California Holds Me
And takes me as I am (a poem)
California holds
me in a warm embrace, says
yes child, I will take
you as you are, this
time, every time, but you must
already know that.
Yes, just like Joni
Mitchell knew when she returned
to me — I take you
as you are. Is that
a wild concept? Maybe you
need more wilderness.
The redwoods love to
hold you together — when you
reach for them, they swoop
down from the sky to
lift your weary spirit, and
mend your broken wings.
The ocean loves to
hold you close — when you tell it
your secrets and bare
your wounds, salt water
to salt water, it joins you
in your sweet healing.
The mountains love to
hold you tight — when you tremble
with wonder and fear,
they remind you how
far you’ve come, one adventure
at a precious time.
The valley loves to
hold you fast — when you settle
your doubt into its
fertile expanse, it
reminds you the power of
roots, patterns of growth.
The desert loves to
hold you up — when you see its
miracles of life
and study its ways
of resilience, it smiles, looks
back at you, amazed.
California holds
me in a warm embrace, says
yes child, I will take
you as you are, this
time, every time, but you must
already know that.
Lindsay Linegar is a writer living in her home state, California. Her educational background is in International Development (MA), Psychology (BA), and she has significant experience working as a creativity coach. She currently finds herself thrilled to be a dog walker and yoga student as she works on her first book, based on her three-year adventure in South Sudan. She loves making meaningful connections with humans, wondering at nature, doodling, listening to good music, and more than anything, dancing. You can reach her through email at lindsaylinegar@gmail.com
