Category Archives: Essays

May 14, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 14 May 2017

By Kat Myrman

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It is Mother’s Day in many parts of the world. If you are a mother, I wish you a wonderful day. You deserve to be loved and honored. If you are missing your mother I wish you warm memories, healing, and grace. And if you are a child or mother whose relationship is fractured, I wish you hope and reconciliation.

Life is complicated isn’t it? So complicated and so fleeting. How many minutes, how many hours do we spend each day worrying, working to survive, taking up space, wasting time? How many breaths do we consciously take…how many moments do we savor?

I am woefully caught up in the whirlwind of life’s distractions. I spend most of my days in a an oblivious, vapid haze. My existence is a breathless blur. Each day is like a bulbous speck of mercury colliding into the blob of previously squandered days. But it doesn’t have to be.

Being present is hard. Sometimes it’s painful. But it is also what frees us from the blur. A single moment of mindfulness can open the door to wonder, gratitude, peace, and healing. It is balm for our fading souls.

Of course, when I get to thinking about all this I always resolve to do better, to be better at being present in the moment. I’ve been through this head-talk enough times to know that even my intent is a fleeting wisp of hot air. But every now and again a moment catches me unaware and I am captivated. Another memory blooms from the sludge.

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. As for myself, I need reminding…

Breathe in deeply, slowly; savor the moment. Smile at your incredible fortune to be alive right here, right now. Exhale even more slowly. Let go. You are magnificent. You are a miracle. You are living proof of grace. This moment is everything.

And here’s the thing. There is nothing stopping you from having another moment and another. So go ahead. The cares of the world can wait. You know you want to…breathe…

Love and Peace to you…

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 14 May 2017

dawn rustles beneath
when the heat is on
some find comfort in it’s warmth
fleeting as a blink
but dreams die hard…
…and i smile though my heart is sad
needing no imprimatur
draw me like one of your French dogs
don’t ask me why.

~kat

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

May 7, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 6 May 2017

By Kat Myrman


It’s the first weekend in May after a busy week on the world front. Sometimes I wish I could live each day blissfully oblivious to current events; wrapped up in friends, family and fun stuff. You know, the everyday normal that is possible because you know you have elected good, decent people to be in charge of managing the workings of our government, and the details that make our society civil.

Occasionally I do have weeks where I can do that. Where no one has gone over the edge, taking innocent people with them, where my job is secure, where everyone close to me is happy and healthy, no drama, where I actually manage to get some sleep at night.

This was not one of those weeks. I wish I didn’t care, but I do. The people who voted for this are likely not paying attention. Their engagement ended the minute they cast their vote. But for those of us who feel compelled to be involved and part of the process, who take democracy and “we the people” seriously, this was not a good week.

In times like this I need to remind myself that we, the collective we, have survived other weeks like this; darker times than what we are witnessing today. But even if I post happy pictures, flowers or kittens on social media, even if I smile and wave at the neighbors, even if I laugh and engage in happy conversations, never crossing over into anything deeper than the weather, my mind is burdened with truth and reality’s heavy presence and I know that I am lying when I say, “I’m fine.

I’m not fine. Things are not fine. But no one wants to hear that. So I post pictures of flowers and kittens and smiley faces.

Have a great week. Not lying. I really hope you do.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 6 May 2017

forget the pain | and hopefully,forgive ourselves
it’s the magic of poetry
one moment, she’s warm and bright
Making all that racket, crapping everywhere!
the elusive missing link,
verdant roots planted in soil
a beautiful sunset spoilt
embrace with your heart
dreams of girls aching

~kat

A shi sai or 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 shi sai features the words of one writer,providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

May 5, 2017

Abrazo – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, the word of the day is a Spanish from dictionary.com…Abrazo! Dictionary.com defines abrazo as “an embrace used in greeting someone. Spanish abrazo and Italian abbraccio, both meaning “a hug, an embrace” come from the Latin prefix (and preposition) ad- “to, at, near” and Spanish brazo and Italian braccio “arm” both come from Latin brachium. Abrazo entered English in the 17th century.”

Sadly, though abrazo was added to the English vocabulary, you’ll not get any points in Words With Friends or the English versions of Scrabble. It’s not recognized as a word. Sorry to rock your tile tray, my wordie friends. 😟

Still there is something to be said for the concept of the abrazo. Modern society is quite averse to physical contact between acquaintances or strangers. Egads! Don’t invade anyone’s personal space without being invited or asking permission, or you might find yourself the defendant in a nasty lawsuit.

This makes socializing a bit awkward for a hugger like me. Though I don’t typically ask permission, per se. I simply declare that I am a hugger upon meeting someone and take my cue based on their expression as to whether I proceed. A smile means “go”. “Deer in the headlights” or a step backwards is a definite “No”. The “no’s” will generally reach for a handshake. But the smiles? I love it when I find another hugger.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “She hugs on the first meet?” I do. I wish we all did more hugging. There is nothing like a genuine abrazo to lift one’s spirits and connect one human to another. Might even change the world if we weren’t afraid to hug. Just sayin’.

May your life be filled with peace, love and lots of abrazos! Here’s this week’s Haiku.

embrace with your heart
give abrazos, full-frontal,
side hugs are for stiffs

kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

April 30, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 30 April 2017

By Kat Myrman


It’s been another interesting week. They’re all interesting in their own way, don’t you think? That’s what is so great about living and life. Stuff happens. We get distracted and busy and sidelined but the clock keeps ticking. Each moment gone in a moment never to return and we barely notice their passing. How sad is that?

Moments. What does one make of them if one even notices them at all? What makes them so special? You don’t have to answer. I’m just thinking out loud. (Or writing it out, as it were).

What I do know about moments is that when I am able to notice one, I breathe a little deeper, I often smile to myself, and I am overcome with a sense of wonder. It’s like the feeling you get when you witness a magic trick and all you can say (or think) is “Wow”. And then it’s gone. Just like that. Oh, there is another moment in the wings ready to be; ready to dazzle you, but it is not the same. Nothing compares to the moment you just had a moment with.

I’ve had a few of those kinds of moments this week. I’m having one right now, now that I think about it. Like fireflies in a jar, they pulse pale yellow-green and eventually fade. Fireflies aren’t meant to live in jars any more than moments are meant to be saved from dying. But that’s the beauty of it…and the wonder.

So savor the moment when you can. Let it warm you, inspire you, then set it free. There will be new moments to have a moment with, in the blink of an eye, in fact. I promise.

Peace, love and moments to you!

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 30 April 2017

each moment is a gift
If there is a message, what could it be?
Only once
fill jelly jars with fireflies
greyscale just won’t do
I think it’s time we got reacquainted.
what wonders do you behold?
slow, smoldering burn
…ultimately undone
what are you whispering for?
wispy pastel clouds of sweet fluff
demand to be
honey and tobacco tinged
in a loopy sort of way
include peaches and cherries
the fish are dying
my heart…it is ferocious
there is no stronger force than an empowered “miss”

~kat

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A shi sai or 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 shi sai features the words of one writer,providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai

April 28, 2017

Drupe – Friday’s Word Of The Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman


Happy Friday! Spring is in the air and I have a hankering for some drupe cobbler…or maybe even some drupelet pie! Yum!

But, drupe doesn’t sound very appetizing, does it?! Well, in botany terms one might say drupe. Most of us though, mere lay people, prefer our cobblers to be made with peaches or cherries and our pies made with their cousins (another lay term) blackberries or raspberries.

Dud you know there are also a few other drupes that are not fruity. Avocados, olives and coconuts. Yep coconuts! They are considered a dry fibrous variety of drupe.

But don’t take my word for it. You can learn all about drupes if you are botanically inclined. Here’s a LINK to Wikipedia.

Officially, according to dictionary.com a drupe is any fruit, as a peach, cherry, plum, etc., consisting of an outer skin, a usually pulpy and succulent middle layer, and a hard and woody inner shell usually enclosing a single seed.

The origin of the term comes from Latin for drūpa, druppa “olive, overripe olive” and was a term used only by technical writers, e.g., Pliny the Elder (a.d. 23-79). The Latin noun, a direct borrowing from Greek drýppa, was adopted by Carl Linné (in Latin Carolus Linnaeus) 1707-78, the Swedish botanist and naturalist, in his own scientific writings, written in Latin. Drupe entered English as a technical botanical term in the 18th century.

Oh…one more interesting note. I also found an application called Drupe developed for Android phones that allows users to access all of their contacts from their address book and social media with one swipe. I’m not sure what that has to do with drupes of the plant variety, except that the common feature of those drupes is a single pit or seed…and Drupe the app connects one to their circle of friends with a single swipe. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but that’s all I got folks! 😊

I guess I owe you a Haiku. I apologize. It’s pretty lame. But then, what does one do with a drupe?! Have a great weekend!

juicy pitted fruits
include peaches and cherries
also known as drupes

I felt bad about that one…here’s another go…

Those who are fruity
in a loopy sort of way
might just be a drupe!

…I know, I know…still a bit of a drupe of a haiku…I believe Mercury shifts out of retrograde soon…thank goodness!

Okay…one more…

Soft red lips like drupes
honey and tobacco tinged
kisses, bittersweet.
~kat

6 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku