Poetry
Cereal
Rosalee Martin 6-10-21
I ate a bowl of cereal today
Not just today
But often.
Yet today
I really tasted it;
Each ingredient massaged my taste bud
Wheat cereal with raison
Large organic bran crunched in my mouth
Scattering into my teeth,
Moved around by my tongue
And sliding down my throat
Not alone but with raison sticking to the bran
My teeth and my gums
Forcing me to move my tongue
To the places it reside
But not just bran and raison
Added fresh strawberries
Walnuts and chocolate covered raisons
A visual combination of delight
Red scattered across the bowl
Holding its own
In coconut and almond milk
And walnuts odd shape with its own textures
Created crunching noise
Pulling in another sense
And chocolate
Changes from soft to hard
As coldness encompass it
Not melting but being bitten.
I ate raisin bran cereal
With walnut and strawberries and chocolate raison
Each bite different
Depending on the dominating ingredients
The strawberries not hidden, took center stage
Giving the tastebuds a reintroduction
To a fruit that improves eye health,
An antioxidant.
Walnuts, a heart medicine
Giving the body needed fatty acid that fights inflammation.
Bran, fiber, and complex carbohydrates
Speeding food and waste through body systems,
Associated with gut health, the second brain.
And raisons, bone strength and digestive aids
Another form of grapes, having a sweet taste
Natural sugar.
All moving in coconut and almond milk
Bringing vitamins and minerals to the experience
Today I ate cereal
Different from other times
When ingredients blended
No distinctive taste emerge
Then ate because I need to eat
Not enjoying the unique flavors
Of each ingredient
But today,
Being mindfulness to the food I ate
And really letting its nutritious values
Work for me!
Wellness
By Rosalee Martin 6/8/21
Today, I feel well
More than absent of illness
But core well
Internally well
Holistic well
Well from the inside out
Came from valuing myself, God and others
Today, I smile
A smile that jumps from my face
Stretching from eternity to eternity
One that reflects the sun
As if on the ground with all of its brilliance
Lighting up the earth throughout the day.
Today, I serve
Not a selfish serve
That elevates me at the expense of others
But service that undergirds the vulnerable
Marginalized and underserved
Giving as many flowers
When they can be smelled
Today, I accept gifts of love
Peace and joy
First from myself
Then from others,
And always from God
Today I pray, meditate,
Knowing the power to heal
Lies within me,
My attitude, my self-talk
My conversations,
My outreach
And my truth.
Today, the first day
Of the rest of my life
I breathe deeply,
Love hilariously
Smell the roses
Take hold of my possibilities
And not feel guilty
For focusing on me
Today, I know who I am
That I am wonderfully made;
God makes no mistakes,
And that truth keeps well and whole.