Today, I get to go out on the river and just be. My intention is to be present and enjoy my beautiful family. I will soak them in like the sun and breathe their laughter.. ~Marie
Today is August 1st, new beginnings. for a brandy new month, my 100th POST! I was inspired with these words from a poem by Micheline,Jean Louis and she agreed to start us off! We are going to go with the anaphora (repeating phrase) as well. It keeps the message thriving!!! Happy writing.
The World Needs
Compassion
Understanding
Tolerance
Integrity
And
Forgiveness,from all of us to become habitable for all walk of life.
The world needs
Love
Hope
Child-like wonder
Pure Joy
Acceptance of one another
And their humanness.
The world needs YOU!
RESPECT
small birds
that sit in teacups
kettle drums
with occasional hiccups
friendly spiders
and long-leggity beasties
times of wonder
free and easy
the world needs computers
to aid in our building
invisible bridges
to faraway countries
sheep with their legs
one at each corner
and cows that stand up
to tell us it’s warmer
the world needs our loving
and people forgiving
laughter to flow out
in healing believing
dreams to come true
under stars safe our nights
and days where we learn
to make friends not fight
and now most of all
the world needs our time
to notice to care
when we’re doing just fine
to reach out a hand
sit on the grass
have patience to learn
ways of beetle and wasp
the world needs koalas
cute grinning from trees
fluffy-head thistles
kind old dock leaves
wolves to sing home again
in joy rain or sunny
and bear to gurr happiness
with nosefuls of honey
the world needs stories
to tell and to grow
adventurers wild
and those who stay home
in fire and earth
ocean and storm
what the world needs always
is everyone to care.
The World Needs:
Belief
Teaches my heart that All is Possible,
All is Ready Standing, Waiting upon my own Acceptance,
My own Belief, my own Unfettering Faith
To Set Free the wheels of the universe
And Create my Heart’s Desire;
Yet in this dark and weary place,
Where fear crushes dreams
And doubt hangs hopes,
What is Remarkably Possible if often considered improbable,
And Faith sits down in the shadows, her hands tied.
The slippery slope of lost Hope
Dashes Charisma against the rocks and shakes Vigor to the core;
Compressing Life to only what is seen, felt, heard.
Lost are the Whispers,
Lost are the Potent Promises that Move Mountains,
Lost are the Smiles of Satisfaction and Purpose.
Still, even in this dark place, where Angels wait, muted by skepticism;
When all is clouded o’re and dim,
One Word shall Lift the Indomitable Spirit,
One Affirmation will Raise the Irrepressible Soul;
Shattering cynicism, Collapsing disbelief,
And Building Bridges to the Unimagined.
Less of angry hatred,
More of souls kindred.
Less of endless strife,
More of boundless life.
Less of senseless war
More of doors left ajar.
Less of promises broken
More of hearts awoken.
Less of fallen trees
More of greener glees.
The world needs …
Warm hands…
and warmer hearts
The world needs
Broad minds
and broader thoughts.
The world needs
Each one of us.
People who see each other with eyes that are unbiased.
The world needs . . .
People who listen to each other with hearts that are open.
The world needs . . .
People who speak to each other with words that are kind.
The world needs . . .
People who embrace each other with arms that are gentle.
The world needs . . .
People who are not afraid to hope for a better tomorrow.
The world needs . . .
People who can love and be loved in return.
The world needs . . .
People who are willing to do all these things TOGETHER.
The world needs nothing…. but a soul awakening,
All we need is bonding and strengthening.
We need to love each other and spread the message,
Let’s embrace Humanity and shun the ego baggage.
We have enough of everything in this world,
But Alas! Nobody is contented with what earned.
This is the time to make right choices,
Serve the needy, join hands and raise voices.
Reconnect with nature, serve the Nation,
Say yes to organic and no to imitation.
Yes to sustainability and no to destruction,
A promise for integrity and no corruption.
This world needs to be a better place for you and me,
Having no place for weapons, all very well for a spree.
Curb material-driven goals to make life hassle free,
Where spirit is high and soul will be free!!!
Courage and a cheerful smile,
Kind hearts that go the extra mile.
Beauty in the human heart
Reflected in our work and art
Vision to prize higher goals,
Love purity and long lost souls.
Minds that will meet you more than half,
A good old-fashioned belly laugh.
Hope when we hang on the edge of a funnel
Light at the end of the darkest tunnel
The helping hand to pull us out,
Forgive, restore, remove our doubt
Triumphal music of the spheres
To melt away the hurtful years
Courage to conquer Giant Despair
And reflect God’s goodness everywhere.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!!!
What do you think the world needs?
Just as before, you can add your contribution in the comment section of this poem, & I will place them in the order they come. I will put your name (contributor) at the end of the piece in the same color as your contribution and the names will be in the same order as well. Happy writing!
Collaborators: Micheline Jean Louis, Me, Phoenix Tears Healed/With Eagles Float – Wren, Morgan – BooknVolume, Elziabeth – Teaandpaper, Ripples N Reflections, Cindy -from a Slice of Life, Soul n Spirit, Sherry – My Tea and Poetry
Smoke still rises
from my heart
smoldering coals
where a fire
once grew
Breathe
whispered hope
on it
so I may
FLAME again
#fieryverse – prompt of the day
It was a beautiful day yesterday. I found my daddy. I got to play on the phone with him for a whole hour, and it was breathtakingly beautiful. I revel in these moments because sometimes they are few and far between. He played in his childhood and I got to watch in my mind’s eye a glimpse of his happiness after eight days of darkness. He told me of his journey in finding and loving words (another wonderful story for a future post.) I marvel at how dad’s love of words and learning was passed down to each of us kids. He wrote poetry and did crosswords and memorized most every word in the dictionary. As he talked of his journey, I heard his voice dance. His love of words as he spoke so remarkably evident. Now, I know where my love for words sprouted because the seed was planted.
We did not linger here. Our journey took us many places. That’s the beauty and the tragedy of Alzheimer’s. You never know where it will take you. Sometimes you wait with baited breath for stories to go deeper and sometimes you wait for fearful stories to end. But each path is honored and each journey a memory to be treasured. Because remember, once this was a vaulted man who talked only of the weather. And now…now in this moment he was telling me what mattered to him in life and he didn’t rush to get off the phone. Good morning daddy and thanks for beginning the day with me. It was a most wonder-mous day to begin with you.
Many people criticize for showing this journey publicly….but if for one minute I can give hope to others who are on this same difficult journey, then I will take all the criticism given. Because when things get really really tough, and it seems like there’s no light in the darkness, then sometimes…sometimes…there’s a flood of light that allows you to see more than you ever saw before. I hope to not only shed some light, but maybe some pathways to find the light. For there is beauty in Alzheimer’s as there is in every tragic event that shapes our lives. For all it’s ugliness, it teaches us to appreciate that loved one and hold on fastly to those moments we have with them.
We are human, and in this humanness there is two sides. Sometimes we only see and feel one side. It’s nice sometimes to see and feel what it’s like on the other side. Good morning daddy and thanks for allowing me to share you with the world.
My dad has been a closed man all his life. I call him a “vaulted” man because he’s fiercely closed off. Most of it is the time period he was born in. Men didn’t share feelings. They worked, provided for their families and moved along. My dad didn’t say, “I love you.” He didn’t hug or do anything touchy feely. He showed his love by working and feeding us.. We wanted to be closer to him because he was fun and funny, and he could make us laugh with his play on words. Alcohol robbed him and us of some beautiful memories, but I’m not complaining. I’m just stating the facts. However, the real truth is that If it weren’t for alcohol, I don’t know that I would know the man I know today. It shaped his character.
Fast forward, a lot of years, my dad is now over 25 years sober. He says, “I love you” on a pretty regular basis, but he still doesn’t say much. Most of my adult life our biggest topic was the weather. I remember times when I would just get mad that all we talked about was the weather. I just wanted to get to know him! I could see other people who had closer relationships to their fathers. Why couldn’t we have that? Why doesn’t he try?
As of late, my dad has allowed me to interview him so I can write his story. (more about that adventure soon because it’s cool story too!)
Because I love poetry so very much, and because I remember a time, many many years ago when dad loved poetry too, I I thought I would find a way we could write poems together. I thought this would add a nice personal touch to his book. He’s a word sleuth. He loves all things words like I do. So, I found a few formulaic poems and went from there. It would be like a puzzle to figure out just the perfect words to describe things. Dad has Alzheimer’s so the words don’t come as easily as they used to. So, I had a handy adjective list while I worked with him just in case he was searching and deserved some assistance.
We started with a Diamonte type poem because I thought it would be cool to compare the boy to the man. This process was confusing to him as first because our interviews are all by telephone, and he couldn’t see what I was asking him. But he trusted me, and because I presented it like a puzzle, his curious mind allowed him to play along.
It was a slow process because I would ask him for an adjective that would describe him as a boy. He’d give it to me, and then he’d be off running on telling me a story. Then, we’d come back to center, and I would ask for another adjective, and he’d give it to me and be off on another boyhood adventure. The words of his boyhood were pouring forth, and I began to realize what was important to my dad as a boy. I had NEVER heard any of these stories before.
It was beautiful. I was talking to my dad, and it wasn’t about the weather. It was about him. I was learning about him! It NEVER looks the way you want it to. It just is the way it is. The best thing to do is embrace what you have and enjoy the journey. We wrote a poem! I will turn it in later because it deserves a little polishing, and because I know dad would like it that way. He looks forward to my calls now. He is creating, and he is loving it. Where there was silence and void before, is full of life, purpose and meaning. We wrote a poem, and it was beautiful and lovely to me.
I love you daddy! I’m so glad you trusted me and that we are on this journey together.
Writing Wings For You 