Is that a Concealed Weapon in Your Heart? The Poetry of Putting It All on the Table

I have a no concealed weaponry policy.

You know the things that you hide so that I will like you, approve of you or think you are spiritual – let’s just put them on the table. I will show you mine if you will show me yours…

I am triggered by inauthenticity, entitlement and lack of integrity. I am annoyed when people whine. I am sometimes impatient with my friends and even my students when they sell themselves short. I fiercely believe all is possible in this life. I see the light in people often before they do. I have learned to let people have their journey though it is not always easy.

I want to whack racists, bigots and chauvinists over the head. I roll my eyes at the “new agers” who talk about balancing their second chakra and then gossip about the pretty girl in the red dress. I expect kindness but not perfection. I don’t think fuck is a bad word. I think pretending to be happy when you aren’t IS a fucking bad thing.

I cry at phone commercials and stories about kindness especially toward animals. I am passionate about love, words and wildness. I am fiercely loyal and therefore, at times demanding that you be true to yourself and to me. I see beauty everywhere though it took me nearly 39 years to see it in myself.

I believe in God, good wine and slow, hard kissing. I have not ever had my heart broken but three different men threatened suicide when I left them. I loved my husband even when he was someone else’s husband and I am not ashamed of this. I believe love is redemptive and at times very challenging. I know that sexuality is a way to experience God and I am not ashamed of that either.

I don’t think spirituality is about being nice or polite but about being real. When you actually have something you really need to say I want you to feel safe in expressing it to me but I do expect you to say it in a way my heart can hear you. I forgive easily.

I have unraveled rage, hurt and defensiveness like prayer flags flapping in the wind but my prayers are different now.

I am a good friend. I am a happy person. I can love all of you. There is nothing to hide. Put your guns on the table and I will pour you a glass of wine.

Written by Shasta

Shasta loves to see women of all ages recognize, access, and utilize the greatness within them, and to be a small part of it. She is skilled at cracking the lockbox of limitation and revealing one’s inner gifts. She is a feisty champion of creating an unlimited life where ease, joy, and freedom reign, regardless of the circumstances. Shasta’s expertise in these matters does not come from a few letters behind her name, but from her own investigation, learning, and journey. Thanks to this, her offerings are not regurgitated from another’s textbook, but from her own personal evolution and inner guidance. Shasta shares her passion for living well as a Featured Columnist at Elephant Journal, The Good Men Project, Rebelle Society and Vivid Life. Shasta leads retreats, workshops and talks around the world. She lives in Canada with her husband, cat and creative impulse. Her debut book, Happy, Sexy, Shameless – What Our Mother’s Didn’t Know About the Birds and the Bees is available through amazon.com