At Sunset ~ 2

 

At sunset

the ocean calms

as world turns

“Sunsets are loved because they vanish.”

~ Ray Bradbury

A Noticeable Life

Let us notice the world 

around us ~ the world of tables and sidewalks holding our daily lives and a path for our feet. 

Let us notice ~

birdhouses in a tree or a cloud that looks like a butterfly. 

To notice these mundane things is seeing the world as we each see it. 

To notice the stretch of our muscles, 

the feeling of ironed clothes against our skin 

to notice these feelings that are not spoken of 

tells us that we are alive and willing to care for ourselves.

To notice the red flesh of a grapefruit bursting with juice 

reaching our tastebuds before the juice dribbles down our chins. 

Let us notice when the tea has grown cold 

but is still delicious. 

Let us notice the slant of light that 

changes with the seasons from bright to dark to bright,

slowly changing shadow shapes on walls and spring puddles, 

the hint of green as buds make shy with the sun. 

Let us notice the little wiggle that eases discomfort

while we settle into a chair that is kind to body and soul. 

Let us notice all these things and more 

in a daily turn of a moment

know we are alive.

“Above all, I wish to see.”

~ Donna Goddard, Circles of Separation

Inspired by writings of Shelley Leedhall: Let Us

Kindness is Real

Kindness ~ 

no form or substance, caught only in a smile, touch, or helping hand

missing from photo albums 

or gilded frames, 

as ethereal as 

the scent of a sweet pea

reaches back to the child we were 

to calm young fears and trembles

Kindness ~ 

carries soft light into the world.

“Whose heart am I dealing with?”

~ Rupaul, author of The House of Hidden Meanings

Authors note: 

quotation from Global Morning Show TV interview, April 18, 2024

A Work in Progress: Trust

Trust ~

hard to come by these days

voices over phones

black and white emails, 

social media words

faceless names 

only known

by someone else 

Only inside

is trust real

tied to intuition

gut feelings ~

stand still slowly

breath deeply

let go of panic

gently believe in yourself

know that you are safe

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, 

stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

 ~ Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Shape Shifting

Routine ~ rigid, flat and boxy

The only word I knew to use

Word search, play and puzzles

found a better word

Design - flexible and beautiful

fanning out in petals

rooted in belief of self

a work of creativity.

“When the image is new, the world is new.”

~ Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

On an Afternoon Walk ~ A Guilty Pleasure

The wind whipped up every tiny dust mote, leaves, dirt and anything not tied down. So after I walked from bus to store to bus, I decided I deserved a Teen Burger. I have lots of treats that I like: chocolate, coffee, and anything I can graze on. But since I was first introduced to Teen Burgers in the late ’60’s, they have been my extra special and guilty pleasure. 

I’ve eaten lots of burgers from Texas to Kelowna to Victoria and anywhere in between but none have matched a Teen Burger. Today, I had a choice between an A&W and wait at the bus stop. I chose to get out of the wind, sit down and eat one of the delicious dripping bites I love. I even had coke in an A&W mug instead of a paper cup! Fresh and cold out of the fridge. Took me back many years. At home, I keep my garlic in an A&W large mug, a reminder of many days gone by.

“Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.”

~ Dorothy Day

On an Afternoon Walk ~ Regina Architecture

Joists and joints strained and straining for a hundred years? Repairs, replacements, restructuring on the inside and the outside? Must have been for housing people. The brick work, the details - so very beautiful. Many such buildings are throughout the city. Some in better condition than others, some more beautifully detailed than others but all are city seniors from another era.

“Architecture should speak of its time and place, 

but yearn for timelessness,”

~ Frank Gehry, 

(Canadian born, American architect)