This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whomever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi

Images ©2012 Jill Terry

Trying to channel
In pursuit of change
Anger the dominant hue
Of my emotional palette

Smoldering relentlessly
Causing great turmoil
Morphing to resentment
The shifting of blame

Peace and solace gone
Beyond my realm of control
Growing more wicked
Inside my mind
With the passing of each
Pain-filled moment

Knowing I’ll rue the day
I allowed conflicting emotion
To take root in my heart
Which serves me in no way

Confronting the original source
Mentally and emotionally
Coping with broken feelings
Defining Years of reason

No compassion
No devotion
No unconditional
Acceptance

Just a single question
In a moment of passing
How was your day
Too little too late

Back to myself now
Attention shifts
Dispelling negative energy
Thoughts and hurt feelings

Releasing all resentment
Filling the leftover spaces
Taking responsibility
Devoting attention

To my own faded light
My own personal growth
Acceptance of my self
And the awaiting path to freedom

©2012 Jill Terry

©2012 Jill Terry

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly…
~Unknown

The day dawned
Bright and new
Sunlight streaming
Warm breeze wafting

Pulling me from sleep
A magickal slumber
Awakening at last
To a brand new world

Strange and foreign
Yet somehow seemingly familiar
Where my first thoughts
We not of another
But simply of myself

Taking moments to realize
A transformation had happened
And things that meant
So much yesterday
I find now of absolutely
No consequence

Shift happens
So I’ve always said
Having fully believed
Now finally experiencing

Thinking of myself
Finally for a change
In a positive light
Completely unselfishly

Taking care of me now
Priority number one
And those who choose
To be part of my life
Can take me as I am
Or simply move on

I will not apologize
For my thoughts and my feelings
For my wants and my needs
For my faults and my weakness
For my human frailty

And while they are still
Very much part of me
They no longer define me
This person I am

An independent thinking
Strong-willed intelligent woman
Who will no longer settle
For less than she deserves

I fell off to sleep
Bleeding, bruised and broken
I woke filled with courage
Hope and determination

I will no longer suffer
Or be any mans fool
A new day has dawned
And I’m changing the rules

©2012 Jill Terry

Original Woodcarving by L.E. Scott
~ Christmas 2011 ~

WHERE WILLOWS WEEP
a short story and poetry collective
By Jill Terry

Some of us understand artistic creation to be more than a simple aesthetically pleasing moment for the appreciative audience. While there is an obvious reward to be garnered from creating work that is enjoyed by others, true art is, in many cases, not necessarily created for an audience. It is the cathartic child of the creator. A patchwork quilt rendered from dreams, visions, angelic visitations, and exorcised demons.

Jill understands, and fully embodies this creative process. She brings to the page an intimate understanding of a very simple, yet infinitely complex truth ~ genius, art, and Muse must be expressed.

Even if no one else understands.
Even if no one else gets it.

It is, without question, one of the most important freedoms a true artist can be gifted with, and share with the universe. Artistic calling should always be freely and truthfully expressed to the fullest. It is a song sung both to, and in honor of, the Gods.

With the beautiful, melancholic soft-focus imagery of Teasdale, to the razor sharp, visceral brutality of Bukowski and Fante, Jill explores the gamut of human emotion; blindingly brilliant in its illumination one moment, bone-chillingly dark and hopeless the next.

Explore the human condition as seen through the eyes of this chronicler of truth. Let the tears and laughter wash over you, purify you, and leave you forever changed… you will thank her for these glimpses, and thank yourself for opening your heart, your mind, your eyes, and your soul.

emc
twilight arts

©2012 Jill Terry

He feels the weight
Of his dreams
As he thinks of her

He feels regret
For half a lifetime
Spent without her

Knowing mere words
Could never express
The sorrow he feels
Like a cap in his hand

He gathers courage
Deciding the time is right
Put an end to this travesty
Profess his love undying

He sees the light
Glowing ever so softly
Through familiar woods
He has often tread

And he makes no haste
As he makes his way
To the nestled cottage
In which she dwells

Realizing immediately
Upon his approach
His love is inside
But she is not alone

Turning slowly
He begins to walk away
His soul screaming silently
For having waited too late

©2011 Jill Terry

Attempting flight
Breaking free of gravity
That holds me down

In my thinking
In my feeling
In my being

Wanting desperately
To rise above

These emotional obstacles
Release the floodgates

Feel the strength
Once more of my
Passions

Unleash my spirit
From these constant
Restraints

Stretch my wings
In a state of grace

And remind myself
Who I really am

©2011 Jill Terry