Photo by Sabra Bowers
It’s tough to let down a barrier
and swing into power
I can’t zip there
like diamonds falling over a waterfall
but I can strap on courage
and suspend my zone of comfort
I can pleat details into a unit
designed to support a cascade of progress
into a stream of wholeness where
I’m free to be my potent and impotent self
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written for The Sunday Whirl. The words this week are barrier, detail, diamond, pleat, power, strap, swing, suspend, tough, unit, waterfall. zip.
Later, Miss Slater 
I love the way you present both sides of your nature. Nice job, Sabra!
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Thank you, Belva. So nice to see you here.
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There is a wonderful honesty in this piece..i think we can stretch ourselves and apply our skills if we know and understand them..not all of us are zippy after all!
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Thanks for your visit, Jae Rose. Yep, I wouldn’t call me zippy. 🙂
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That’s how we all are: both potent and impotent. Thanks for ending your poem on this bittersweet note.
Whirling with Abraham
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Thanks for you visit and comment. I like your thought of a bittersweet note.
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Love your willingness to stretch the comfort zone..
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Thank you, humbird. Glad you stopped by today.
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I loved your use of “unit,” the one word that evaded me. Your poem toward wholeness feels good to read. Potent and impotent works in my world. We have to love our entire self. Brava, my friend!
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Glad it felt good, Brenda. I had to think awhile to find a way to use unit. I’m all for learning to embrace the whole of us. Thank you for visiting and leaving me your wonderful comment.
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Ah.. you capture that choice the path we have to fallow.. between potent and impotent.. so very apt
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Thanks for your visit, Bjorn. We are always choosing.
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Nice take on the words. I like the stanza about strapping on courage and suspending the zone of comfort. Now that is living!
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Thank you, Nan. Yes, if it takes courage then we would have to move out of our comfort zone.
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It is important to be honest about one’s potent and impotent self. Funnily I hated unit too and found no place for it in today’s offering. Well done for using it!
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Thank you, oldegg. Yes, your are correct, it is important to be honest with ourselves about ourselves.
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The more I read this poem, the more I love it – It actually sounds like a practical strategy for overcoming inertia / fear / without dismissing the parts of ourselves that are not geared toward courage and power – thus the title Wholeness … I think nature is like this – potent and impotent at the same time. A waterfall’s just water without a solid still rock to splash and tumble over. The photo really fits the poem. Thank you for bringing this perspective to us, Sabra – it made my day.
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Wonderful to see you here, Molly. Thanks for sharing your comments about nature and my poem. I agree about nature being potent and impotent; and a waterfall is only water without her rock foundation to support her splashes and tumbles. You certainly have made my day, a better day. 🙂
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I like the honesty and the positivity of the narrator, and the last line is brilliant.
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Thank you so much, Andy. I appreciate your visit and comment.
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A very empowering poem, Sabra. I am glad I read this today. I feeling down and uninspired. Too many highs and lows right now for me.
Pamela ox
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Glad you graced my blog with your presence, Pamela. Pleased my poem may have helped your lows in a little way. Emotions and feeling do come and go. We know that nothing came to stay, it all came to pass. I see you and wish you comfort, rest, and joy.
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Love this two steps forward, one step back dance, we all do. The honesty here is both human and refreshing. Wonderful write, Sabra,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2014/04/06/out-on-a-limb/
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Thank you so much, Elizabeth. I like that you see our steps forward and back as a dance. Wonderful!
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Interesting how our choices change. Sometimes it is good to break out of our comfort zones.
Happy Zipping even if just in your imagination.
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Thanks for visiting, Jules. Happy Zipping to you, too.
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Oh yes, it is so hard to let down a barrier…strap on that courage! Well done poem!
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Thank you! It was a challenge.
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I can strap on courage
and suspend my zone of comfort… i love that… and if we do it regularly we can travel into so much new and wondrous space… i like
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Thank you, Claudia, for your visit and your comment. I like seeing you here.
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Powerful poem!!
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Thank you so much, Pam!
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