My partner told me that I have taken up humming lately. I hadn’t noticed. It’s an annoying habit that crops up when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Too many hours at work is a likely catalyst. And undoubtedly, a family gathering this weekend, attended by a daughter and granddaughters I haven’t seen since the ‘great divide’ that has broken so many friends and families in recent years. It went better than I expected, but there was the sad, black hole of those lost years; an awkward, lost ease, the familiarity that comes through unbroken connection. Still I will cherish the brief memory of our time together. A mother is always a mother, even if her children fly away, never to return or for only brief glimpses.

There was also our first attempts at taming the shrew out of the feral, frightened kitten we rescued. It’s amazing how little time it takes in the wild to snap a tiny, innocent kitten into a snarling, claw-wielding devil. But I am committed to see it through. His mom is scheduled for her spay this Thursday. I hope all goes well. She was loved once, then cast aside I assume for whatever reason people do such things. I can tell she remembers warm and safe in the way she waits for me and rubs against me purring when I feed her. I know how she feels. How easy it is to forgive…forget even…life’s harshness.

Mothers, children, family, cats and kittens…the reason I work to survive here for just a moment more of the blessings of this life. I hope you have moments this week that cause you to pause and think, ‘life is good’…because life is.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 August 2019

be kind to others you don’t know
when children lose their innocence
she had some wild stories
with dreams that linger into day
you must be red, rose red like me, you can’t be blue
we can’t ignore that we are doomed; let’s set things right
a storm is nigh, rain droplets burst, cool is the breeze
in the belly of grace I fall
amidst the trees, sparks of divine on breezes sway

~kat

A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.