A Poet's Longing

by Cheryl Merrick

In a quiet room with a comfy chair
and large windows overlooking the world,
I found my poet's heart.

Within is a craving to experience 
the hours of intense focus,
and the exquisite beauty 
in the flashes of inspiration 
which connect me to the divine.

I long to be warmed 
by the energy of creating,
and to, at last, enjoy that tender moment
when I gently hold my new insight lantern high
filling it with light and hope,
then watch as it slowly rises 
to sparkle in the world's dark night sky.

You Can't Get There from Here!

by Cheryl Merrick

I sit there staring 
at the blank screen--
mind empty.
Why is nothing coming?

I have waited all day 
for this moment. 
I did all my household tasks;
I answered all my emails;
and now when the time
has arrived--nothing!

For a while,
I sit there quietly, 
then looking up 
I finally know that
You can't get there from here. 

Wasted

by Cheryl Merrick

Like a jeweler's file
used as a tooth pick,
or a piano leg
wielded as a hammer;

Like a race horse
pulling a plow,
or a book merely
adorning a shelf;

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.

Soaring and Rocks

by Cheryl Merrick

Like a bird soaring
high above the ground,
I see patterns below me
and am warmed 
by the light from above.

Not built for rock moving,
I collapse in exhaustion
beside my the pitiful pile
-- my full day's work.

Having chosen the earth
where his strength is needed,
the powerful draft horse
sees my plight.

In a few hours he has
all my rocks neatly piled
where they need to be.

Satisfied with his accomplishment,
he listens to my tales
of the view from the sky. 

Dreaming

by. Cheryl Merrick

Envisioning myself sitting on
a cabin porch enjoying the sun,
I wistfully sigh,
longing for moments to reflect and write.

Now a grandmother, realizing that
the busy days of child raising are over, 
I contentedly smile,
knowing that my time for dreams has come.

A Writer's Life

by Cheryl Merrick

I thought I'd write in my spare time,
perhaps late at night
when everyone is in bed
and all my "work" is done.

So dutifully I pushed though the day,
doing all the little things which "must be done",
until I found myself too exhausted to write
when evening finally came.

Weeds

by Cheryl Merrick
Like aggressive weeds,
burly and pushy,
details invade my garden
greedily crowding out
my more delicate
introspective plants

Warden

by Cheryl Merrick

Appearing a sanctioned warden,
      holding his legitimate credential,
he enters the aviary
not to tame, as expected,
but to allow a few moments of freedom-
the freedom to strengthen
     unused wings
     and build their confidence
     that they are truly beings
of the sky.

Sun and Candles

by Cheryl Merrick

I tried to fit
into the system,
or maybe I just
tried to fit it to me.

I wanted to help
children grow–
and I did.

I want to continue
helping children–
and I will.

Sharing

by Cheryl Merrick

Mine to share are gifts
that cannot be touched or held,
the glimmering, ethereal gifts
of the mind and heart.

Through intense empathy,
I’m able to sense potential
mentoring it into fruit.

From hours spent
in study and thought,
I draw out solutions to problems

From prayer and meditation
I discover principles
to light our way.

And so, in loving concern,
I share my faith
and hope for the future.

It Worked!

by Cheryl Merrick

Details in order
by the time my husband left,
I began my day with
prayer, writing a poem, & thinking,
followed by half an hour
of scripture study
as I exercised on the treadmill.

Next, I sent some special notes to friends,
spent time studying personality type,
checked my adrenal blog and found
        over 500 people have visited it since February!
set up a more personal journal type blog
          for Mormon.org
typed up (in beautiful colors, of course!)
 my ideas on introversion and extroversion of personality traits
and spent forty minutes on family history

Inner Balance

by Cheryl Merrick

Making sure I never become tired,
while maintaining circulation and strength,
I carefully move between activity and rest.

Preserving a fine balance
between necessary care and spiritual nurturing,
I swing between housekeep tasks and scripture study,
between serving others and replenishing my stores,
between creativity and implementation .

Finally, with confidence and assurance
I have learned to follow
My Inner Balance.

Impressing

by Cheryl Merrick

Who am I trying to impress
when I recklessly declare
“I can do it!”,
or proudly tout my accomplishes
at the end of the day.

Just wanting me to be happy,
My husband isn’t impressed.
In fact he is disappointed
to once again come home to
a wife who is tired, stressed, and grouchy
after a day of pushing herself.

Dancing

by Cheryl Merrick

I really tried to march,
     Though some claim
     I should have tried harder,
but my feet,
quickly boring of the monotonous cadence,
kept adding skips and hops,
and I kept leaping out of ranks
     to see an ant hill with a child,
     study some book,
     or comfort a friend.

Finally, as a flunked recruit,
I decided to get rid of all
the “required” guides and paraphernalia.
At last, in a world of simplicity,
I found room to dance.

Changing Rules

by Cheryl Merrick

I never thought
I changed rules;
I just solved problems.

Armed with principles,
I design solutions
and simply don’t allow
“shoulds” to stop me.

Safely Held

by Cheryl Merrick

Inspiration recorded
Insights cherished
Light to illuminate the path
Lessons to remember
Action to implement
Changes to make
Gratitude expressed
Hope kindled

All safely held
in words.

9/17/07

Cold Oatmeal

by Cheryl Merrick

Returning to half done poems
is like coming back to cold oatmeal

Published!

by Cheryl Merrick

Excitedly, I gaze on my story.
There, printed in the Ensign,
is the story of my first experience
as a college student with
family prayer.

I wonder will it inspire someone?
Will sharing my experience
help their life to be better?

Having the privilege
to be a part of an intern project article
written by a BYU ward member
has made this fifth time to be published
something extra special.

Poem Writing

by Cheryl Merrick

Conduit for inspiration
Journal for thoughts
Closure for feelings

Voice of intuition
Expression of creativity
Anvil of ideas

Gift opened and shared