Once Upon A Time....

I feel the energy that is growing between us
The pull that takes me back years and years ago
to the time when you bared your soul and I
rejected you for another

Re-connected and traveling in the same professional circles
I watch you watch me out of the corner of your eye
The hug of greeting that you extend as
others shake hands around us
Is not the quick motion of two colleagues embracing
There is a pause and a deep tightening of your arms around me
Just for a second, a flash that only I am aware of

You are part of the reason for where I am today
You gave me confidence when I changed gears in my life
And inspired me to share my words with the world
No easy feat for a certified privately paranoid person

I remember things about you from long ago
Secrets from your family that you shared
with me within the dark spaces of our college dorm
Events that touched your heart, that I have kept close to mine

I remember that last snow-filled night, when our world
was swirling white with flakes
and sharing a couple of shots sounded like a good thing
Honey flavored liquor loosens tongues and causes the heart to spill
I am so sorry that I broke yours on that cold winter's evening......

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

YEARNING......

YEARNING…..

There is something about olives….

Cylindrical, smooth skinned, damp

Securing one in my mouth, I suck gently on its walls

Letting the salty, loamy flavor sink into my tongue’s taste buds

I close my eyes and see a distant land,

Filled with sand dunes and an oasis in the distance

A lone olive tree grows there

Bearing the fruit that touches my senses

Near the cool water that refreshes my soul

And you are standing beneath its shade

Waiting with arms open for me to return

Is this altered reality or a lesson in dreaming?

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

Connection For Eternity

Some where out there you lie under brilliant stars
As the waves crash into the burnished white sand
The moon shines down on your dark hair
spotlighting your life
How far you have come in the years since our lives touched
I'm not surprised, I always knew you would

We both glide through life touched and utterly changed by
each other's past presence
All those years I thought I was the rescuer, only to find
that you truly were the white knight
Transforming me back into what I had lost
Polishing my rocky foundation with words of love and encouragement

Fighting against the feelings of being utterly swept away
I was a rock shifting in a stormy sea
When the clouds lifted and the sun returned
You were gone, but I was left strongly standing in my resurrected life

Somewhere out there I lie under brilliant stars
The waves crash into the burnished sand beneath my body
The moon shines down on my dark hair
spotlighting my present
I reach for my phone and punch in a series of numbers
The familiar voice instantly laughing into my ear, "What took you so long this time?"
Our connection still exists.








Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

An Invitation to Join the Dance

An Invitation to Join the Dance


Take my hand and place it in yours
Intertwine our fingers so that I can hold onto you
Forever
Close your eyes and listen to me very carefully
You are very, very precious to me
You are my heart and my soul and my everything
I want to spend the rest of my life with you
I want to wake up every day and go to sleep every night
Having witnessed your smiling face, your laughing eyes
I want to make you my wife
The queen of my life; the holder of all that is good in the world
I want to be with you forever
I want “yes” to be the sweetest word that I will ever hear
I love you.








Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

The Meaning of Life

From the Files of Years Gone By:

What if someone walked up to you on the street and asked, "What is the meaning of life?" How would you answer.......

Shouldn’t that really be capitalized- “life” I mean? Because living is what we are all about. For some, who don’t believe in a higher power or a “place” like heaven, living is truly all about the here and now. In uncultured civilizations, where rules and regulations and penalties and jail time don’t exist, people allow themselves to follow their own selfish goals. They believe in self-fulfillment here on earth, because this is truly all there is for them. For those who are guided by a higher purpose, as well as by government laws, believe that this life is only a temporary stop on their eternal journey. How they go about living this life determines where they finally come to rest; whether it is a physical state or a state of mind.

So to me, the meaning of life is all about being the most self-actualized (a tip of the hat to uber- shrink Maslow); always striving to be a good person and helping other people. Ultimately it is about living in order to fully live- to meet up with our Creator. If I can capitalize on my talents and strengths and use them for a far greater good than purely for myself, then I am enriching the lives of others. The trick is having balance; making sure that all of that enrichment is spread evenly among my self and others.

So truly for me the meaning of life is all about death. Death of an earthly existence judged for an eternity of life. Could be that we are all here on earth as some very large existential experiment on God’s part to see which way we will respond to that ringing bell in absence of the inevitable meat. What do you think?

Michelle Beckham-Corbin

12/11/06

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010