everything changed nothing changed i stand at the edge of despair unable to exhale shrouded in the dread of threatened promises unleashed by ignorance, the stench of hate dripping from the rafters amidst wind-raped, naked trees loss of daylight adding insult to undeserved misery a chill, an ungodly silence cups my ears like a sonic boom no one hears my screams… even if they did, they’d revel in my suffering, the transaction of wholesale soul acquisition is complete, bloodthirsty monsters wielding the sickle to collect a harvest sown by lies justice buried alive under the heap I’m fading to black, clinging to embers of hope flickering in the wake of rage faint glimpses of love, compassion, kindness, and truth to keep me as winter approaches swiftly from the four corners, everything in its season…to sleep…to dream spring is coming, she’s coming she’s coming…right? this little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine let it shine let it shine let it shine
I don’t mind being encroached upon by the invasive species of these foothills… blackberry brambles hug the long driveway to my house on the hill bursting with fruit I don’t mind that the deer, the squirrels, the rabbits, chickadees, finches, cardinals, and wrens will glean most of this year’s bounty… I don’t even mind sharing with bullish, boisterous bluejays I’ll happily savor my annual handful of luscious sweets, fingers stained a lovely shade of purple-blue how gracious my neighbors are sweetly serenading me, gracing me with visits that take my breath they don’t mind me trudging noisily along the wood’s edge rustling them from their burrows and perches…they don’t mind being encroached upon by me…
I’m a bit late to the 2024 party. As fate would have it, I was exposed to not just one, but two nasty viruses on Christmas Day at a family gathering. First to darken my door was the flu…a nasty strain this year…and then, just as I was feeling human again a week later, on New years Day, COVID finally got me (a first for me). I suppose I’ve joined the herd. If not for the booster I got last November, the doc said I might not have faired as well as I did. Still it was not how I planned on ringing in the new year! Anyhow…we’ve been snowed in for a bit…things finally melting, and I snapped this view out my front door this evening. It blew me away. I am so grateful for the beauty that surrounds me. For each sunrise and sunset. I hope you and yours are well.
Before I close out this post, I must share another view of the photo above. I applied a mirror filter to it and lo and behold, there she was right there reminding me Gaia, (as I imagine her at this time of year) sleeping amongst the roots, deep underground waiting for spring! What a gift this slight of photo editing produced! Isn’t she amazing!!! If you look at the original, you’ll see her peeking out at you. Sometimes it takes a mirror to see things more clearly.
It’s a reminder to me that it’s okay to rest (I’ve rested a lot this year). A new year need not be tackled all at once. We have 365 (actually 366 days this year) to live the promise of 2024.
I wrote a little haiku too. Of course I did! Peace and much love to you!
gaia suspended
deep beneath the snow she slumbers, dreaming of spring winter lingers long
Do you ever wonder if other generations faced times like these? The growing polarization, mass shootings, book banning, rewritten history, hatred, lies, lost rights and freedoms for certain groups, unprovoked conflicts, injustice…I’m sure there are more grievances to be listed here. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But we humans have been around for eons. We have survived, plagues, unscrupulous leaders, civil wars, injustice, crusades, and the like before, and I dare say we will survive this chapter of our checkered history.
If you think this time is something new, it’s not really. A different cast of characters and situations perhaps but it’s the same fatal flaws that have plagued previous generations. We say that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. It’s simpler than that really. History repeats itself again and again because we are who we are. Humanity hasn’t changed much, just the scenery. So what does that say about us? Hang in there…don’t lose hope…we’ll get through this season. If history can repeat itself, so can our resiliency to emerge, to overcome and to thrive! Peace to you…we’ve got this!
A ReVerse Poem Sunday, 9 July 2023
I should take shelter but I’m transfixed by an an invitation to pause, to breathe, to be freedom for the chosen at least to me it’s not a thing a flash of crimson caught my eye we say we miss the good old days no amount of sun will burn this fog away
~kat
A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) 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.
In my youth, god was a mean, old man... Now I’m old, she’s wise, maternal, like me, a woman.
~kat
Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.
Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.
So it is easier for you to find all the parts/chapters of my ongoing fiction series, I created a new page that lists all the links. You can check it out HERE!
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kat Myrman and Like Mercury Colliding with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.