Cynthia Schaefer's Poetry
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Present Peace-Part 4-Reclaiming Who I Am

4/5/2022

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Drum on, Change

Change is the percussion 
of our lives. Its steady beat 
is predictable in the same 
way a river flows, carving 
a new bed for itself from 
the silt. While comforting, 
frightening, the beat moves on. 
Dancing, marching in chains, 
or ignored altogether, it drums 
on. Listen to the beat, feel it 
inside you. Change is ever-
lasting enjoy its curves and 
spins. Gyrate to your own 
rhythm. Bump your hips up 
against it like a familiar friend 
hearing your favorite song. 
Grab your inner tube and jump
into the river of change in your 
life.


Another Beautiful Day!

The air is calming as I rest 
on my wicker sofa. I pause 
watching and listening 
to the sounds and sights 
of my backyard. The beauty 
of the morning—frogs 
croaking, birds chirping, 
the air conditioner humming--
all take residence in my ear.
Oh, how I love the sounds 
of the forest and the life within 
it beyond my property line. 
The glory of a new day’s light 
glimmers on the mossy green 
lawn, somewhat unkempt, 
a little bit wild where the weed-
eater has not been. Around 
the trunks of live and fallen 
trees, thick patches stand, 
ever-reaching toward the sky.

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Present Peace-Part 5-Ah, Much Better!

4/5/2022

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Steps in the Arena of Vulnerability
Inspired by Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly and Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in Arena”

The light of lies we tell ourselves.
​The prison doors 

we shut in our own faces. 
The lives we deny ourselves, 
afraid of fear, second chances. 
We risk ourselves to face a 
crowd chanting “boo”!
Subjecting our dreams to 
the light of reality.

I understand now that the darer 
of dreams is fear that must be 
overcome, unfed by cowardice.
Living small, away from others’
eyes and harsh words 
in Spectatorsville, where 
dreams—if dreamt at all--
are never realized, only talked 
about as if they were some old 
pastime too far gone. Like 
publishing my first poetry 
collection, it seems too 
uncomfortable, too vulnerable 
to trust myself, receive the help 
I need, and know the difference. 
To read my own words marked 
up and changed by another’s 
keystrokes. Then decide what 
stays, goes, and evolves.
Maintaining who I was when 
I wrote the poems, while 
adhering to my current values. 
This process confronts me with 
my perfectionism. My limiting 
beliefs that say I am not good 
enough, nobody buys poetry,
my poems are not adequate, 
and I didn’t get the best aid.

Yet here I am. Sitting on some 
lofty goal, not daring to get up 
to remove its creases from being 
crushed,
hidden,
forgotten.
No! Now is the time to rise 
up, dust off, and grab hold.
Get out of the stands, and 
dare myself to enter 
my circle of dreams.


Quiet Morning Revival

Here I am unabashed 
in a lyrical song of a time 
long gone. A heart swells 
beneath my chest
beat, beat, beat.
Let it pour out onto me, 
the freedom of life well 
spent in the simple quiet of 
sleeping babes, no wrong turn, 
no perfect end. The only quiet 
I engage. Wash me with energy 
for a good day. Let me lie down 
in your soft sheets and warm 
embrace. Let not the stolen time 
be taken in the night.
Rise, morning, rise.
Picture
Woman hugging herself at sunrise. Illustrated by Venessa Kiser
To buy the eBook version of Present Peace click the button to below or go to Amazon. The paperback format of Present Peace is now available for purchase on Amazon.
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Napowrimo

4/4/2022

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In honor of National Poetry Month, I have joined NaPoWriMo, a poetry writing challenge to write a poem a day, see www.napowrimo.net/about/ for more information. I will be posting poetry on my blog each week. Starting with a selection of 11 poems from debut collection Present Peace to post on my blog as a preview for my book that you can buy here or on Amazon. 
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The Gift of Christmas

12/6/2019

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Since it is the start of the Christmas season, I would like to open with a poem I wrote last year when I was sitting in a hair salon enjoying the holiday decorations in the shop.  It was simple, but it reminded me of how beautiful and joyful the season is if we are able to connect with it.  Sometimes that connection gets clouded with the things we have to do or buy.  Consumerism dominates this time of giving.  While gift giving is an important element of this time of year, I wanted to remind myself that the gifts are not at the heart of the season.  The act of giving is so huge.  Christmas represents for me a time of forgiveness, love and of course giving.  Okay here is where I am going to delve into Christianity briefly.  Jesus to me represents all of those things, but most of all forgiveness which has to come from a place of love.  Loving those that have hurt me is not an easy task.  This is not a romantic love, instead it originates from feeling a deep connection to all of humanity.  Wonderful concepts like these are trenched into this time of year, but with all that is going on it is easy to forget them.

The Gift of Christmas

Into the clouds of Christmas shrouded by belief or non-belief. 
I choose belief.  In what?
Love, giving and forgiveness.
Christmas Carols bring me warmth in cozy blankets, cocoa and garland.
The magic of the season encourages laughter, hustle and jingles.
Decorations adorn shops, homes and public places. 
Spirit of giving contorted into consumerism set a fire.
It's easy to get wrapped up in stress, chatter, trimmings and false clauses.
Santa's magic is not found in those.
Birth of forgiveness breeds redemption and hope to turn a leaf tomorrow of a place I've never been.
It may not be physical to be new and freeing.  Opening my heart to renew in goals of life found through back doors.
Joy abounds in this season if I let it.  No fear. 
Be grateful and lean into joy.
The gift of giving is greater than the paper wrapped present.
Merry Christmas!!

by Cynthia Schaefer 

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    I write poetry to connect to myself and the world around me.  My vision for my work is to help others appreciate the beauty of the space and time they are in now.

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