Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Ordinary Is as Ordinary Does



The Bread Making Bowl , 
round and tan colored,
sits on top of the fridge.
No one bakes bread here any more,
so instead it gathers odds and ends of miscellany
that cant find another spot to live.

I remember my mother's hands,
forming the dough into a round,
then plopping it onto the bread board, covered with flour,
kneading, shaping, working the dough,
smiling with satisfaction,
then back into the bowl it went, 
covered with a cloth, to rise.

An ordinary weekly event,
one that gave her great pleasure
in her later years.

***

I wonder how old
the Palestinian is
who remembers a time
when he last spent
an ordinary day.

***

I wonder is there is
an Israeli Jew alive
who remembers a time
before war and death and sorrow.

***

In my world,
an ordinary day
is one of my
greatest pleasures.

To the suffering of the world,
my prayer:
may the bombs cease.
May you learn 
the extraordinary joys 
of an ordinary day.

***

for Poetry Jam, where the prompt is Something Ordinary. Which puts me in mind of the quote by  Einstein:   There are two ways to live. One, as if nothing is a miracle. The other, as if everything is a miracle. I favor the latter view. 

26 comments:

  1. yes Sherry we should never forget the blessings of the ordinary when we breathe happily...love this poem bearing your mother's touch and prayer for the world....

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  2. You've captured the rarity of the ordinary for people under siege everywhere. I like how you begin with a bowl and end with a prayer.

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  3. Yes, the ordinary day would definitely be a blessing for those who can't imagine life without war. Such a moving piece Sherry.

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  4. It is a pity that we sometimes cannot see the ordinary in the eyes of each of us and value each other. Love the way the bowl is the essence of value. Lovely words.

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  5. I liked the way you developed this, Sherry. The bowl becoming a memory fo your mother doing something ordinary - making bread, which in a warring zone is something impossible... Great write!

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  6. Such heart felt wishes for the good of all. The ordinary days are indeed filled with extraordinary happiness and peace.

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  7. Amen to that!! ordinary days at home are so beautiful... btw my mom still bakes bread!! every day!! love it:)

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  8. we make bread occassionally...i love home made bread....smiles...there are def those things that we dont do anymore that i once helped my mom with...i like the progression, to where your heart is as well...if only we could have more of those ordinary days...and i hope war and terror dont become the new ordinary

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  9. I really like how a reflection on your mother's ordinary weekly routine takes you to questioning other people's own routines and ordinary lives. Very well-done, Sherry!

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  10. A lovely offering, Sherry. I especially like the first and last one.

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  11. A heartfelt collection in honor of the ordinary day. I have thought often of how much people in these war-ravaged areas would enjoy an ordinary day. And the ordinary activity of making bread which now seems less ordinary. Thanks for posting these.

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  12. Goodness, I thought I loved the first poem...and I did/do. But the followup thoughts and wishes for others to have an ordinary day were extraordinary. I will add my prayers as well!
    Make some bread in that bowl. It is restorative.

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  13. Beautiful poem, Sherry. You have shown the reader that one should not take ordinary days for granted. There would be many people in the world who would love to have just a simple ordinary day instead of a day of fear for what the day will bring.

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  14. Nice, so nice, i link my prayers to yours, have a nice Wednesday

    Much love...

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  15. I love the bread making bowl memory from your childhood ~ An ordinary way to make bread, but now its a special time to make one ~ I pray for peace for ordinary days to the war torn countries ~

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  16. This is very powerful. I appreciate the mixture of what for you is an ordinary memory and the heaviness of the current strife in the Middle East. Well done.

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  17. I prayed tonight with my mom that the world could bring peace to the people and the people bring peace to the world I love your poem "bring ordinary to everyone tonight"

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  18. There are too many who would love to have an ordinary day. I like how you start with the bread making (bowl) that gave your mother such pleasure and end with those who would give most anything to have an ordinary life again.

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  19. I love ordinary days and am fortunate to enjoy many. I too pray that war victims (and I think all wars have only victims) get to enjoy an ordinary day very soon.

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  20. Sherry I love making bread, what a beautiful bowl and what beautiful memories--contrasted with the violence and senseless killing all around us. It hurts my heart and head, I join with you in prayer

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  21. Yes..there is much to be thankful for in the ordinary..i like that the bowl found another use..for the different bread of life these days maybe?

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  22. Lovely ordinary day, may it be your's today!

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