On an Afternoon Walk ~ Flying High

Far and away from my hands 

but caught in my sight

~ a jet etched plumes 

in the blue

“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Hockey News: 

Team Canada Women claimed the Rivalry Series this afternoon, scoring 6-1 against Team U.S.A.Women in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Invisible Whispers

Destiny is as ethereal

as an evening breeze,

a secret revealed, 

forever out of sight.

“You speak of destiny as if it was fixed.”

~ Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

Just in Case........

Little drawers

Big drawers

stuffed with perfect bundles

of organized clutter

tucked away

just in case but

out of sight

out of mind.

lonely computer cords.

forgotten project supplies.

fixit things squirrelled away.

neglected artist’s tools and paintings.

criss crossing through years 

of progress, plans and maybe’s

kept together for later,

someday or sometime.

“Just in case is the curse of packing,,,,,”

~ Alexandra Potter

Pale Flowers

Grasping at the fragile stems

of memories new and old,

Spanish words and phrases

zip through my mind

as a hummingbird zips

pale flower to pale flower ~

then darts away out of sight.

“A language is an exact reflection of the 

character and growth of its speakers.”

~ Cesar Chavez

Silent Senses

Standing silently outside

I saw

Bees floating 

Flower to flower

Standing silently outside

I felt

Warm sun bare arms

Cool breeze ruffling my hair

Standing silently outside

I tasted

Slender beans

Tucked in leafy shadows

Standing silently outside

I heard

Gulls crying

From the rooftops

Standing silently outside

I smelled

Tall grasses drying

In the lengthening summer air.

Standing silently outside

My heart softened and grew strong.

“…and then I have nature and art and poetry, 

and if that is not enough, what is enough?”

~ Vincent Willem van Gogh

In Plain Sight

In the work world, 

where there was joy and angst,

smiles and frowns

hurry up and slow down

fodder for writing was abundant

In this retirement world,

there is a new responsibility ~

to look around ~

at home and in the outside world

for where the fodder is hiding

in plain sight to eyes and ears. 

Connection to my soul strengthens? 

Colours, sounds and shapes ~

a humming mirage of abundant hiding places 

in plain sight and sound.

“It’s not a bad idea to occasionally spend a little time thinking 

about things you take for granted. Plain everyday things.”

~ Evan Davis

Author's note: Edited April 06, 2024

Brighter Still

When one is lying on a gurney~ given instructions not to move and that if coughing or sneezing creeps up: say STOP.
Uppers arms tucked snug and close to your torso
A cheerful, focussed physician in surgical scrubs and mask by your side preparing a sterile field around one eye ~
eye and eyelid earlier numbed with local anaesthetic
A thin, translucent drape, sticky side down, placed gently across your face
The too close sight of hard metal instruments ~ tiny, but hard and metal ~ unsettling.
Information about the next procedure is questionable reassurance.
Bright lights illuminate the glistening orb taped wide open
Trust floods the room brighter than the operating room lights

“Sometimes we must yield control to others 

and accept our vulnerability so we can be healed.”

~ Kathy Magliato,  Healing Hearts: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon

End of the Year Book Review 2014 ~ Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

This massive work is challenging, not just because of its size but because of the wildly colourful life led by the protagonist. Linbaba has come to Bombay on a false passport and visa to escape authorities from Australia. Escaping over the wall from prison in Australia, he disappears into a slum of Bombay. Becoming part of the community, learning to speak the languages and participating in the life of the slum, he develops lasting friendships built on survival and trust. He allows himself to be loved and taught by his new community. His life moves into criminally lucrative involvement with the Bombay mafia where he learns forgery, money laundering and the skill of creating false passports and identification. A strange discontinuity of morals, philosophy and crime are taught by his mentor and boss, Khaderbai. Unrequited love mingles with Linbaba’s longing to belong, to be loved, while he desperately misses his home and family in Australia. 

Within the first twenty pages I could smell and hear the sounds of Bombay and was drawn into the colourful chaotic spirit of the story that is many times joyous and tender. Later, there were times when I was tempted to put down the book, but the writing and story telling kept me intrigued about the next charming or the next dangerous adventure. Was Linbaba adventuring, searching or just surviving in a foreign land? 

“I don’t know what frightens me more, the power 

that crushes us, or our endless ability to endure it.”

~ Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram

The Eyes Have It!

Rewind forty five years ~
Regina General Hospital
Cataract surgery meant
bed rest for two weeks in hospital
a small folded towel over the forehead
sand bags placed on either side of the head on the towel ends.
All complete with bedpans and helplessness.
But you were allowed to breathe - just not too rapidly.

Preparing for today’s cataract surgery 
(fortunately about a year away)
things have progressed.
The waiting list is waaaay longer than the surgery
Waiting list - about four months
Surgery - twenty minutes and a couple of days away from my day job!
Oh, and take a taxi to the doctors office……

“The world hates change, yet it is the

only thing that has brought progress.”

~ Charles Kettering

Morning Sensations

Warbling, chirping birdcalls
just before eyes edge open
sound preparation for morning skies

Hushed drip-dripping
at the edges of dreams offers
a soundly prepared weather report

Coffee aroma
wafting gently and darkly
tastefully prepares buds to awaken

Cold tiles against bare feet
shocking awareness of place
prepares newly awakened to step forward

Eyes open, peek at curtains edge
matching hearing and aroma to sight
further preparation for morning ritual.

In only a few seconds
morning senses have begun
to prepare us for the day ahead.

“Seeing, hearing and feeling are miracles, and 

each part of me is a miracle.”

~ Walt Whitman