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The Unspeaking Center

Prose and poetry reflecting on the simplicity, meaning, and beauty of the everyday.

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Those “Trivial” Decisions
Opener of Doors II
The Hidden Gift
The Colors of Delight
The Soundtrack of our Lives

Poetry

Companions
Enough
For Eli
I Stood, Trembling
Imperfect
Invitation
Lessons from an Inanimate Object
Light in the Night
Longing
Raconteur
Reflection
Renewal
Rise, Oh Depths
Shattered Illusions
Silence
Solitude
Stillness
Thank You
The Gift
The Shades of Gray
Tidal Rhythms
To See and Be Seen
Welcome
What Lies Hidden

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February 2019
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So grateful for these beautiful, strong, and adventurous friends. May there be many more years of skiing in our futures. Thanks @ettaviews for the pic! #lifeisbeautiful #adventure #optoutside

I Stood, Trembling behind the tall black cart and began, asking for grace as I face yet another first: speaking before a captive audience of... more than one. Offering the labor of time back to a group who welcomed me without reserve. Why they selected a novice writer like me, bestowing the gift of space and time for exploration and devotion is beyond me. But situated here, at a desk long since empty--now littered with notebooks, letters, books, pictures, laptops, and most prized, my blessed coffee--it seems, at last I do belong; I’ve moved in, stashed suitcases away, lined the library wall with three pairs of boots--all essential, of course--and bought a season’s pass to xc ski at the trails groomed daily right here in town. Before leaving, my mentor commented: “If I’d have told you a year ago you’d be doing something like this, you’d have laughed in my face.” Truly, in my typical self-deprecating fashion, I know I would-- and yet, here I am-- and there I was speaking in my own voice, words I composed, in front of this generous community. Amidst the trembling, a subtle shift began to emerge: an inkling of joy, an awareness of power-- and even, a desire to keep on speaking... #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram #poetry

"I will not die an unlived life, I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom goes on as fruit." — Dawna Markova I couldn't say it better... so grateful to have had the opportunity to step away from work and day-to-day life to write and face some fear. Now that I'm back home unemployed, I face more fear and uncertainty, but not without hope, not without faith, and not without love. Life is short, and I refuse to waste it. Here's to the adventure...

Snowmageddon arrived. Went on a jaunt through my favorite Seattle park on skis with joyful company. 😊

Opened It is as if the world conspired to make this day my last--to sit one more time at this desk as the sun streams in, watching the snow slide gently over the edge of the roof, the icicles drip drip drip like the thawing of those numb parts of me that have long desired for light to shine on them, to feel the warmth of sun on my face and fall tenderly down as tears. Free, unhindered is my heart in this place… Free, unhindered is my heart in this life I’ve begun to create for myself, no longer closed or confined but opened at last to love. #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram #poetry #love #gratitude

The rooftops are pillows of white, the deck a bed robed in ivory sheets. Icicles hang over like bangs while the bikes lie frozen beneath blankets as i sit here in this window to winter's beauty. The walls are fortresses--but the windows, the doors! They are portals to pleasure, the playroom of my adulthood; my imagination alighting this workplace in unwavering wonder. #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram #poetry #winter #work #workisplay

Tag: being

Chaos and Calm in the Everyday

This morning, I feel inclined to move slowly—to sit, breathe, look, and listen. Watch my notebook rise and fall with … Continue reading Chaos and Calm in the Everyday

On Rest, Work and Burnout

Do you ever have those weeks—or series of weeks—in which one by one, things pile up: frustrations, to-do lists, exhausting … Continue reading On Rest, Work and Burnout

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