They left it all
went on their way
 unknowing
that the treasure lie
deep within
the safe inside
the things
they tossed, forgot and left behind.

the world doesn't need me
the world doesn't need me
to fix it
or break it
undo it or make it better
but you

you do

you need me
you do
like breath
and warmth
and life
like the end of endless strife
and I have
nothing left to save
no reason now, to run away
when everyone else
sailed their ships
to new land
and left
the things they sought
deep and dark
tangled up and caught
in the place 
they started from
and forgot

they left
without good bye
without taking the time
to look inside
and see that love is not what we confide
in sacred quiet moments
or shout to the world aloud
it just is
what we are
where we come from
at the start
beyond the heart
it is always
with and without form
it makes itself known
no need of my words to wrap it up
and deliver it to everyone
like a present
no
I'm done

because the world it doesn't need me
but you do
you do.

look at the way
you sleep so peacefully
and count on me 
to come through
for you

no the world doesn't need me, but you do.

Charity

​​When she falls
She falls
Like waterfalls
Crashing into the sea
Beneath
She's Niagara to me
Fierce
Rushing
Dangerous
And Lovely ~
When she falls.

Charity

​I will never change
Because this is how I create
From a desperate sense
Of restless need
And uncertainty

Emotion in color

Flows through me

While I live my life

To these mad extremes ~
Sane, manic, moved or just utterly unhinged (in the best possible way)
It hardly matters

The desolation drives me
The love drives me
The wondering drives me
The need drives me …
And I will not change
I have always lived
And loved desperately -
I create from this place
I live in this place
It is what makes me who I am

And I am not ashamed.

Charity

I am a story now
A simple word in the ancient book
That has always been.
I am
The ink, the paper
The plot twist and the author.
A small part in a novel
More brilliant than any I will ever write.

I am a verse
In a poem of epic desire
The mortal woman that set the gods afire.

I am a girl in a painting
I am a painter looking at the girl.

I wanted to be part of a great story 
And now the story is mine
And I am only a word
A word passing through
A ballad of love
Chance meetings
And truth.

I am the woman that waits
The man that fights
The sailor that travels guided by light

Over the ocean 
Through infinite night

And still as ever
Just a simple word in a legend
A legend written by the hand that writes them all.

...

Am I the word
Or the hand
The hero
Or his muse
Am I the dreamer or the one he dreams of
Am I all of these
Or none of the above.

It doesn't matter...
It is enough
Just to be a word
In the telling of a story
That has always been.

Charity 

December 2014

In the way you make your art
Art makes you.

A bridge
A road
A channel through
What you would never say
Or hardly do…
It all comes to be
A part of reality
When you create ~
Art screams
Your quiet unseen
And tells the story
You would only dream.

When you write
Paint, create
Your soul
And all you hide
Pours forth
From within
And fills an ocean
Of exquisite
With the you
You thought was hidden.

You.

Inside
Unseen
Covered with care
Hiding from need
Explode
From the depths
Of your soul
Of your heart ~
You
Appear in your art.

Your inner being
Surfaces on a page
In a song
Or splashed across a canvas
Your restless subconscious
Emerges
And says to the world
This is me.

In the way you make your art
Art makes you.

~Charity J

10/13/2014

​You didn’t see me in the light
nor in the night

did you?

you did not see me from a distance
you did not recognize
me
at all…

did you not see me
passing like a shadow through the trees
did you not see me
gliding like a ghost along the breeze
did you not see my reflection in the glass
as I did pass
like a sigh
from a thought of yours
to a breath of mine

~ did you not know me
ageless and eternal
touch my hand
and feel the energy
that burns
beneath my skin
did you not notice the stars
watching us
through the window
when we met
and the moon curious
as it peered at us
wondering if we would remember
or forget

And did you
or did you not remember
that as we travel
through life
we unravel
the mystery of our souls
the mystery we hold
~ where we come from
where we go
did you not see me
did you not know
that I exist
just the way you did
within
the place in between
the seen and unseen
and it was your smile
that brought me back
once more
to this track
of reality
​
I needed to exist
to be
human one time more
to see you
touch you
again
feel the heat of your skin
against my skin
even when
you did not see me
clearly
know me
or remember
that there 
was ever a we
in between earth
and the eternal
ever present
existence
so far beyond
this track of reality.

​Charity Janisse

TO LAND

She’s not like others
You can’t own her
Just borrow
And share a moment
If she wants it.
But she’s a ghost
Unseen
Unknown…
And she travels
Too occupied with
Making the most
Of exploring this universe
To be taken and kept
She’s not like others
She’s a spirit
Fearless
Wrapped in skin
But living in
The earth
The Dirt
The sky
She’ll fly
And rest in
The eye
Of a storm…
And you
You’re it you know
The only one she ever wanted
Badly enough
To land
For a moment.

-Chatity

It was still so dark this morning as the sun came up that the bottom of the photo is blurry, but I like it! I think it goes well with the poem. The image to me shows that sometimes everything is more clear when we look up... :) And some of us are happier flying than landing ;). ~ Charity

​​​It was the turn that turned me
The ending of serenity
You changed my skin to vapor
You turned my body to ash
You awoke
A sleeping
Goddess
And I will not go back
To a normal human existence
After discovering
All that I am.
Love has transformed
My body into want
My heart into light
And my mind into night.
But I would rather be
Suffering
For the loss of us
Than go back
To the tame and tempered
Girl I was
Before I met the one
Who would initiate
The greatest change
That has ever taken place
In me.
And love hurts sometimes
Much like
The pain you feel
If you've ever touched
The edge of death
And then decided
To return to life
But it feels so damn good to be truly alive ~
And can we be?
Without this desire
Without this definition
Without this experience
Without this transformation?
Can we be truly alive
If we have never died
At least a little bit
For the sake
Of what
We love?
~Charity

Don't make excuses for your emotions
Tempers and passions ~
Be you.
Feel
Need
Want 
Love 
Express.
If you are angry
There is probably a good reason
Don't ignore it
Look deeper 
Understand it
Accept who you are.
You are not here 
To fit another's mold
You are not here to 'behave'
You are not here to walk quietly at the back of a line
Not even questioning 
Where the others will lead!
You have a heart
A soul, a mind
You have as much right to follow your passions as anyone who ever
Existed.
You were not born to follow
Anything or anyone except your own
Inner guidance.
And your inner guidance is good!
It is so very good.
Within you is the knowledge and understanding of all the ages.
Trust yourself
Love yourself
Feel your feelings
Be exactly, exactly, exactly you.
No matter what anyone else says or thinks 
It is imperative to be your true self
Because no one else can be that person
No one else can be exactly you!
And the universe needs you 
To be you. 
But more importantly
You 
Need you
To be you!!!

~Charity