From her lofty view while on wing,
The graceful pelican flirts with all of life's bounty.
But she glimpses with sadness the lower flights
Of others, mired in comfort and safety.This gentle creature soars with a heart as big as the sky.
A connection is made, a soul is reached, a spirit unleashed.
This tall, courageous bird finds adventures dared,
But only the boldest of journeys shared.With the spirited pelican leading the way,
The timid tortoise breaks his shell,
Grows wings to fly, and joins her heavenly flight.He finds that excuses for not living fully
Are the currency of timid souls...
And glorious choices by bolder hearts
Bring a life magnified by the passion to deliver
The treasure of heaven's reward: possibilities unlimited.Boundaries are challenged.
Limits are broken.
Dreams are fulfilled.
Gallant hearts pound.
Laughing spirits play.So the Pelican tells the Tortoise:
"Not everything I do is that intense -
sometimes more, sometimes less.
Youth recaptured, or never lost...
It all depends on, well, EVERYTHING!""I know how to stop and smell the roses.
I know how to sit still in the middle of the forest.
I know how to see and hear the many things others miss...
and I hope you will consider experiencing
the tame, the bold, the fast and the slow,
as we court life in harmony, with curiosity.""Giving is better than receiving,
but sharing surpasses them both.
I want again the best - it's in my nature..."And the Tortoise learns from the Pelican:
That freedom requires wings, not permission.
That true age resides in spirit, not years, as
The flame of youth never dies in ascending hearts.
The fountain of youth springs from within -
From action, from choices, from attitude and boldness.And as she fills his heart with missing joy,
She brings daring from fear in a few bold steps,
Never to return to the limited ways of the past.Hurried passages through nature's best
Prevent those with cautious hearts from seeing and hearing.
But those spirits who choose adventure over sameness
Will transcend the chains of conformity
And discover - well, everything - AGAIN!
Maggie is a true renaissance woman, with the soul of an adventurer and the spirit of the wildest wind. She is an expert sailor, motorcyclist, engineer, problem solver... There is no end to her talent, or the depth of her courageous heart.
© 1999 by Craig Green. Permission is granted to publish this poem or excerpt(s) with full credit to the authors and reference to this web page or the LIFEPOWER website.
Craig Green's Poetry Index