From the Inside

 

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)

Noticeable

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

That Real World

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

Salad

Sweet cherry tomatoes
crinkly romaine lettuce
orange crisp carrot

Topped with black olives
and a side of boiled eggs

Our world is a salad
we try to erase ~ but
don’t take my salad away.

Such an odd counterpoint
from kitchen to society.

“The nature of the contrapuntal experience is that every note

has to have a past and a future on the horizontal plane.”

~ Glenn Gould, concert pianist

Surrounded

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 My Bag

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

World View

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

At Sunset ~ 2

 

At sunset

the ocean calms

as world turns

“Sunsets are loved because they vanish.”

~ Ray Bradbury

Slipping By

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

Only a Tick

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

For Goodness Sake

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

Who Will See Me?

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

In Space

Time and space push and tug.

Time seems to stand still and race.

Space seems to change, shifting too fast

The real challenge is to 

stand still in your own space

when days before have been 

filled with 

going and doing and being

only for others.

Suddenly 

there is great responsibility 

to yourself and to others.

Be still.

Breathe.

Know that all is well in this moment.

No one knows what’s next in this world, so

Stop.

Think.

Stretch out your arms.

Stand still slowly in the midst

of this busyness and fright.

Stretch your arms wide

And feel your own space.

“Check your passions that you may not be punished by them.”

~ Epictetus, Enchiridion

Tricycles, Area Rugs and Snow Angels

Inspired by falling from my tricycle

when the bumpy wooden sidewalk 

tripped my tricycle ~ I got up, 

stamped my feet and 

tried once more to ride.

Inspired by falling into soft snow 

I spread my arms back and forth

making the angel wings of childhood ~

in my mind I sketched a picture 

of what memory tells me is true.

Inspired by falling leaves that carpet 

the city like mismanaged, crisp, red/orange area rugs ~ I am careful to not run and jump in them as I did when I was a child, never knowing if squishy or sharp things hide quietly beneath. 

Inspired by falling stars, I look 

to the heavens because I want 

to see star dust and magic in 

the velvety blackness full 

of new worlds to live in and on.

Inspired by falling into the colourful

trap of area rugs ~ rectangular, square, round or oval ~ 

scattered here and there with edges 

that reach up to grab my toes 

and pull me crashing to the floor, 

I decided, instead, to decorate beneath 

the rocking chair in my bedroom.

Inspired by falling I see wonders 

of our world that can only 

be recognized when the world

greets me without warning,

showing me that I have learned to

 twirl on my toes

  pick myself up

   try again

    imagine the impossible.

“We learn from failure, not from success!”

~ Bram Stoker, Dracula