Rain...

rain

yesterday it rained...or was it

this morning?

now lace leaves drop small tears

shed another day back when

I felt the stab. yet

they did not wet my cheeks.

reason or even

desire for shedding those

old tears is not 

easy to understand.

do we need to empty that well

of gathered dew

before life really goes

on.

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"Mostly, we don't want to harm each other" Danusha Laméris: Small Kindnesses

"In her poem Small Kindnesses  Danusha Lamér wrote about those everyday things we do that send out ripples of hope and happiness. She began with:

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. 

And she continues with words about spilled groceries and the stranger that will bend to help you. Then the best line of the poem:

Mostly, we don't want to harm each other.

As she continues I found these words:

We have so little of each other, now....
Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”

Credit: Copyright 2019 Danusha Laméris. First published in Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness and Connection from Green Writers Press.  

I saw a photo of this poem on Facebook. I was taken back to a piece of graffiti I photographed in the restroom of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence Italy. I loved this at the time and still do...it said in my thoughts, "If you see someone that needs a kind word of validation, take the time and tell them you like their shoes."

The poem resonated with me because it is the way small town people live their lives. It takes the whole village to keep everyone afloat. Now that I live in the city I find that people appreciate that small kindness of recognition and conversation more than ever. They simply want to be seen and appreciated for who they are on that particular day. Honestly, I believe that people are very lonely.

I especially liked that part of the poem that said "Mostly, we don't want to harm each other". The last few lines pointed out how tiny words can make a big difference, "Only these brief moments of exchange. What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat." "

I will be buying this book of poetry by Danusha Laméris when it is released in 2020. 

What are your favorite lines?

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Note: I also loved Insha' Allah (translates as Allah Willing and is commonly used in the Middle East by everyone. Those of us from a different culture might say "Good Lord Willing.). It is a beautiful poem about those small prayers we say over the making of bread or the care of our garden.

Putting the words back in my mouth: On being OLD and WISE

Posted on Sunday Scribblings:  Wise

The barber was the best listener of all...wise and quiet!

The Secret History of Nursery Rhymes

When we were children, I think we all aspired to be good when we grew up.  Poems like The Wise Old Owl created an image in our minds of listening more and talking less.  Then we grew up and we found out it was not nearly as easy as we thought it would be.  The nursery rhyme/poem went like this:

A Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl lived in an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard.

Why can't we be like that wise old bird?

Unfortunately it takes a whole lifetime to become as wise as the owl. By that time a lot of harm can be done. In my family we always called the malady the foot in our mouth syndrom.  You know. The one where you say things that you have said all your life without hurting someone's feelings and then you let the words out at the wrong time only to be rebuked or scolded. I have had this happen a lot several times.

I am a small town woman born and bred. There is no getting away from the fact that I was raised in a tough all be it diverse atmosphere.  I honestly did not know anything about ethnic groups or cultures.  My neighbors and friends were not of Swedish/German descent like me.  So then I suppose that made my family the minority in town.

The worst cultural slur I ever heard was that a certain nationality hung their wash clothes by the corners instead of square like they were suppose to be. Honestly. In that world lazy was lazy, dirty was dirty and smart was smart.

So as an adult I will say things not realizing that what I am saying might offend anyone.  But let it be known I don't make the same mistake twice. Sadly, I can never put the words back!  Once they are out there they float around in the air and inside peoples heads doing damage long after my mouth is closed!

Am I becoming wise in my old age?  Have I found a way to sort the things out that are not correct given the company I am in?  Probably not!  But it remains alway true that my heart is sad if I hurt anyone's feeling!  Like the wise old owl I am learning to listen more and talk less!

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Spider Webs of Life

 Devian Art 

arielundrdasee

If an aging spider were to spin its web

Across my mind

let it be a blanket of

warm remembrance.

If an aging spider were to make a home

In my shoe

Let it be a spider that

Loves adventure.

If an aging spider were to come

To live by my side

Let it be a book spider

Spinning words in the air.

If an aging spider were to

Whisper in my ear

Let the words be

A plan for life to come.

Beautiful loops of

Fanciful dreams

Spun by a aging spider

Just for us.

Written for One Single Impression and Monday Poetry Train.

Writing and poetry are hobbies that I began to pursue after I retired.  Come and join me.

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