extended family. Her mother and three sisters, my brother and her two sons are left distraught. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I value your visits to my work.

Chris

[Michael Sun Bear]

I am sorry for your loss. I wonder how many families experience this. Somewhere in here I wrote of my Uncle Mar’s suicide; I will forever remember exactly what I was doing when I got the phone call. I also lost a cousin to murder and the murderer’s suicide.

[Chris Shaw]

I am sorry for your losses too Michael. Sadly there seem to be more and more suicides these days than ever before. Mental health services need vast improvement. Amy could have been saved if she had received the correct care .

[Stella Armour]

Thank goodness for that inner voice Chris, it has such strength at times to force the next step forward when if it didnt speak to us we would just flounder..

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Stella. Yes that inner voice can really give us the strength when we need it. Have a lovely weekend.

Chris

[Chris Shaw]

It sure has been a ride and just when it all quietens down, something else comes along to put a bloomin spanner in the works. Thank you Lorry. I bet you’ve had a few spanners too, thrown in to the equation).

Chris

[Lorry]

We endure because life endures.
There was no guarantee when we were born that everything would be sweetness and light, yet we carried on after that first moment in childhood that realisation dawned and those immortal words were uttered of "Hey, no fair!"
And then before you know it you're looking back with fondness at remembering our little steps of realisation that grew into us!
It's been a helluva ride, has it not? 😀