Here and Now

I’m weary of being on display for others to assess inside these walls of my home as well as when I am brave enough to cast shadows along the sidewalks to be vulnerable within a community  in which at times I feel like an unwanted outsider my heart often beating wildly outside of my chest as if wanting to escape the cage of my ribs and yet there is a steely determination  to bring YOU even for a brief moment  into my world a desire to speak my truth  even if it causes myself  and everyone around me discomfort My shadows are your shadows if only you could have enough courage to see  the mirror of my suffering to meet my unwavering gaze  Dare yourself not to look away! That.is.what.it.means. To grow together in love Angela Minard 2021©

  Truth is your name, not the letters behind them, nor your diagnoses, those labels of wife, mother, sister, friend... Breathe in your grace and exhale the stories that hold you back Once I knew a quiet and watchful child who held fears hand befriending a belly that fluttered her sweet racing heart a constant companion Insecurity weaved it’s way into every fiber of her tender being;  a sturdy fabric for such a delicate soul to wear This is your time to undress without shame to shrug the heaviness of that old and tattered garment off your weary shoulders Drape yourself in the finest silks and gossamer threads Inhale the heady fragrance of peace as you release the hand of fears icy grip This is your time... Angela Minard 2021© Photography by~ Kristina Makeeva

  Weaving the threads of time into a tapestry  the yellow Canary symbolizes the power to control the voice, feelings, and emotions... Strum the harp strings of your heart carrying the echo of your song to the stars and beyond Your infinite vibration rings strong and true... Angela Minard 2021© 

Each fold and sharp crease between thumbnail and stark white paper hisses with outrage refined angles cutting remarks behind a simpering smile shooting baskets with the misshapen wads aim and miss each paper crane is formed from everything she was told she lacked her many failures bent into the correct aesthetic shape forced to acquiesce  throbbing fingers crimp and tuck seething warmth rising with each crumpled mistake these messy pages tell her battled tale... -the lie of perfection Angela Minard©  Artwork by  Duy Huynh

Something about the birds today pulled at my heart quietly tugging my awareness skyward  Everywhere I went I could feel the fluttering of wings on my skin like the sweet breath of angels  caressing the back of my weary neck Perhaps I had been looking down for too long the weight of darkness no longer screeching but continuing to listen intently as if silence was the monster hiding While doing yard work on this atypically warm autumn day  I at first mistook the starlings that caught my eye  for swirling leaves  until their musical trilling filled the air “Look up!” they seemed to be singing insistently  Pausing to rest tilting my gaze to the heavens my eyes widened as I watched in wonder the transformation  from onyx starlings to opalescent doves the honeyed sky dripping like slow rain weightless... cradled within the downy wings of protection -You are safe Angela Minard©  Artwork by Duy Huynh