Day Dance

By Cheryl Merrick

Filled with awareness,
my day dance begins

Stillness and Motion

Inside and Outside

Thinking and Doing

Self and Others

Creating and Maintaining

Active and Reflective

Being and Connecting

Feeling and Sensing

Dreams and Projects

Hopes and Goals

All That Really Matters

By Cheryl Merrick

Though I can no longer hike,
I have fun on my electric bike.

Though I can no longer sing or dance,

I am still enchanted by music.

Though my eyes tire quickly,

the words others read to me

nourish my soul.

Though I do not have the energy to travel,

I enjoy our home area and others' trips.

Though I exhaust quickly with household chores,

I delight in the time I have to create.

Though I stumble in this world of reality,

I soar in the realm of imagination.

Succumbing to the Expected

by Cheryl Merrick

Accepting both my doom and my duty,

I plodded through my day

doing what is expected of me.

Diligently trying to meet

others mundane needs and wants,

I unwisely accepted the judgement 

that while their gifts are useful

mine are merely frivolous.

This is how, conceding to the expected,

my sparkling creative light

was carefully hidden and nearly forgotten

under a smothering, dark basket.

I wrote this in December of 2019, but never posted it. Since then, I have continued to largely suppress my creative talents allowing endless details to consume my time and energies, so I posted this now to remind me to change my ways. 

My Life as a Kitchen Implement

by Cheryl Merrick

Trying to find my place

    in the kitchen,

I tried whipping and stirring --

    pathic, and it took forever!

I tried rolling out dough --

    another dismal failure.

I wasn't too bad at making

    holes in pastry crust,

A Candle

by Cheryl Merrick

Most flames join
the blazing hearth fire 
adding to 
its merry warmth,

But a few choose 
solitary candlesticks
bringing light to even
the darkest night.

Restricted or Nurtured?

by Cheryl Merrick

Feeling restricted 
and concluding that my dreams
were being frustrated,
I begged to be freed.

If only I could get out more
and do the things
"normal" people do,
Then I would be happy.

Years passed
as I quietly sat in my home
longing to be out,
but occasionally,
when I'd be "out and about"
for a few days, 
all I'd feel was an intense longing
to be still and rest.

Being Me

by Cheryl Merrick

Looking through others' eyes,
I tried to be as they saw me:
"sweet little Sherry"
endlessly giving love and support;
the ever "busy homemaker"
rushing around nurturing everyone;
or the "friendly neighbor"
chatty and helpful.

Continuing my act,
I'd push myself 
trying so hard to make myself into
what I thought others wanted and needed;
till, exhausted, my facade falls away
revealing a sensitive idealist
who thrives in those quiet moments
when I touch the heavens
and feel its power directing my words. 

This Year I'll Be Me

by Cheryl Merrick

Many years ago 
when my children were young, 
I loved being a mom/teacher.
I loved sharing new ideas 
with my children
and watching them develop
their special talents.

What I did not enjoy was 
all the innumerable details.
Though the kids helped,
I often felt overwhelmed
and depressed by all the
places to go, details to remember,
food to cook, clothes to wash,
and things to clean.

My Island

by Cheryl Merrick

Warily, I watch as the waves
of pressing duties
pound upon my shore.

Frustrated, I cry as the icy waters
of reality cover my small land; 

Til my lofty pillars of thought
lie submerged, unseen,
beneath the flood of responsibilities.

I watch 
as the current of details
swirls around them, and
the beauty of my sandcastle creations
dissolves back into sand.

Making a Choice

by Cheryl Merrick
The decision is logical.
Like using your "other" hand,
using your weakest ability
quickly generates stress.

I know this well
for I have frequently suppressed
my strongest ability.
Fearing social disapproval
and not wanting to disappoint those I love,  
rather than developing the talents God has given me,
I chose instead do what others expected of me. 
Of course, it doesn't take long 
before I collapse in exhaustion. 

Determined

by Cheryl Merrick

I am determined 
to accomplish my mission in life,
to magnify my gifts,
to live each day happy and fulfilled,
to be a righteous example
to influence others for good. 

Just

by Cheryl Merrick
I know that it must be.
I know that I must change.
Yes, it is logical.
Yes, it is necessary
     for my health.
But how can I spend my time
     "just" thinking?
What have I to show for my day?
Where is my accomplishment?
What have I created?
Just me.

Mainstay

by Cheryl Merrick
Doing the unthinkable, 
I begin a new life.
My creation of ideas, 
poems, and articles,
once restricted 
to late nights and hours
when I am too tired to 
"really do something",
has finally become 
the mainstay of my day. 

Simply Isn't Done

by Cheryl Merrick
How can I do it?
Wives, mothers and homemakers
simply don't.

Intellectually, I know that
happy people spend their day
using their strongest abilities.

They build, bake, clean, repair,
bike, run, and 
some even create works of art or music,
but who creates ideas?

It is alright if you produce
a famous novel,
but to "just" sit for hours
thinking thoughts--
simply isn't done. 

Yearning

by Cheryl Merrick
I'd rather read a book,
     than cook.
I have no desire to 
     "shop till I drop".
I haven't run an errand
     in years.
For birthdays, I bake
     poems not cakes.
I enjoy an orderly home,
     now that we have 
     few possessions.

My Lamp

by Cheryl Merrick

Enjoying being me,

I soar into the world of ideas.

Gathering truths,

I happily fill my lamp,

then returning to earth,

I set my lamp in the window

sharing its glowing rays
of hope and love

Turning Around

by Cheryl Merrick

Filling my time with
study, writing, and contemplation,
I happily enjoy my day,

Occasionally taking a break
from the world of thought,
to accomplish some task,
then returning again
to my element.

But the question remains;
Is my life upside down
or finally
Right side up!

Talents

by Cheryl Merrick

Some can decorate a wedding cake,
grow a beautiful garden,
give an exciting party,
fix gourmet dinners,
build a cabinet,
program a computer,
reconcile an account,
or do back flips,
while I,
packaging them in poems,
create ideas.

Success

by Cheryl Merrick

Tired of glazed-over looks
and being ignored,
I vowed
never again
to offer my ideas
to THEM.

Prompted by a loving Father
to again share my talents,
I applied my ability
to see the whole picture
to designing a plan
which would meet the women’s needs.

Quiet Life

by Cheryl Merrick

More and more, I am content
to be in the company
of my thoughts.

Feeling the serene stillness
of a quiescent forest,
I think, write, and study.

Occasionally venturing out
to share an idea, counsel, or teach,
then to return.