Like a soap bubble happiness eluded me.
Shimmering and floating always beyond my grasp
Reaching to touch it only to have it burst as if to say
Not for you.
I saw it everywhere in the faces of others
Believing they found the key to unlock its door
Peering closer I saw they, too, found it impossible to catch
They could not help me.
I grew weary. Finally I let it go.
Only to have it sneak up on me.
Wrapping its arms around me with the scent of a citrus breeze
Cascading its light down mountain flanks to pool at my feet
Serenading me with birdsong, vermillion notes dripping like rain
Upon fields of purple lupines and desert cotton.
With every breath I take it in, filling body and soul
A sensual serenity smoothing the corners of my heart
Into a circle of contentment that grows larger every day.
Now I know it was here all along.
Kathy O’Dwyer is the ranch manager for Aravaipa Canyon Ranch, a retreat center in Arizona, a Reiki Master, a massage therapist, and a student of shamanism. Through her writing, Kathy not only found her voice, but also a life of grace, purpose, and fulfillment. At the age of 56, Kathy followed her soul to Aravaipa, where she enjoys a blend of working with like-minded groups, organic gardening, daily ranch operations, and writing. She is currently developing writing activities for youth at Campo Urbano, an organization supported by the Easter Seals/Sage Foundation in Tucson, and is working on a book chronicling her adventures in the Sonoran desert, as well as a book of poetry. Kathy posts once a week to her blog, www.breathofblue.com.