Paradoxical Phoenix

06/08/2026

into the astral

Staring down the precipice of tomorrow,
Poised on the edge of today;
I took a big breath in the silence,
And listened to what it had to say.

Shhh…your soul is calling,
It’s whispering to you all day;
At night in your dream-time,
It’s eager to be up and away.

The vibrations shake your body,
You feel them rattle your bones;
Almost before you realize it,
Up, up and away you’ve flown.

You can see the world beneath you,
Falling away so fast;
As you journey through the cosmos,
To your home at last.

The light keeps getting brighter,
You can feel it draw you in;
Suddenly you feel it envelop you,
You rejoice as it fills you within.

A blissful mutual recognition,
A type of melding of the minds;
When we finally meet again,
My soul will slip into the divine.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix


Graphic artist unknown

06/05/2026

moving on

Here I sit
Amidst the debris;
Sorting through left behind,
Pieces of me.

Bits and pieces,
I can place in a box;
But that’s isn’t the repository,
For the rest of my thoughts.

For in my thoughts and words,
And apparently in my actions;
I am not heard, I’m misunderstood,
According to my own understanding.

I came to a place,
I never thought I would be,
Now I’m rediscovering what it means,
To finally be free!

I ran a long way,
Far from home;
Back and forth,
I did roam.

One more time,
I walk across the floor;
One last time,
To close that door.

I’m looking forward,
Barely glancing behind;
That’s what is best,
For MY peace of mind.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix

06/05/2026

Or everyone notices and decides for you how you’re supposed to be feeling, thinking or acting.

That’s no fun either.

Yes. Anyone else?

06/05/2026

Approaching the 20 year mark since Bjarne passed away, and as I am writing this I am thinking that for the people who have not experienced such a loss, they cannot understand why anyone would write about it 20 years later.

They have not experienced the time dilation we have.

They have not had otherworldly experiences like this.

They can’t get it.

I wouldn’t get it either.

It’s unfathomable to understand what 20 years feels like to someone who lost a human being from their physical reality.

It makes no sense.

I was out with my girls for dinner the other day planning where we would go on the anniversary, and we were talking about the fact that it had been 20 years.

For them it’s nearly their whole life he has been gone. It’s their dad.

It’s everything.

This isn’t even about grief.

It’s about living in a reality that removed one of the two most important people in their life.

For them it’s identity. It’s language.

It’s so much more than just saying grief.

Isn’t it?

With reflection ✨✨✨
Christina

06/05/2026

Yup.

06/05/2026

2 to Tango

Whirl me around the dance floor
once more my love
for I have so enjoyed these dances with you

We began less skilled
but not beginners surely
for there have been other partners
but not experts
no, far from experts my dear
but I’ve always been eager to learn new things
and you’ve enjoyed yourself
for the most part
(nothing is without effort)

You’ve taken this challenge to heart
and finally stopped running
having surrendered
capitulated
and bowed to fate and
to a love more encompassing than we have ever known
and it’s heaven

But
oh my love
it is hell as well
those moments of hurt confusion and separation
they are so painful
and those moments we embrace together
transcend the effort and struggle
and there in those elusive moments between heartbeats
we finally come home.

Leslie Bertrand
©Paradoxical Phoenix


Art by: Jack Vettriano