If you would like to listen to me recite this poem, click the following link:
Musical background selection, “Snow and Light,” by Dustin O’Halloran on his album, “Lumiere.”
I Am With You Now
by JJHIII24
The light escapes from the window,
Across the room,
Lands on my face,
Gets under my eyelids,
And stirs me to wakefulness.
Slowly, the light becomes brighter;
My mind resists entry back into the room.
Very slowly, I open my eyes.
At first, there is only a fog–
A blur of light and shadow;
The trees outside my window are stirring in the wind,
Casting their tumultuous shadows across my face.
It takes several minutes for resistance to fail,
When once more, I am back in the world–
My consciousness returns to the world.
It feels like I’m floating.
I can hardly move.
The air is still, and yet,
The motes of dust rotate and swirl
In the beam of sunlight.
There is nothing but silence and presence.
It doesn’t take long,
My mind wanders, and when it wanders,
It wanders to you–
More precisely, to my memories of you.
And yet, my spirit somehow seems to hold
The presence of your spirit within it;
We are joined in the spirit.
I manage to slide up in the bed–
Prop myself up on my elbows;
And reverie sets in.
What joy there is in this reverie;
What intensity of spirit–
And abundant affection.
I fly to you, but there is no reply.
© March 2016 by JJHIII24
John's Consciousness 
It’s Easter Monday – for us another holiday! So I have time to discover the secret treasures of my in-box! And what should I find? Your latest blog post, a lovely poem with the promise of hearing your voice as you recite it! I enjoyed listening to your voice, deeper than I remember it but still pleasant!
I am always amazed at your ability to be in the present and to linger there, savouring every moment. I think they call it mindfulness – a practice I need to give more attention to! Writing poetry must help a lot with the ‘lingering’ and the mindfulness as you stop to consciously and deliberately recall the thoughts and sensations of a particular time, and contemplate the beauty significance of a certain event or thought. I can see I need to find, or make time, to do this more often!
Geri
Geri,
Thanks so much for your visit and your kind words.
It is helpful when writing poetry to practice mindfulness and to spend some time deliberately contemplating the details of the very moment in which we live. I tend to be alert to the present moment most of the time, but reflection and contemplation after the fact often brings out additional aspects of my experience, and memories are essential to the process so I tend also to memorize details as they occur, knowing they may be of value later on. I also spend a fair amount of time editing the structure and meter when it is needed and regularly attend to honing the expressions that erupt from within me as the spirit moves me.
It has been quiet here lately and thankfully I have been able to spend time reading and writing. Easter this year has been a much needed weekend for solitude. I’m so pleased you thought to write to me and encourage you to do so as often as you are able and willing.
Kind regards…John H.
10 years on and again it is almost Easter! I found your latest email in an old inbox that I rarely visit, and I went down the rabbit hole and found a few of your lovely poems, and remembered some of our interactions from another time and place. Was so surprised to find this comment that I’d left all those years ago!
All the best to you John as you continue your fascinating journey in this earthly realm and beyond – even if it is only in your amazing imagination!
Geri,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and for the reminder of our interactions from another time and place. You haven’t left many comments over the years, but each one has been much welcomed by me, and you remain as dear to me as ever.
I have written poetry in earnest since High School when I was a teenager. I was the Editor-in-Chief of my high school literary magazine–something that is sadly fallen out of practice in the modern world. I have written several hundred poems in the last fifty years…and some of them have been received very well by those who encounter them, as it appears to be the case with you.
You are so funny, even now, as your reply to this posting. My imagination is often the doorway to the milestones of the substantial conclusions that I have reached in my journey through the earthly realm. but I assure you, that at the heart of all my writing, is a profound truth as I see it. We have often disagreed about some of the ideas I have written about, but we have also been clearly influenced, each of us, by our environment and our upbringing. What we have in common, I think, is a degree of affection for each other that transcends the character of our individual beliefs.
You remain dear to me, and all of my memories of that other time and place are cherished by me, and I reflect on our friendship with much gratitude and continued affection.
Warm regards…John H.