Steady pace,
cooling air pushed me
toward home ~
until I saw the grace
that fading leaves share
with the world.
Worrying about a sweater
was the last thing on my mind
replaced by the beauty that is autumn.
“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
as I have seen in one autumnal face.”
~ John Donne, The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose
(1572 - 16310
A narrowed life from the outside
~ from the inside a broad expanse
of story and imagination;
of chatter and discussion,
of viewing the world as it is
~ always a new direction
for mind and feet to travel.
“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,
pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson,
philosopher, poet and essayist
(1803 ~ 1882)
I like to notice the world around me,
bees nuzzling sunflowers,
thunderstorms being built in the sky,
rain pelting down or in a mist,
glorious sunsets on the prairies,
colourful tiny bird houses in a tree,
snow settling soft and gentle,
wind raking through the trees
prairie flowers bright, small and delicate
but today I saw new sight:
three geese on an ordinary city sidewalk.
not Canada geese but
squat, waddling, brash and bossy
geese with insistent honking that rivalled
their much larger cousins.
No pausing for a photo op either!
Upon inquiry:
“they are from a goose farm!”
“You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter
of noticing things and organizing them.”
~ Elliott Erwitt, photographer
All of my tomorrows
have yet to come
I can plan,
wish,
hope,
make my lists
but I’ll only know tomorrow
when it no longer has that name
when it has crept into today and
we awake to our choices in that real world.
“Reality is merely a illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
~ Albert Einstein
The natural world does not
come to us begging to be
seen but puts down roots,
grows abundant with fruits
and vegetables, blooms
flowers of all shapes, colours
and sizes. Broad brush strokes of this
landscape throws glorious clouds
or darkens with thunderheads, verdant
with jagged spears of lightening.
Mumbling skies drench us with
rain, hail, sleet or snow. We are
surrounded by a brilliant world
not of our own making except
to become stewards of this earth.
“It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for ~
the whole thing ~ rather than just one or two stars.”
~ David Attenborough
When I pack by bag for a journey of
10 minutes there and back, it is for all
the things to do on my short journey.
In my bag will be my laptop, the book
I am presently reading, tissues, pens,
a small notebook and in the side pocket,
my little green thermos of water. On the
way home there will be space for celery,
tomatoes or maybe a box of tea
~ nothing too heavy ~
much lighter than carrying
the world on my shoulders.
“Choose a subject equal to your abilities; think carefully what your
shoulders may refuse, and what they are capable of bearing.”
~ Horace
Outlandish ideas
change the world
if allowed to grow.
“Who would set a limit to the mind? Who would dare
assert that we know all there is to be known?”
~ Galileo Galilei
the ocean calms
as world turns
“Sunsets are loved because they vanish.”
~ Ray Bradbury
Incurring a debt to
our planet
slips by unnoticed
amid the noise of
policy and lawmaking
until climate changes
and snow falls in April….
“You cannot get through a single day without
having an impact on the world around you.”
~ Jane Goodall
In the space that is only a tick of the clock, 2023 arrives as if it were a Maserati ~ all shiny and new, waiting for us to get in and travel the world.
“Remember tonight…..for it is the beginning of always.”
~ Dante Alighieri
When the world seems to have gone topsy turvy
When we’re not quite through with what has already dizzied our lives
it is too easy
to want to run away,
to want to hide,
to let go of anything good
Then it is time to
stand still slowly till
our heads clear,
our hearts stop pounding
and we stand tall again
on the surety of our own two feet
to feel the goodness within our souls.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history
the way of truth and love have always won.
There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time,
they can seem invincible, but in the end,
they always fall. Think of it - - always.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Outside information is always refreshing. But in the Gord Hanson world, there was always a danger of imploding on himself. A small one bedroom apartment on the six floor kept him away from the outside world. Always inside, and by himself, was comfortable but at the end of each day he felt tired. Any new information only came via computer. He didn’t get mail - all his bills came in his email. He ordered food in. He had a complete gym full of equipment that he used religiously every day. He seldom went out to do laundry. Who was going to see him anyway? When he ran out of clothes, he took the back stairs down to the laundry room. A thick sci-fi book with him, he kept his head down to read, hoping no one would come in and bother him.
A knock on his door startled him. He had to buzz people in, they couldn’t just walk up and knock on his door. But there it was - a tiny knock. If he hadn’t been walking by the door, he wouldn’t have heard it. Cautious and curious, he looked through the peephole and could barely see the top of a little blonde head. Making sure the chain was on, he opened his door just a crack. “Hi, mister. My name is Bobby. I live in the next suite. We’re new here and just moved in last weekend. I go to school online. My mom and dad decided to keep me home but I’m bored. They had to go to work and I don’t have anyone to talk to. If I go out on our balcony, would you come out on yours? I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, but then we wouldn’t be strangers.” Gord hesitated, looked up and down the hall and said “Ok.”
~~~~~
Gord and Bobby met everyday after that, at two o’clock sharp. They played games on their computers, Gord helped Bobby with his homework, Bobby told Gord about the outside world. When his parents took him to a park or a beach, Bobby live streamed a video to his friend’s sixth floor apartment. Later they talked about being outside, the sun on the water, the bird’s nests in good climbing trees and walking on the grass. One day, Gord asked Bobby “Do you ever have picnics?” Bobby had gotten used to his friend’s strange ways so wasn’t weirded out by his question. “Sure. Do you want to go on a picnic with us sometime?” Gord was quiet for a long time and said “Yes. Ask your parents if it’s ok and tell me.”
~~~~~
That night, Gord did his laundry.
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
~ T.S.Eliot, The Rock
Time and space push and tug.
