Beltane Is Coming
New tips
in delicate hues of
sweet and tender
green
reach for a kiss
of sunlight
while being
coated
in raindrops
like a sacred bath
before the ritual
of Beltane’s fires
begin
gideonschallenge
Gideon’s Challenge
The Shell
Solid and strong
I slip from tender
to flexed and knotted
in a matter
of moments
and yet the path
back to tender
and vulnerable
takes so much longer
as falling apart
is far more difficult
than holding it together
and pretending that
everything is okay
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
Coming Home
A warm welcome
as arms open
and the words
“C’mere”
welcome me home
into the sweet sanctuary
of your embrace
and the knots within
begin to untangle
and relax
as I breathe you in
and gentle kisses
soothe
the chaos
hidden in my soul
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
My Summer Sun
It is with you
I find my peace
as your lips
brush my skin
and your arms coil
tight I am finally able
to take a breath
and let the knots
release
for you ease my soul
like the breeze
eases soft and warm
through the leaves
of summer trees
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
Defense Mechanism
Hidden thorns
concealed by leaves
slowly become
exposed
over time
as vulnerable stems
are bared
to the world
and I’m left
wondering
how it happened
that sharp tips
now protrude
to scratch
the flesh of others
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
The Eager Shedding
Careful…
the breeze whispers
as sunlight coaxes
delicate petals
to stretch free
and shed their
fur coats
as they eagerly
seek to doff
fuzzy caps
and spread wide
and the wind breathes
Careful…
for there is still a nip
in the air
Twisting the Leaf 