Once upon a fine summer, I lived in a gingerbread house in the middle of an island on the edge of a forest. It was cinnamon-colored and surrounded by flowers. It had a little gas stove and a beautiful back deck. The owner of the property had a magical garden. I truly felt myself to have stumbled onto enchanted lands.
While I was there several interesting things happened. Everywhere I explored, I found intriguing little spots. Tibetan prayer wheels in a park, treehouse classrooms at a nature school, random glass art at the marina, a labyrinth overlooking the sea. While living in the house and walking the tree-lined paths, I got clarity about quite a few things. But, I also felt confused about a few things. I restored myself and I fatigued myself. I revisited some things from the past, and I created some new things, including this poem:
This sweet collection of words arrived fully-formed -- straight from the heart of the Muse. I'd been thinking about how stars may contain souls. I'm not sure ALL souls live in stars, but I had been pondering that idea for quite a while (maybe about 8 or 9 years at that time). It was on my mind again one night, cozy by the fire in the fairytale house, and before I knew it, the poem was on the page.
The ginger house was a dreamy, fairy-full setting that ended up inspiring quite a few poems. This led me to create my poetry blog www.diaryofamysticgypsy.com. The first post on that blog was written on the deck of this house.
Right there...
I used to go for runs amongst the old growth trees just off the back of the property. It was so green and mossy. (The pic below was taken on the trail there.) I'd run through the woods, across the island, all the way down to the water's edge. There was an enormous patch of wild blackberries I found that were perfectly ripe for weeks. I would fill my hands and eat as many as a I could. I then meditated on a log by the ocean and jogged back home, guided by slivers of dappled daylight mingling with the trees.
Here is a photo of me from that time... It was taken on the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. 2013.
The forest is a quiet place. A place to remember the self.
The cat in the photo is my amazing feline muse Kashmir. She died in 2018, but she was with me for 18.5 years, a full nodal cycle in astrology. She brought grace, beauty, and smiles into my life every single day.
She loved the gingerbread summer ... and maybe now she's a star.
- Kayse B ⭐️