Peace

More Superfluous Poetry

~ revivedwriter ~ 3 Comments

This time of year, Christmastime, is hard for me because of how dark it gets. In addition, Christmas Day is usually one of the hardest days of the year because, even though I get to go to Mass, the rest of my family does not believe in Christ, so they’re just waiting impatiently for me to get home so that we can open presents.

There was one year when I was so depressed that the presents made the feeling worse. They felt not only superfluous but like a slap in the face. They felt so empty. That night was one of the hardest nights of my entire life. Maybe you understand what I’m saying without me having to say it outright.

Anyway, there was a poem somewhere in there, but I haven’t found it yet. I’ve actually been remarkably well for a week or so; maybe Christmas Day will turn out to be truly happy.

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Might as well share my Sijo with you for this week. Our prompt is “Trip.”  

Also linking up with Poets and Storytellers United.

I haven’t been traveling much, but if I could I would
Go to a peaceful, relaxing place, maybe a beautiful beach —
As long as I could take this: a calm mind along with me

A Blessing: May You Be At Peace

~ revivedwriter ~ 3 Comments

It’s time for Fandango’s Flashback Friday! This is from November 24, 2016, not exactly this same date on a different year, but I had to share this. I am copying the whole post:

May you be at peace with who you are,
Cease fighting, cease striving, cease firing
Shots preemptively, against authenticity,
May you take yourself into your arms,
Laying down armaments, unloading weapons,
May you find peace, quietness and rest.

I am thankful that I am learning how to do this, how to accept myself and even to embrace the way God made me. It’s a hard battle, but there are plenty of times when I have peace in the midst of it. I hope that you, too, can have peace today.

When I rediscovered that today, I almost felt like crying. Way to go, Jenna from 6 years ago. 🙂

Winning at Life

~ revivedwriter ~ 2 Comments

I haven’t posted many poems here lately, mainly quotes, memes, and photos; so tonight I wanted to share a Sijo for last week’s challenge, Winning. This submission is late, so I guess I’m in last place. 🙂 Nevertheless, that’s better than not participating, isn’t it?

For so many honors, accolades, and wealth people strive on Earth:
How much of it lasts, beyond fleeting fifteen minutes of fame?
Winning in life means gaining what no one can take away.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Challenge Image

I am not exactly winning at life. In fact, I am pretty much losing. Badly. But I hope I can “win” what counts: These include an enduring faith in Jesus, the love of those who are important to me, and eventually peace.

Are You?

~ revivedwriter ~ 4 Comments 
Are you a Kindly Moon?
Is that why I've been feeling
Happy, lately, despite 
Missing him?
            (Someone said,
"The heart is a lonely hunter"
And is that not true, mournful
As a wolf's howl?)

Happy, lately, despite 
Being a Traveler in the tension
Between now and not-yet? 

There's nothing wrong with wanting,
Nor with the process of waiting,
But if I were a gopher I would 
Look back,
          (If I were Lot's wife I would
Be all salty)
                   Longing for a past
Which can never be remembered 
With the fidelity of Ivy --

      Yet, Kindly Moon, you see
      The harvest growing tall
      And ripe, after this Seed Fall.

Thanks to DVerse Poetics for this prompt, using the various names for the October full moon as inspiration (follow the link for the full list). Also inspired by FOWC: Tension. I’m not sure whether this “Kindly Moon” pleasant and stable mood will last, but at least I could write this. 

Photo by David Besh on Pexels.com

Bells

~ revivedwriter ~ 6 Comments

Yesterday I mentioned having written a quadrille for DVerse’s prompt, and today I wrote a better one, which is the one I am sharing. The word of the week is bell.

 

Bells, signifying the end and the beginning
Of class, students as hundreds or thousands of
Pavlov's dogs showing their conditioning;

Bells, ringing out to celebrate holidays
Or weddings, promises of love and peace;
     Somber ones for funerals

Bells, signifying the end and the beginning

Redeeming Lost Time

~ revivedwriter ~ 1 Comment

I don’t want to ignore the prompts for today (see what I did there 🙂 ), but I wrote this poem inspired by the idea of redeeming lost time, which I mentioned in yesterday’s gratitude post. I did write a quadrille for DVerse’s prompt, Bell, but I don’t like it very much, especially because this poem is more hopeful, anyway. 

Redeem for me lost time, 
What sickness has hidden,
What fear has now effaced,
What despair has destroyed --
And I will live again.

And I will live again
To be a home of hope,
To laugh with liberty, *
Growing sweet fruits of peace
Beginning with today. 


            * I do laugh quite a bit anyway.
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Sometimes I feel the fire

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Today it’s time for another Flashback Friday post! This is from October 14, 2020 and comes out of my poetry notebook that happens to have G.K. Chesterton’s face on it.

I am clay in the Creator's care:
I feel so weak and squishy,
Pinched by this and that pain; 
Sometimes I feel the fire and think:
"What the hell, God?" Unorthodox,
But He's big enough to take it.

One day, I am the Creator's clay,
Solidified into a vase, containing 
Pure and clean water of life:
Poured out an increasing embrace.
The cover of my aforementioned notebook

Precious

~ revivedwriter ~ 1 Comment

This week I am back to the Tuesday night Sijo (completely forgot about it last week). This week’s theme is movies.

I discovered a piece of real love, a precious priceless jewel:
Not like in the movies, with butterflies and fluttery feelings
But like discovering there is bedrock underneath your feet.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Challenge Image

Pinch Poem: Storms

~ revivedwriter ~ 1 Comment

This pinch poem took me 3 days. As the days go by, it gets more and more applicable / honest. 

A story which these days I have so often heard:
In Galilee Jesus was with his disciples,
Stuck in a storm on a turbulent sea —
He stilled the storm to a whisper.
He stilled the storm to a whisper.
There’s a powerful storm surrounding me,
I may be in the eye, but hurricane-wind pulls,
Even heartfelt poems lack the necessary Word.

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