A frightful blizzard whips this way, huddled inside our walls

We ponder its unwillingness to fade. Stillness and silence seeps

In like the cold, creating an uncomfortable stage. The hustle and

Bustle of our fast-paced lives, the unexpected elements

 

Did deliberately take. Put upon now to examine the cage in

Which we wait. Idle curiosity inside allows our eyes to open

To the murals of us which we wear in disguise. Do we

Clutch to the comfort of our illusions with pride or do we

 

Ride the tempest back to places we long ago denied. These

Places now using such opportunity to claw at the back of

Our minds. Nudge and push and crowd. Forcing us to open our

Mind’s eye even when we are so used to looking down.

 

We watch our footprints to be sure they step on sturdy ground,

But what lies below is fragile and can easily be lost if we

Are not careful of the line we straddle. If what lies

Above comes tumbling down what is below will become

 

Hidden in the rubble. Acknowledge your mind’s eye and lift

Your head high. What lies beyond the façade that is a tapestry

Of paint, plaster, beams, pipes, and boards? Why it is the attic,

Long forgotten, or else perhaps purposely ignored. It calls to

 

Us in our current state of wake, do not allow that shadowed part

Of you to turn away. Pull the rope and climb the ladder

To rediscovery, or take the stairs and open the door should

You have that luxury. The way inside may stick due to rust or

 

Warped wood, a result of neglect leading to stubborn

Misunderstandings underfoot. Hold fast, do not give up on

What could be with such lackluster ease. Try again once more,

Do not just turn and leave. Continue this journey outside

 

Your comfort zone. The difficulties that you own, might just lead

You home. Putter in the opened entrance for a time if you

Must. For this entrance is a looking glass and requires

Unwavering trust. Once inside, stand fast despite the eerie creaks

 

Of the floor. For they are cries of relief that there is company

Once more. A tiny window on the far wall there may be, but with

The whipping snow there is nothing outside to see. The ice outside

Frosted over from the cold, the scrying bowls of puddles and

Ponds you will not behold. Focus instead on what lies right in front

Of your eyes. Within these four walls memories, objects, and

Images reside. There are so many facets and recesses to the attic

Of your mind. All will become evident when you begin to search

 

Inside. Forced to remain indoors contemplate yourself far

More, and carefully sort through all that you have stored. In this

Solitude do not avoid the echoing secrets, I do implore. For this is

An invitation too steeped in possibility to ignore. In every attic

 

Space there are things that are known, and there are things that

Are unknown. Make no mistake, the mirror you have entered

Will show you both. Prepare, and accept that which your

Treasure and trash will bestow. Cluttered by all that you have

 

Aimlessly tucked away. Discarded, but not with a finality that

Might betray. Rather pieces of self, left incomplete, waiting to again

Have their say. Lost for a spell of time, the life in them once faded,

Is now ready to shine. The objects that surround, they may be fully

 

Seen, or they might be in shroud. Hidden corners, crawl spaces,

And loose floorboards abound. Some things when hidden,  

Are hidden to never be found. But find them you must. For they

Are meant to be found. Take courage! There is something to learn

 

From them, or else you would not have forced them

Underground. Instead, you would have thrown them away

Not bothering to glance back around. Then, there are those

Things that appear in plain sight, but are they really, for an

 

Attic plays tirelessly with the light. Even objects thought to be in clear

Sight, when you look closer are part in shadow, part in light. In the

Darkest of places that we have inside, a source of light always finds

Its way with pride. There are those torches we bring with us on the

 

Renewed hunt, and those lights that were already there hoping for a chance to

Help us confront. Candles, lamps, and bulbs, all ready and waiting to produce

A glow. But do not overlook the shine that was already there, for natural

Light filters with a higher purpose and offers no pretense or show. The  

 

Light of humility makes way through cracks in the walls, roof,

A vent, or even a window. Yet, depending on the location of the

Sun, such light will find many homes in your attic before the day

Is done. Like a magic trick, an illusion; smoke and mirrors if you

 

Will, for if you move a mirror side to side you control the light,

Smooth as silk. An object of illumination can direct or reflect a source

Of power, sending it on to or away from all that we keep in our towers.

The reflective glass that indeed surrounds can be our superpower.

 

Carefully look in the mirror and see beyond the barren dirt to a flower.

To do this may be to win at least the winter battle, if not the war.

Do not soak up a single image as if it has no core. Angle your vision

Slightly and a piece of paper, no longer a thin line, is now wide as a

 

Board. Perhaps in the struggle to find such reward, you will

Soar like never before. What do we see in the mirrors of all that we

Have kept locked inside? Do we see less than we hoped, or do we look

Past the disguise? It is our choice to recognize symbols found in

 

What lies between the lines, or else to simply accept what is presented,

Being only an imitation of life. The next time you find a mirror,

Look past the limits and reflect. Those limits we often create for

Ourselves and they do not in fact protect. Take every opportunity to

 

Break down the borders and barriers that we erect. Allow what was

Left behind once upon a time to find its place with respect. That place

Inside that gently holds our true essence with patient abandon. The soul

We harbor deep inside pleads for us, its true companion.

 

Returning to a space that inspires self-recognition through self-courage by way of truly confronting and moving forward from what keeps us restrained is an opportunity for us to discover the importance of a clear path. A path that is only made visible by removing all the cobwebs that are weighted in dust and abandonment. This action restores within us the need for a fresh purpose and subsequently a sense of hopefulness. The mantra mind over matter is limited and I believe better served if re-imagined as perception over habitual. The essence of this very concept is captured beautifully in the poem The Journey by Mary Oliver, in which we learn about perseverance to newfound freedoms becoming possible through the hard and seemingly thankless work of shedding light on one’s own darknesses or obstacles in the struggle to excavate a self-expressive and desired path.

I perceive my article, Courageous Choice Pathway: Experiencing Your Hard-won Inner Truths, as an interesting supplemental read to A Reflective Mind. Reviewing this post with the perception of first separating how we hold ourselves up in any relationship and then bringing that into how we are able to make that work with respect to interpersonal dynamics, will allow us to manifest meaningful connections in regard to our individual analysis of this poem and the impactful benefits it can lead us to embrace as we search for a transformative and empowered future.