Warrior of The Heart

If I could bird-speak, 
join in the chatter 
outside the window, 
would I catch up 
on the latest 
gossip or sing 
fiercely
like a warrior 
of the heart? 

I know this:
Everything 
would be
as it is. 

I could give up 
the quest for 
another world
and simply say, 
“I am here.”

Or blend in 
with everything 
around me and 
be an onlooker. 

Or both: 
bold enough 
to stand out 
and wise enough 
to hide. 

How simple it would be 
to do one thing as if 
it is everything. 

Forget the chatter 
and the gossip. 
For now, I just want 
to sing fiercely 
like a warrior 
of the heart.

Writing is one of my first acts of the day. I call it “Daily Intent” setting because it is often about how I want to feel or be during the day. But I also like to open a dialogue with nature and with myself and see what comes. I believe there is a deeper wisdom when I open the poetic floodgates. And I am often surprised with the result.

This poem arrived as I listened to birds sing outside my window in the morning and wondered what it would be like to be a crooner among them. It is also part of an ongoing theme: what happens if I strip away my old story (for whatever is up in my life)? What if I I could “give up the quest for another world and simply say, ‘I am here'.’” I listened to the birds sing and wondered: What if I did one thing as if it was everything?

This is why people like extreme sports or demanding activities. It is one of the few times we humans can escape from the chattering prison and live fully in the moment.

© Nick LeForce
All Rights Reserved

I love the Zen notion of devoting all your attention to a single act. The challenge is escaping from our own minds and the relentless chatter that retells the old stories and re-enacts the old beliefs. This constant repetition is a sign that our old stories are actually incredibly vulnerable. They cannot live if we stop recreating them. As don Juan told Carlos Castaneda: If you stop your internal dialogue, you stop the world! What story are you ready to untell?

Free write for 10-15 minutes on what happens when you do one thing as if it is everything. You can use this writing prompt: When I do one thing as if it is everything, …