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Inspiration for the Spirit

A lovely place to wander for poetry and inspiration to soothe the soul

75 Life Lessons Learned

by Patricia Petro

The expression "live and learn" might sound cliché, but it's true. We generally learn life lessons from mistakes we make and from the defining moments ... Read more

Filed under learning & growth.

A Love Poem

by Patricia Petro

My toy you are an open door and I see everything you can become I can become we will become together like shoelaces or Velcro or sunshine and cut ... Read more

Filed under love.

A Year in Art

by Patricia Petro

"The snow had begun in the gloaming, and busily all the night had been heaping field and highway with a silence deep and white." —James Russell ... Read more

Filed under art, autumn, grandchildren, love, relationships, spring, summer, travel, winter.

Advice and Encouragement

by Patricia Petro

advice

You have better things to do than worry why others aren't taking what you have to offer. Don't waste your magic on people who won't be moved by it. ... Read more

Filed under advice & encouragement, quotes.

Aging

by Patricia Petro

There must be a day or two in a man's life when he is the precise age for something important. —Franklin Pierce Adams Middle age occurs when you are ... Read more

Filed under aging, quotes.

Almost a Whisper

by Patricia Petro

Without a word so barely heard meant just for me breathed in my ear my heart is won and so I fall Copyright © 2002 Patricia Petro • All rights ... Read more

Filed under love.

An Awakening

by Patricia Petro

buildings in Oaxaca

Sometimes you have to go far away from home before you can understand why what you have might be too much. Several years ago, I went to Mexico for ... Read more

Filed under happiness, mindful living, places, simplicity.

At First and 1st

by Patricia Petro

Here you cross on red with caution heads turned in watchful wait rouged cheeks and ruby lips on models matrons mothers men wearing red and heads in ... Read more

Filed under places.

Autumn Blessings

by Patricia Petro

Night, which in autumn seems to fall from the sky so suddenly, chilled us. —Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, The Crimson Curtain Her pleasure in the walk ... Read more

Filed under autumn, quotes.

Baby Boy Blue

by Patricia Petro

Some memories come easily, like a movie reel running through my mind. Just snippets . . . bits and pieces here and there . . . of life with my ... Read more

Filed under children.

Be Mindful of the Moment

by Neil Harding McAlister

man in park

The here and now is all we hold through times of joy and sorrow. We may watch fulsome years unfold— or may not see tomorrow. Be mindful of the ... Read more

Filed under mindful living.

Be My Love

by Patricia Petro

Once I rode a horse wild through fields of green knee-deep in buttercup meadows and fiery woods that came with fall bareback and toes free hair ... Read more

Filed under being female, love, loving yourself.

Beginnings

by Patricia Petro

flower face

It had been a pivotal year for me. Though I was well-past the sad events that had left me lonely with an empty nest, I was still bridging that space ... Read more

Filed under spirit.

Better with Age

by Patricia Petro

They say that wisdom comes with age. The older you get, the wiser you are. You live and learn. Experience is the best teacher. Yada yada yada. Even ... Read more

Filed under aging, life & living.

By Firelight

by Patricia Petro

by firelight

We sit our backs to the fire on chenille cushions in golden warmth legs outstretched and intertwined like our souls from the day we met forgetting ... Read more

Filed under love.

Change

by Patricia Petro

change

Nowadays change is around every corner; in my day it was only around the expected ones. —V. L. Allineare The need for change bulldozed a road down ... Read more

Filed under change, quotes.

Choosing To Be Happy

by Patricia Petro

young woman in field of flowers

Everyone wants to be happy. Whether it comes from fulfillment in our work, contentment in our relationships, pride in our children, or passion in our ... Read more

Filed under happiness.

Cloud Nine

by Patricia Petro

jumping woman

I am alone and complete and completely alone here in my room I burn candles and incense and memories with soft music playing or silence I dance when I ... Read more

Filed under being female, loving yourself, solitude.

Comes the Spring

by Patricia Petro

shabby chic

I wait for spring . . . to fold away the threads of winter in lavender scent windows drawn wide as early dawn spills in through gossamer ... Read more

Filed under spring.

Coming Up Empty

by Patricia Petro

No man or woman is worth all your tears; and the only one who is, will not make you cry. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel the experience is ... Read more

Filed under love lost.

Courage and Strength

by Patricia Petro

It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. —Aesop History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be ... Read more

Filed under courage & strength, quotes.

Crazeee Daze

by Patricia Petro

The woman was me broken and bleeding from needing to see him weeping and hurt deep within reeling and feeling my life’s up in smoke each hazy day in ... Read more

Filed under love lost.

Curiosity Shop

by Patricia Petro

A shop in town with windows draped in lost and found kept secrets from another day escaping little drawers whipped together in careless array caught ... Read more

Filed under people, places.

Desires

by Patricia Petro

A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired . . . is one of the earliest, as well as the keenest, dispositions ... Read more

Filed under dreams & desires, quotes.

Diamond Drops

by Patricia Petro

diamond drops

Arise, dear Earth, from winter’s sleep and feel the gentle rain, the world awash with liquid hope, as springtime comes again. Raindrops fall in ... Read more

Filed under nature, spring.

Dreams

by Patricia Petro

Far away, there in the sunshine, are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to ... Read more

Filed under dreams & desires, quotes.

Drowned in a Raindrop

by David J. Humphreys

Liquid, alive, and agleam You gently soaked through my skin As the drops turned into a stream My heart was yours to win Sometimes your ripples are ... Read more

Filed under love.

Fabulous Female

by Patricia Petro

I am woman-hear-me-roar. I sing this anthem joyously, not to make a political statement, but as a celebration of my own strength, courage, and ... Read more

Filed under loving yourself.

Family

by Patricia Petro

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be ... Read more

Filed under children, daughter, family, father, quotes.

Fear Factor

by Patricia Petro

light in dark room

So haunting was the darkened night so chilling that I found I petrified with morbid fright at every eerie sound Be brave calm down I told ... Read more

Filed under courage & strength.

Finding the Right Words

by Patricia Petro

flowers and paper

"My poems are about life, living, love . . . and surviving those setbacks we all have that feel so world-shattering when they happen." —Patricia ... Read more

Filed under poetry & writing.

Flower Fairy Alphabet

by artist Mary Cicely Barker

Spring-Time by Dolly Radford In the distant woods are blowing Tender buds and blossoms sweet, Fragrant leaves and grasses glowing From the touch of ... Read more

Filed under art, fairies, flowers & gardens.

Flowers and Gardens

by Patricia Petro

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous. Bricks to all greenhouses! Black thumb and cutworm to the ... Read more

Filed under flowers & gardens, quotes.

Flowers: Legends and Lore

by Patricia Petro

Amaryllis - According to legend, Amaryllis was a shy, timid maiden who fell deeply in love with Alteo, a shepherd with Hercules' strength and Apollo's ... Read more

Filed under flowers & gardens.

Forgive and Forget

by Patricia Petro

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget" is only another way of saying, "I will not forgive." Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note—torn in two and ... Read more

Filed under forgiveness, quotes.

Friends and Friendship

by Patricia Petro

When we're looking for compassion, it's about connecting with the right person at the right time about the right issue. —Dr. Brene Brown To know ... Read more

Filed under friends & friendship, quotes.

Gratitude

by Patricia Petro

gratitude

There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude. It is accompanied with such an inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently ... Read more

Filed under gratitude, quotes.

Grief and Pain

by Patricia Petro

grief

It is dangerous to abandon one's self to the luxury of grief. It deprives one of courage, and even of the wish for recovery. —Henri-Frederic ... Read more

Filed under grief & sadness, quotes.

Happiness

by Patricia Petro

happiness

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is ... Read more

Filed under happiness, quotes.

Heavenly Love

by Patricia Petro

I never thought I’d live to know an angel here on earth with easy smiles and gentleness he fuels my life’s rebirth He whiles away his daily ... Read more

Filed under love.

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 Welcome
Inspiration for the Spirit is all about love—not only romantic love, but also love for our fellow man, loving life and its many wonders and, most importantly, the love of self that comes when you are truly content with the person you are ... Read more
hands up
In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. —Buddha
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The Poetry Pages

My Poems
Guest Poets
Selected Poems
Classic Poets
Classic Love Poems
Zen Poetry, Haiku, and Wisdom

Most Recent Posts

75 Life Lessons Learned

by Patricia Petro

A Birthday Gift

by Christine Magee

A Familiar Taste

by Carrie Ryman

A Father Remembered

by Patty Davis

A Heart’s Breath

by Anne Lamott

The Simplicity of Tea

When I drink tea, there is only me, and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes. ... Read more

The Language of Flowers

During the Victorian era, people often gave each other flowers and used the "language of flowers" (sometimes called floriography) to express feelings ... Read more

My Miracle Heart: A True Story

daisy and a heart

When my ex-husband and I parted ways, I was angry. Our marriage had not been good for a lot of reasons. And though I was relieved the ordeal was ... Read more

Native American Wisdom

Native American chiefs

We, the great mass of the people, think only of the love we have for our land; we do love the land where we were brought up. We will never let our ... Read more

Beginnings

"Messenger" mandala by Caroline Hofstede It had been a pivotal year for me. A bad breakup early on had left me feeling fragile and fragmented and looking inward for answers ... Read more

Sign My Guestbook

guestook

One of the first things you discover when you put an inspirational website online, is that a lot of people will write to you. ... Read more

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