Sun and Shadow

Usual kindness is like the warm glow of the sun in the morning throwing shadows across streets and alleys, rooftops and trees

In a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, she wrote that ‘you must know sorrow’. 

I didn’t understand 

until 

I remembered sorrows in my life 

and kindness I yearned for, 

kindness offered me 

that gentled

my aching heart with

a cup of tea

a meal

a chance to cry 

a chance to laugh

when energy was arid and spent. 

This odd pairing of kindness and sorrow 

showed me they are 

as mated as sun and shadow.

“Before you know what kindness really is 

you must lose things,”

~ Naomi Shihab Nye, ‘Kindness

How Should I Feel?!

Natural feelings of  

frustration or joy, 

  anger or excitement, 

   satisfaction or melancholy 

 and finally confusion.

We are often told 

how to feel,

  what to feel, 

    when to feel 

      how long to feel. 

Confusion reigns. 

When feelings bubble up 

   they are real, natural 

     asking for a tear or a smile

       a tantrum or a quiet frown 

Clearing that confusion is

  a hug for joy or for sadness, 

    screaming or crying in anger without breaking anything

      a long walk or a good belly laugh.

        Know there is no set time to feel

“Because it’s not a lie if it’s how you feel.”

~ Jennifer Niven,  All the Bright Places

        

How Should I Feel?

 

Natural feelings of  

frustration or joy, 

 anger or excitement, 

  satisfaction or melancholy 

 and finally confusion.

Often told 

how to feel,

  what to feel, 

    when to feel 

      how long to feel 

Only confusion reigns. 

When feelings bubble up 

    real, natural ~ 

     they ask for a tear or a smile

       a tantrum or a quiet frown 

Sorting out confusion means 

   a hug for joy or sadness, 

    let anger settle and cool 

     walk or laugh  

      know there is no set time to feel

“Because it’s not a lie if it’s how you feel.”

~ Jennifer Niven,  All the Bright Places

        

A Little Bird Told Me

In a moment 

while I stood quietly, a bird perched on my shoulder. 

Not bird of feather and beak, 

but the bird that whispers 

of moon rays, stars; sunshine and puffy white clouds. 

In a moment while I danced 

across a crowded room, 

the music showed me how 

to move gracefully with others

Always respectful of personal space

So relationships build with care and attention.

In a moment while I stood quietly 

a bird perched on my shoulder.

“You must collect moments. These will be the true wealth of your soul.”

~ Liviu C. Tudose, author of romance, fantasy and young adult novels

Strengthened

Thankful for my soul ~

The sweet fruit of myself 

that carries me through life

Only asking to be surrounded 

by all that the eye and ear 

perceive as beautiful.

Only asking for the strength 

that comes from creating art, 

playing with children, 

or reading stories filled with imaginings.

To fill my soul with all these things 

softens the drudgery of each day

“Inside us there is something that has no name, 

that something is what we are.”

~ José Saramago, Blindness

Child's Play

Never more grateful than 

when I know that 

balance is flexible. 

I watch children running up and down a teeter totter, 

laughing and revelling 

in the joy of their balance. 

Never standing still 

in the centre of the game. 

We can try 

to stay rigidly balanced, 

but when life tips up or down, 

we may be headed for a big fall

unless we take our balance with us.

“Balance is not something you find, 

it’s something you create.”

~ Jana Kingsford, entepreneur

Just Chatting

Overtures toward the woman 

in line at the grocery store 

are to commiserate about 

the length of the line up, 

or the weather 

or a shallow bit of cliché 

to pass the time and feel at ease 

even though 

the man behind grumbles 

about the lack of staff 

or about the infernal machines 

at the self check out. 

In all of this, a thought 

drifts through my mind: 

‘I’m glad we chatted and 

that we’ll have food to take home 

to feed our families.’

 

It’s my turn at the till. 

I set my tomatoes, milk and eggs 

on the conveyor belt, 

pay for my groceries, 

say my good byes to people 

I’ll never see again and return home. 

“Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing 

and your attitude when you have everything,”

~ George Bernard Shaw