Aimee Selah
Breathe Forever Love
Struggling?Look beyond your troubles and into the Face of God. Not so easy, you say? Know that you are not alone.
click below for a free copy of Dancing Soul—a pdf of devotional poetry
Walk with me today in my poetry garden Let's explore a deeper connection with the Author of your soul.Let’s wander around a bit, spending time together loving God—celebrating the sheer beauty of His name.A Sweet Sacred Moment to turn your thoughts away from that which drags you down. Seek the One who lifts you up and holds you in His mighty and compassionate hand.Take a moment to breathe deep and bask in God’s Forever Love. Only a moment to encourage you in your daily walk. Look toward God for the strength to meet your challenges with renewed hope.I share with you my words. Meditate on a few of the words painted on the page, if they touch your heart. Read a line, play around with the words; roll them around on your tongue. Make them your own; rearrange them and find your own words to accompany what you read.Sing the song you hear today; Hum it in your heart.Let’s dwell together in God's Forever Love.
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Cinnamon and Saffron[She] who kisses joy as it flies…
-William BlakeSweet
soft
brown songbird cupped
in tender
protective hands. A sweet sacred
moment.
Hands unfold. Warbler
waves one wing
in the sun-drenched
beams. Dawn's
first embers paint
saffron and cinnamon
on outstretched wing
shimmering and shivering,
preening and singing.
She lifts into flight—
freedom flight on wings
of a newborn day.
\
Empty hands open wide.
Fat silvery raindrops
lingering
from the stormy night
pool in hollow palms.
Hallowed perfume
breathes a rain-drenched
sigh.
A sky
streaked in umber and gold
shimmering butterfly wings.
A whisper kisses upturned
palms, drinks dewy beads
sated with salty sweet,
flutters on cinnamon
and saffron wings.
Dances in the glowing haze
of a newborn day.
Sleepy-eyed dawn smiles
over the soft
brown soil.
Still.
Sweet.
**Belonging **the grass on tiptoe beneath the tree
ever pointing from earth to clouds
the tree with deep roots and high-reaching arms
ever longing to touch the stars
the earth on a slow spin
never leaving the orbit of the sun
the ocean with a rhythmic ebb and flow
forever dancing in tune with the moon’s shifting moodsheart beating in rhythmic unceasing cycles—ebb and flow
tides of abundance rising, cresting, crashing, receding,
trickling away and tiptoeing backin the grassy tickle on her toe
in the warm sunbeam kissing her face
in the salty tear
sea stars clouds and sun
on the curve of her cheekbeing still
and still be
longing, waiting
wondering, still longing
still
belonging
**Love in the waiting **
a tightly curled orchid bud—a deliberate knitting
a slow unfurling from protective layers, listening to the murmuring of the one tending withLove in the waiting
whether rain or shine, chaos or serenity, she heeds the beckoning, loosening one velvet petal. Then the next. With a taste of the air, she stretches in a slow unfolding. Whether in sunlight or moonlight, summer’s languid warmth or spring’s exuberant freshness or autumn’s snappy coolness, she opens her arms with deliberate precision—everything made beautiful in its time—opens bold, buoyant colors, tender to the touch. Uncoils her abundance toLove in the waiting
compassion in the unfolding. A bud pried apart with hurried fingers in impatient demanding would rain broken pieces, scatter feathery petals to wither and die and be swept away by uncaring winds.How many tiny buds of beauty live in me, live in you, seekingLove in the waiting
knitting abundance made beautiful in its time. Whether the world serves chaos or serenity, breathing, tending, living, loving, waiting for the awakening, the unfurling of tiny knots of beauty. One at a time.Love in the tending and waiting.
Love in the sleeping and awakening.
Love in the wintering and blooming.How many buds of beauty live within me—live within you, too? The answer is in the waiting.
__Sage __In a bruised-purple
haze—among the sage growing in dappled
shadows with a tender
velvet leaf, bitter
tang on the tongue, she kneels
by the rippling pools of a trembling
heart—next to
the heartsong, weeping in a storm.
Wisdom
waits with outstretched
hand, always found by those who seek
her, meeting them in every thought. She
wraps them in a cloak of compassion—
Love embroidered in the hem’s
silky weave—murmuring
over the ripples
in the velvet quiet of stillness. Heartsong
stirs and sighs. Saffron light
sets fire
to each indigo teardrop, tickles
the tops of each ripple, a caress,
a tender awakening. Wisdom
beckons with sage-perfumed hands to a healing
journey on paths
yet unknown. Clasping outstretched hands,
lifting from trembling knees,
together
taking the first forward steps. Long
shadows dancing in and out of dawning
light. White wings
soar over dew-drenched valleys.
Come with me.
Heartsong awakens.
Come
with
me.
A new song, born
in Wisdom’s light,
takes flight.
__Love-brushed tears __A lingering raindrop clings to the serrated edge of a red maple leaf—elongated as gravity tugs. Yet not quite ready to release. Dawn peeks from the east, stretches long golden fingers—brushes the drop with luminous beams, scatters glimmering colors, tumbling across a dew-soaked lawn.A lingering teardrop clings to the soft curve of a cheek, another on the cusp off its wake. Love peeks from the seat, side-by-side, stretching luminous waves of quiet—brushes away salty fears.Let gravity drink your tears, tomorrow's another day, the tender fingertips say, I'll stay, as they curl around a trembling hand—scattering glimmering Light, tumbling across the ripples of a broken heart.Love is our language when pain reduces our words to groans.Love never fails.
__Kaleidoscope __shattered shards crack
chaos clutters
broken pieces tumbling, stumbling fingers
fumbling, intentions jumbling
broken
pieces slide and crunch, land with a punch to the tender
core of her being.
Toil, roil, and waver, gathering into a mountain of shattered
shards, she teeters
on the edge, tumbling again. The storm
spins more worries. Slivers of
sins gather jagged
edges pricking fingertips, slicing fresh scar tissue,
bleeding.
Spin and labor, she gathers the slivers to piece
together into some sense, to piece together
as they were before the storm.
The world serves
brokenness.
And yet, she strives to create one piece of
beauty
to hold without creating fresh scars.
Colors whirl and beauty blurs—dancing rose
trembling in a breeze
releasing
//
red velvet
a petal tumbling
floats away
//
and another and another and another
//
whirling and tumbling
stumbling and jumbling
until the dance is exhausted
and she returns to earth.The dance is exhausted
and she returns to a sacred stillness.In the holy hush
dawn peaks over the horizon
shimmers off the jagged slivered edges, shimmers
golden in trembling teardrop pool.
Pieces tumble together, brokenness
settles into an intricate pattern. Life-
Light
shines through the shattered slivers
creating a stained-glass window
beauty—
an exquisite mosaic—the true self. A sweet, sacred glimpse
the masterpiece, the
poem
she was created to
be.
__Kindled __fiery trials
aching flames
licking, honing, lathing, shaping
sculpting a lithe instrument
in the hands of the great Carpenter
a surrendered soul is kindled
clothed with dignity and Grace
in the glow of dawn’s first embers
new strings are placed
love and kindness
trust and hope
patience and peace
but the greatest of these is Loveall strings
under the touch of the great Harpist
strummed with Love
must sound
__Radiance __When golden sun warms my face like a lover’s embrace, and dawn twinkles through tender teardrops, or when a cinnamon-colored warbler stretches her wings and sings sweet psalms in the newborn saffron glow of dawn…
I believe such radiance is meant for me.When Grace stirs a tender ache and pierces velvet-gray lonesomeness, or when the Lover of my soul murmurs my name and wakes a deeply buried ember…
I believe such radiance is meant for me.
Do you feel the radiance too?Love whispers, Seek the Light,
even in lonesome shadows.
Love whispers, Dare to hope,
even on the cusp of despair.the living Flame
the Light of life
I believe such radiance is calling me.
Do you hear it too?Dare to live, and breathe
and bask in Hope.
The Light of the world
singing a Love song through me
calling me to shine
like the stars in the sky—
a beacon for the lost
filling dark and lonesome corners in this world
with Love.Radiance lives within me.
Do you live it too?
Love, tugging at you, choosing you
to live in a moment of radiance and speak about it too…
so Love may shine again
and again
and again, through me
and again, through you.
__Stillness Song __a gentle flower begins
from a cracked seed planted
in the tender aching
the stillness between
the breaths
between each heartbeat
humming bees caress
a tiny green tendril
reaching for God who walks
in the psalm-soaked garden breeze
in the cool of the day, verdant
leaves clapping
coaxing the dawn to rise through your chest.You are the shimmering destination
the golden flower reaching
through the bitter cement barriers
of a broken world.
__psalm-soaked sanctuary __a dwelling place
come away with me
sink deep into the psalm-singing breeze
soar on the wings of God-praising symphonies
nestle into the silence between heartbeats
where the still small
voice rings as clear as
the eagle’s regal cry from the clear blue sky
sings as urgently as the warbler’s song
on the cusp of dawn
where the voice, as compelling as the dusky
mourning dove’s call, tugs
at your heart, come away with me
with me
away with me to be free
be the poem you were created to be
the beauty beneath the grasping.
Be still and know
be still and go
to the still waters of your soul
free from world's rippling
look at your reflection and see
God’s face smiling at you.
Still, life goes on.
But in this place
in this sanctuary, you step away
from the noise for a minute
for a day.
Step away
stretch your arms wide in the spaciousness
Forever Love—
capacious enough to hold the pain
with the beauty. There is far more to life
than what the eyes can see
come away with me
take this pilgrimage to the psalm-infused sanctuary
not a place to go
a place to be
be the symphony you were created to be
be your true self
just be
in this place
this dwelling place
your heart
this God-dwelling
psalm-singing sanctuary.
The Awakeningarmored shell
round the vulnerable
aching soulpiercing Light
stirring the deep knot
curled insidethe shatteringbroken shell
tenacious tender touch
unfolds beautyfrom the cracks
delicate tendrils reach
seeking Lovethe Awakening
In the Whisperspeak Father,
your child is listeningspeak to me of the desires of your heart
whisper the name you have written for me on a white stone
tell me who I am for youin this world filled with bellowing negativity,
you speak only Truth
tell me who I am with youin this world howling about my inadequacies,
you speak Peace
tell me who I am in youin this world where heartache reigns supreme,
you speak of the power of Love
tell me who I am through youwhisper words of hope
remind me of your promises
teach me to see what your mercy seesspeak your words so rare, so sweet
your Word, alive, vibrant, true
tell me who I am for youspeak Father,
your child is listening
AnswerLove
is calling you…If your light kindles hope
why put a basket over your brilliance?
If your love warms cold indifference
why shield it behind a barrier?
If your voice can soothe a broken heart
why do you whisper?
If your roar can break down barriers
or your music set feet to dancing
why not let it be free?
If your words can change intolerance
or your story inspire hope
why hide behind a mask?
If your truth can save others
why do you doubt the gift placed so precisely within you?If you don't answer Love’s call
who will?
Closercome to me all you who are thirsty
come closecome to the waters
drink from the well of trust
bathe in the springs of thankfulness
float in the sea of hopegive ear and come to me
and your soul will delight in the richest fare
listen that you may live
my word that goes out from my mouth
will not return empty
will produce delicious fruit
will accomplish all I want it to
will prosper everywhere I send itgive ear to me
so that you may live
so that you may live and love
live in joy and peace
the world around you
exuberant with applausecome to me
and praise
will dance on your lipscome to me
closer
KnownThe God who sees
The God who hears
The God who knows
my deepest fears
el Shaddai
to the Almighty, I am known
I am loved
with an everlasting Love.God, with us always.
Who created life
shakes mountains and parts seas
sees me
holds me.
God, with us always.
Who spoke the earth into being
breathed life into the dead
breathes in me
alive within me.God never forgets
speaks to my heart
a breath
soft as a butterfly wing
He kindles my soul
a breath
fiery as a lover’s embrace.He calls me
Beloved.
RipplesDarkness. Deep
consuming darkness swallowed
me in the hollows
of its belly.
Yet
the Spirit
hovered
over the dark waters,
breathed
Life, breathed Love
whispered soft ripples
wordless groans.
The Great Compassionate One
smiled over me
breathed into me.
“Let there be light."
The Light of Truth.
shines through
the pierced hand
reaches through the waves.
The Light of Grace
shines into the deep, dark
pain
invites
me into his mighty
and tender embrace.
Light. From his death,
he offers Life.
With Gethsemane Love,
he offers Grace.
And it is good.
Golden pollen dust brushes bee's knees, dewy nectar drips from hummingbird beak, crackling sunflower seeds crumble on breezy wing waves. Oh, the wisdom of flowers, alluring, laughing colors, inviting friendship and scattering seeds—one heart cannot thrive without the other.Protective pavement cracks under weighty loneliness, tender heart peeks between jagged edges, open to rain’s caress, sun’s warm embrace. Wherever hunger meets the fierce tenacity of Light and Love, a delicate green tendril sprouts hope from surprising places—never underestimate the power of kindness
Forever Love
a child in a manger
my bright and morning star
Grace
boundless as the starry, starry night
my most precious giftGod is with us
God is for us
God is in us
Immanuel
patience is a rosebud
wakening in dawn’s warm glow
unfolding her first petals
blooming love
Patience is a rosebud unfolding its first petals. Deliberate acts that say I love you, starting with the self. Rooted in God, face turned toward heaven. Nurtured in abundance—warmed in the sun of awareness and refreshed in the rains of compassion. Self-love empowers body, mind, heart, and soul with a fierce tenderness that blooms more love into the world.
The threads of my life hand-woven in an amazing tapestryluminous gold of happiness
peaceful azure of serenity
sundrenched emerald of personal growth
kaleidoscope polka dots of chaos and quirks
vibrant orange of hearty laughter and unbridled joy
deep, royal-purple of rich, rare moments of miraculous grace
blazing crimson of raging ire
inky, impenetrable dark contours of devastating sorrow
clean, crisp white of unadulterated hope.
These threads, precious every one, intricately woven with the loving hands of the Master Weaverthe story of my life, unlike any other
Unique
Beautiful
HOPEStretch your wings
those wings once bound in fear
reach long, stretch and shimmy
those wings in dawn’s saffron rays
one wing then the other
don’t worry if the stretching aches
Grace and tenacity will bolster your endurance.Sow seeds of trust
those seeds sown with your tears
roots reach deep and arms reach for the stars
those seeds sown in fields of patience
one tiny mustard seed then the next
don’t worry if the waiting aches
Grace and tenacity will deepen your wisdom.Sing your songs of Love
those songs breathed into your heart
sing loud and long or sweet and soft
those songs in indigo nights before dawn’s smile
one tender note then the next
don’t worry if your voice trembles
Grace and tenacity will embolden your courage.wings to soar
seeds to sow
songs to breathe into the world
Forever Love seals the wounds
broken becoming beautiful again
Buried
deep and dark.
Quiet
held by unseen sun
shell cracks,
treasures revealed
in tender depths.
Timid tenacious tendrils
reach for Light,
break through mud
rise
as the One who created
the Way.
New life under sun’s smile
nourished,
and nourishing
in her turn
sowing seeds
Truth
Light
Love.
The Word
buried
risen.
Broken, in the hands
of the Son, becomes
beautiful.
And what is prayer, but
songs and psalms passed from the elders
generation to generation.
Prayer is a plea in the darkest hours
mumbling words
no longer coherent through tears;
a boisterous thank you
in the waterfalls of abundance.
Prayer is breathing in the beauty
of a laughing rose;
a soft I’m here with you
as you hold a friend who's weathering a storm;
a favorite story shared with children
that will lead them into Gods arms.
Prayer is a big bear hug
welcoming friends into your home;
a sincere smile, an intentional
how are you to the familiar strangers
you see every day.
Prayer is a whispered be safe
as you send loved ones into the world;
a hair-pulling help me!
when faced with fierce frustrating chaos.
Prayer is exquisite stillness, listening
for God's voice.
Prayer is a** sweet sacred
moment held in Forever Love.**
What is prayer
but your life song—
your breath intertwined with God's
holy breath—
a dance inviting
you deeper into his embrace.
Rain pours on my head
but the joyful robin's robust
song dances on the breeze.Dark clouds loom over my horizon
but the colorful kingfisher streaks bright
blue—zooms playfully from tree to tree.Heavy worries weigh on my heart
but the elegant egret glides with ease
and grace over the valley.Why so downcast my soul?Do you not wish for the sweet robin song
the hearty kingfisher playfulness
the serene grace of the egret?Seek
seek the One who is with you always
the One who lives in your heart
the One who, with love,
breathed you into being.Seek
God's face
take hold of the pierced hand
walk with the One who holds your soul
and never lets go. Lay down
your burden.
Trust God.
Soar!
Be free
to be all he dreams you to be.
joy speaks
through the sunrise smile
shimmering in the hummingbird's wing
joy sings
in the comical kingfisher’s voice
dancing on the breeze
joy comforts
with a velvety-black puppy
warming my feet
joy delights
in the sweet simple treasures
God lavishes
in the stillness of His company
heart full of love and a prayer every day
each step
each breath carries us closer to Godseeds of compassion
seeds of patience
under the radiant gaze of Love
bloom in beauty and graceweeds of negativity
uprooted
stones of discouragement.
cleared awayseeds of gratitude
seeds of trust
under the cleansing rains of Truth
bloom in Peace and Lifeif we do not give up
in God's perfect timing
we will harvest a colorful
bouquet of loving-kindness and joypleasing to God
good for my neighbor
good for my soulBased on Galatians 6:9 and “Cultivate Joy” found in Dancing Soul
The breath of the Spirit dances within.
Be still
breathe deeply
wake up your heart
listen for the whisper of God.Stand on tiptoe and wait.
He will speak to you from unexpected places
take you on unimaginable adventures.Dance, sweet soul,
dance with the Spirit breath.
Deep indigo pools
shimmer under the moon’s
silent waterfalls. Tender
heart, rippling
vulnerable and afraid.
Exhale your trembling
into prayer. Be still
and listen. Listen
deep
heart wide open—
you are welcome
in this place.
Listen and
seek
the One who breathes
peace
over you. Savor
the exuberance of his Love,
the laughter of his delight.
The Author
of your soul loves
his treasured one,
his chosen one.
Loved
with an everlasting love.
Live in that love. Live
free
soar on wings
of exquisite joy.
Look deep and
see.
He waits for you with arms
wide open, waits
to fold you into a love
that never dies— even in your darkest
hour. Live in the love
of the One who holds your soul.
He never lets go.
An Auroral PsalmThe heavens declare the glory
of God. The trees sway their arms
in a verdant hallelujah.
Cardinals and robins, kingfishers
and cranes warble their mighty hymns.
Evening raindrops linger
awakening incense from loamy soil;
rose and jasmine bloom divine
perfume. Butterflies tickle
the misty air, whispering with God’s
delight. It is good. It is good.The earth is drenched with heavenly satisfaction.
The face of the great Compassionate
One smiles from dewy beads
clinging to each blade of grass.
Holy wings soar through sapphire
skies. The sun, flushed and passionate,
emerges from a sleepy chamber and races
across the heavens, pouring
lambent warmth on upturned faces.
Sacred psalms from saffron cirrus
proclaim a luminous liturgy, praising
the magnificence of the One
who breathed the world into being;
who breathed life and love into me.I hear the footsteps of God
walking through my garden
in the cool of the morning.
A soft wind caresses my cheek
a holy whisper,
surely, I am with you always.
Hallelujah. It is good. It is good.\IrresistibleIrresistible, You are.
My heart answers Your luminous embrace
like a morning lily whose beauty blossoms
when kissed by the golden glow of dawn’s first smile.I smile. I feel you are near.
I smile basking in your unfailingly Love—
a warm smile, like the glowing embers of a sunrise sky;
a smile that invites other smiles to naturally bloom.\The Promise MakerAs raindrops in sun showers catch
lambent rays and paint rainbows
across the sky, so do my tear drops
mingle with the sunshine
of my joy and paint vibrant
colors in the landscape of my life.In sunshine and rain,
in my joy and in my pain,
I will cling to the Promise Maker.
He holds each tear in the palm of
His mighty and protective hand.
He paints beauty with the ashes of my sorrow.
I write spiritual poetry to embolden souls on their quest to** stretch their wings in the light of God’s grace and soar on the winds of hope;**to encourage and empower God’s children to meet challenges with a fierce resolve;to dance with the Author of creation and live in Love's abundance.I pen poetry for healing, conquering fear and building inner strength and resilience.
The Poetry Garden Podcast offers uplifting encouragement in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea or coffee. An invitation to seek God’s face in everyday circumstances—the stormy as well as the peaceful. To remember the promise, Surely, I am with you always. An invitation to pause in the midst of our hectic day, seek God’s face and bask in his presence, whether we need comfort, strength, or just a moment of Love.
