Fridays are for Laughing

Kids, if you enjoy laughing hysterically, 

take a look at this. 

It's Debbie and the Fitted Sheet, and

I SO know the feeling!!!!

Happy Friday, all!

An Afternoon at the Lake

Jackson Pollock #5

Ella's prompt at Poets United's Thursday Think Tank features the controversial style of artist Jackson Pollock, who dripped paint from a can onto the canvas and often used grit and glass to make the work textured and "interesting". I have mixed feelings as to this form of art, as did many of his day. But this canvas spoke to me.

On a blue-green day,

puffy picture-book clouds

against a kindergarten-blue sky,

I show

another little boy

the wonder of 

an eagle's flight,

the beauty of

green against blue,

the joy of

water and sand -

lessons he will take

into adulthood:

nature, balm and blessing,

breath and beauty.

As She Lay Dying II

image from google

The weighty topic of forgiveness has been offered by Mary over at Poetry Jam. Who was it (besides Oprah) who said "Forgiveness means giving up the hope that the past can be any different"? Oprah also repeats fairly often, "Anger is like drinking poison and hoping the other guy dies."  Well, now. Let me noodle along this path for a bit.

Driving through the night

to be at her bedside

as she lay dying,

I listened to Caroline Myss

speaking about

forgiveness.

"Learning the power 

of forgiveness

is essential

to your spiritual path."

I look up at the moon,

serene in the sky,

shining her light

on the peaceful and the fractious

alike.

Just let it all go:

missed connections,

misperceptions,

all the words

 it was never possible

to express.

It is the soul's journey now.

All is forgiven,

all will soon

be understood.

"I love you," I say,

looking into her eyes.

"I love you too,"

she mouths,

for the first time, ever.

There is nothing more

that really

needs to be said.

A weight lifts off my heart

as hers flies

out of the window

and away.

Now we both

are flying free.

Unsung Lullaby : A Collaboration

image from fotothing.com

artist unknown

[I was paired with Susie Clevenger of Confessions of a Laundry Goddess for a collaboration for Real Toads. This is the result.  Susie's lament comes first, followed by my response]

UNSUNG LULLABY

Tears fall from the unsung lullaby
onto the cradle of my empty arms.

My age would speak of grandchildren,
blue eyes that mirror my daughters’,
the gentle laughter to echo
the sound that bubbles from
the well that is my offspring.

Our family tree stands pruned
of the wonder of my children.
Life’s fate took their unborn
before they could even be conceived.

I wrap in my cloak of unspoken words
to grieve life’s unfairness.
I feel most selfish to weep in my valley
when my beautiful girls have bravely
walked through the valley of their own loss.


Where is my encourager that I might smile?
I cannot stay in my dark pit to succumb to self pity.
My children are the sun of my days.
I must not become their cloud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susie, do you hear??
Listen. Listen.
There’s a voice,
singing in the wind.
Hear her with me.
It is Wind Woman,
who is speaking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“When the cold North Wind blows
a bitter blast upon
your shivering shoulders,
listen carefully to her voice.

She has come to take
your keening song
and blow it away
across the mountaintops.

She is making way
for the warm West Wind
to come,
who will softly dry your tears,
and whisper words
of promise.

West Wind will say:

Let your arms
and your heart open wide,
and Life will send you
little voyagers
to love.
The lonely unloved
children of the world
are waiting for
your smile,
your hug,
your heart.

As you travel
on your journey,
keep your lap ready
and your arms
outstretched and open
and, one by one,
through the years,
they will find you.

This, I promise,
will return
the sun
to your sky.
This will give
your lovely daughters
Hope that,
one day,
their empty arms
will fill
with children,
too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susie, did you hear her?
I heard her speaking, too.
My friend,
any time your arms,
your dreams,
your heart,
are feeling lonely,
just listen.
Listen to hear
Wind Woman
singing on the wind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Poets United, Mary's Vice/Versa prompt today is to  use the four words HUMBLE / PROUD and ABUNDANCE / LACK in a poem. This is something I have often noted:

Those who live with

scarcity and lack,

often are humble of heart

and filled with gratitude.

In many ways,

they seem

richer in spirit

than the haughty, proud owners

of material abundance,

for whom "too much"

is often perceived as

"not enough".

Spring Rain

google

As the day fills up with busy-ness:

an elderly friend weeping on the phone,

needing a visit,

places to go,

things to pick up,

the hours ticking by,

may I be as the deer

nibbling grass in the meadow,

grateful for each mouthful 

after the scarcity of winter,

grateful for mobility and grace,

awareness of

the Miracle of Now,

and the glorious response 

of all growing things,

self included,

to the blessing of spring rain.

I know it is summer everywhere else, but summer has still not found us on Vancouver Island. We appear to be living in an endless spring. I am not complaining, given the terrible storms elsewhere, floods, wildfires, devastation. An endless spring is always preferable to unending winter:) Happy July 1st, eh?

Doctors Without Borders

Kids, last night I was riveted by the documentary Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres). The setting was the war zones of the Congo and Liberia, and followed the postings of four doctors, as they tried to provide critical care under the most extreme of conditions.


The film was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar and is as true to life as it gets as one watches the impact of the posting on each of the very different doctors. The situations and conditions are horrifying and definitely jolts one out of our little bubble, seeing how the majority of people on this planet struggle to survive. I am in awe of people able to give so much, in a situation where so much more is needed.


God bless them.