Walk Barefoot

Walk barefoot on the sands, my love.
Dip your toes in the water
let the goosebumps run up your shins
pause and look around
at the meeting of the land and sea
the worlds it joins.

Gaze at the mountains
full of mysteries
with wonder and awe
breathing in deep
letting your hair fly in the wind.

Camp in the desert
and look at the stars
the million points of light
in the drape of the night
the coyote howling to the moon.

Trek into forests
the wild jungles, the wooded groves
be silent and witness the canopy of green
listen to the crunch of pine needles
and the distant stream bubbling.

Climb to the highest peaks
and find solitude among the pristine whiteness
interrupted by ancient boulders
at the miracle of the irresistible living with the immovable
Then, even if for just a moment,
walk barefoot, my love.

The Red Line

by Bethany Webster


In my blood there is poetry

In my blood are ancient stories

You are there, too, my sister

The red line all the way back to the beginning

A red thread I hold onto for days every month

A red path that appears beneath my feet

A red echo I hear through my inner yearning

My punctuated flow is the steady tempo of a drumbeat

That life plays through me

The drumbeat that is played in the bodies of women

Across the planet

The drumbeat of all of us bleeding is the heartbeat of the earth

We are Gaia’s heart in perfect timing with the tides

That keep the earth turning

Woman, we must rise up

Removing the veil of shame

We are ancient

We who trace the red line

We who hold the red thread

We are She in whom courses the river of humanity

As sacred as the highest temple

The holiest of chalices

The spiraling path of birth and death

The womb is a cradle of both

We are a gate between worlds

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