the braid – a poem by Amrita Skye Blaine

the braid 

Taking happiness and suffering as the path requires the noblest aspiration, a kind and courageous heart, and skillfully developed endurance. —Chakung Jigme Wangdrak

but happiness and suffering
are the path
whether realized or not
the third, peace of mind—
three cords I live with
plaiting and twining
the braid of each day
into equanimity’s strand
offering strength
and securing the rest,
I weave gilded thread
as reminder—
steadiness, the gold
constancy, the way
 

Amrita Skye Blaine develops themes of aging, disability, and spiritual awakening. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University in 2003. She has published a memoir and a three-novel trilogy. Blaine has been writing poetry steadily since she turned seventy. Her poems have been accepted by Braided Way Magazine, The Penwood Review, Delta Poetry Review, the New English Review, Soul Forte, and Chiron Review. Her first book of poetry, every riven thing, has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press and will come out mid-2025.