A Celebration Of Living

A collection of images and words that I enjoy. My own writing may be found at delightsofmysoul

[delightofmysoul]

Kanreki I stand at the precipice of rebirth,
My kanreki.
One foot anchored in lived experiences—
Memories. The toes of my other foot
Gently brush the invisible line
That marks my renewal.
The zodiac’s cycle complete
A second birth awaits. As I ponder this new beginning,
Half-formed tears fill my eyes
Stinging my pupils
Stripping away past biases
Paradigms that no longer serve
The woman I have become. A curious blend of fear and excitement stirs.
The emerging unknown woman Yet to be discovered.
A transformation underway 
Both terrifying and exhilarating.

Delightsofmysoul 8 April 2025

#birthday #rebirth ##Kanreki

[delightsofmysoul]

Search for self

I have searched my entire life to find mysel Looking in the faces of strangers

Blindly following crowds Hoping for a glimmer of acknowledgment and recognition Looking in the face of strangers Staring into mirrors desperately seeking Hoping for a glimmer of acknowledgment and recognition A glimpse of my place in the world Staring into mirrors desperately seeking A hint of who I am, who I will become A glimpse of my place in the world As I stop seeking and rest, finally A hint of who I am, who I will become.

Delightsofmysoul 6 May 2022 written for @writerscreed challenge

[delightsofmysoul]

Let me eat

Feed me The richness of your affection The depths of your gaze Radiating heat throughout my being The delicacies of your fingers on my bare flesh My skin alive beneath your touch The tenderness of your voice As you speak to my soul Making me alive You are to me As ambrosia to the gods.

Delightsofmysoul 13 August 2022

[keatsonthebeach]

Waves 

slow time

to breathe

slow kiss

to feel

slow dance

to be

jk

[delightsofmysoul]

Looking up

When I am overwhelmed by sadness When misery and despair threaten to consume me When the cruelty of others replays in my mind and knocks with its wizened blackened hand I think of your words Of your wisdom Not the hollow remembrance that there are others worse off than me For indeed there are I do not dispute this Yet my pain is real to me At times it is hard to find myself under the blanket of misery I think of your words To find beauty in my day A small child laughing A tree swaying in the breeze Clouds floating in the sky A river meandering As my heart aches As my mind cannot cope with the enormity of my situation I think of your words I wipe the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand And look around me.

Delightsofmysoul 3 December 2022

[quaintobsessions]

Ego Te

It’s almost too late now, ember glow nearly lost, but I know you absolved me and I you by the waterside

last May, lilac blossom dreaming above us.

You met me where the sun blinded, and I couldn’t tell what pierced deeper, desire or despair.

For a season I became you then sacrificed you to the final demands of first love.

I think it might fall apart again rings on the river’s surface but here you are after I’ve spoken in your voice

lifted your wings driven you insane

my Icarus who never fell and instead lives in the sun molten from burning brighter than any promise.

[cozywinterworld]

By romanticsdiary

[delightofmysoul]

I love the comfort of inside.. portraying safety, love, belonging

[delightsofmysoul]

By simply breathing

How do you give up on a dream How do ensure your dream comes true Waiting for the outcome of both is gut wrenching How do you be kind to yourself When your own mind is full of self doubt How do you find courage When your bowels are liquified and you are visibly shaking How you find calmness When your heart feels like a formula one vehicle on the home straight How do you trust another Is there a such a thing as complete faith How do you love so completely That you would sacrifice your own self Is such a sacrifice necessary Achievable How do you still the anxiety Comfort the sadness Ease pain How do you do all these things?

Delightsofmysoul 29 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

Call of my soul

I have never seen you in my dreams By moonlight I search for you Scanning the deep violet skies My heart calls your name Only to be answered by the jasmine scented breeze By daylight I remember that you are no longer beside me Yet I feel you So closely So intimately I retrace the steps we took Where we walked hand in hand Along the waters edge I sit in the silence of the walled garden Placing my hand on the wooden bench bedside me My finger tips tracing the place where you once sat I close my eyes Remember the scents of that summer day The day That we knew that we would always be connected Always be joined Forever loved.

Delightsofmysoul 23 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

Acceptance

There is a sense of comfort in taking a hand outstretched towards you Holding it momentarily within your own An innate knowledge that you belong That is something within you is worthy of care and love A brief moment where flesh brushes flesh Signifying a beginning Whether it be a friendship A business arrangement A passionate affair Whatever the outcome As flesh meets flesh for the first time An opportunity is borne A symbol of acceptance An invitation to belong.

Delightsofmysoul 17 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

For you

I almost believed that I could fly Just take off from that place from which I had lain stagnant for a lifetime I believed I could soar across the stars That golden moonlight would always guide my path That warm sea breezes would embrace me in a cocoon of surety You showed me that I was worthy That it was possible to break free of the smallness that contained me You taught me to look for the beauty in my world Indeed I first saw my own beauty through your eyes You showed me things I thought impossible Taught me to question boundaries To embrace my mad parts To lift my face toward the sun You taught me to love without the need to possess You freed emotions within me that were trapped from my birth You taught me to listen To watch To learn To understand For all these I sincerely thank you.

Delightsofmysoul 29 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

Ode of appreciation

I loved you Not for what you bring to me Rather for the trust you placed in me Without fear of reprisal You allowed me to see your strengths Your fears Your vulnerabilities Your aspirations Hidden dreams You taught me to listen To see you To perceive you as a whole The contradictions within you confusing me at times And amusing me occasionally I never took you for granted Each moment together For me As I can only speak from my perspective From my heart Every moment was a precious gift That warmed my heart Nourished my soul Blessed my life richly Your uniqueness allowed my own to flourish and be understood I will always appreciate you more than I will ever be able to express.

Delightsofmysoul 17 November 2021

[delightsofmysoul]

By simply breathing

How do you give up on a dream How do ensure your dream comes true Waiting for the outcome of both is gut wrenching How do you be kind to yourself When your own mind is full of self doubt How do you find courage When your bowels are liquified and you are visibly shaking How you find calmness When your heart feels like a formula one vehicle on the home straight How do you trust another Is there a such a thing as complete faith How do you love so completely That you would sacrifice your own self Is such a sacrifice necessary Achievable How do you still the anxiety Comfort the sadness Ease pain How do you do all these things?

Delightsofmysoul 29 September 2022

[betterthannonfiction-deactivate]

Devil’s advocate

Being in love with a ghost is not hard we tell ourselves that we’re in love with real, flesh-and-blood individuals but in all instances the ones you love are mere projections, constructions even those turned familiar, you know through your own perceptive filters moulded through your own cognition measured by subconscious standards partway genetic, partway of culture but always essentially, inevitably yours So it’s interesting, don’t you think you can fuck a real body, but even then, whom you’re loving is a ghost.

[delightsofmysoul]

For you

I almost believed that I could fly Just take off from that place from which I had lain stagnant for a lifetime I believed I could soar across the stars That golden moonlight would always guide my path That warm sea breezes would embrace me in a cocoon of surety You showed me that I was worthy That it was possible to break free of the smallness that contained me You taught me to look for the beauty in my world Indeed I first saw my own beauty through your eyes You showed me things I thought impossible Taught me to question boundaries To embrace my mad parts To lift my face toward the sun You taught me to love without the need to possess You freed emotions within me that were trapped from my birth You taught me to listen To watch To learn To understand For all these I sincerely thank you.

Delightsofmysoul 29 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

By simply breathing

How do you give up on a dream How do ensure your dream comes true Waiting for the outcome of both is gut wrenching How do you be kind to yourself When your own mind is full of self doubt How do you find courage When your bowels are liquified and you are visibly shaking How you find calmness When your heart feels like a formula one vehicle on the home straight How do you trust another Is there a such a thing as complete faith How do you love so completely That you would sacrifice your own self Is such a sacrifice necessary Achievable How do you still the anxiety Comfort the sadness Ease pain How do you do all these things?

Delightsofmysoul 29 September 2022

[delightsofmysoul]

Who are we

Who are you hiding from Who helped form your perceptions of the world Who had the audacity to place upon you the belief that you are unworthy, unloveable Who made you run and secrete yourself in the depth of your own shadow Who was it that made you feel small and alone Who exposed you to feel blame and obligation Who took away your courage to speak your own truth, live your own life Who showed you how to lie, even to your own self Who destroyed the essence of you Who left the scared child within you exposed to ridicule and harm Who killed your dreams before they grew wings to fly Who are you Who are you really Who do you want to be Who do you want to emulate Who do you want with you Who will support you, demonstrate compassion and understanding Who will not intervene but rather allow you the freedom to be the truest version of yourself Who loves you so deeply they can generously provide you freedom to understand the darkness within you Who Who are you Who do you want the world to see?

Delightsofmysoul 13 January 2022 @writerscreed Challenge - anaphoric poetry - who