Brilliance
These four poems were inspired by four brilliant young women. I have known one since she was a toddler, the other three since they were six years old and now all are teenagers. In the past, the kwoon was mostly a male's domain. But in recent years, girls have joined the wonderful world of martial arts. What a joy to train girls. Watching these beautiful girls' friendships blossom as WCD sisters is inspiring. They are so different and most likely never travel in the same circles except in my universe. After Z's blackbelt test we were all celebrating this momentus achievement. As the teens started posing for pictures, I asked if they could envision their future and this picture was taken. Each girl means so much to me and when I looked at this photo, four poems came to mind that evening.
Brilliance - Potential Unknown
Brilliance of hair and soulPotential kissed her forehead and kissed her forward.
Hurrying toward the future, sitting on your hands
Yearning for more, without recourse
Yearning for a space to call her own home
Searching for a world of belonging and created by her own hand.
To belong by seeking and moving as fast forward as she is allowed
When she gets her chance, she'll fun wild to be free.
To be who she thinks and wants to be.
Stop once or twice and look behind,
To see us wave good-bye and wave "go-on."
Remember that brilliance is not out there, but born within.
Run if you must, but find the time to first, run into you.
You are brilliance - potential unknown.
Brilliance - Presence of Power
Why do you cover your face?No spotlight, unapolgetically invisible,
Unsuccessful because you create a presence
A Mona Lisa, recognizing the artist's greatness and because she chose him,
It makes her great, thus seen.
You quietly sit, silently quieting your physical and mental being
To be an unknown observer, a social investigator,
Scoping the space for any possible suggestion that eyes may fall toward you.
Staying motionless as a statue, but your presence betrays
The brilliance, seeping out along the edges.
Eyes follow the light to the silent presence, so still, so composed
That all motion must stop to see.
Look at the presence on the canvas, beautiful, still, yet full of life.
The Brilliance is waiting, waiting patiently for safety so power of self can emerge.
Brilliance Complete
A girl who knows who she isReceiving accolades, that don't stop coming.
A wonder to a girl that so many people are in wonder and awe
Organized, focused, self-realized.
Starting to realize her strengths are powerful.
Willing to explore those skills with fervor to complete something magnificent.
Joy is the task at hand, to plan, to implement to joyous completion.
Brilliance of heart, mind and soul
Does it scare her, the eyes of others on her, praising her, validating her?
The bar of expectations begins to float higher.
Do you continue to awe them or do you already know to awe only yourself?
Remember to rest, that the complete can sometimes wait.
May the joy and love of the ride take you wherever you want to go or whatever you want to be.
You are Brilliance Complete.
Hiding Brilliance - Potential Restrained
Brilliance is pouring out of every pore.The flow held back restrained, pushing and pulling to be released.
A brilliant beautiful person hiding in her own shadows
Unwilling or unable to show herself as the roaring river that she is.
Experience gave you knowledge of uncertainty, loss, apathy, and abandoned bliss
Don't let these lessons lessen your will to be brilliant.
You are a wonder, a jewel not yet polished.
A potential of the highest order, a power of will and intelligence
A significant creative mind and being, waiting for the moment of self-realization.
Be the power, release its potential, move out of the shadows and
Be the Brilliance Beautiful that you already are.
Here is another picture of a wonderful group of young people. Feel so blessed to know all of them.
