Ode 314

Ode 314   

Those who don't feel this 

Love pulling them like a river,   

those who don't drink dawn 

like a cup of spring water 

or take in sunset like supper, 

those who don't want to change, 

let them sleep.

~ Rumi

ai art by me

Acceptance

 

Acceptance holds great power,

A key to setting free,

No longer tethered by the chains

Of what we cannot see.

In life, we each must navigate

The paths that twist and bend,

Understanding that to fight the flow

Is not the means to an end.

No one owns another soul,

And only the moon controls the tide,

So to question what fate has drawn

Simply leads to damaged pride.

Acceptance is not losing hope,

It’s wisdom born of grace,

Embracing all that life presents

Within our sacred space..

C.E. Coombes

Art by Olamik

Source: Serendipity Corner on Facebook

'Just'

 

'Just' implies it's little

'Just' implies it's small

'Just' suggests it's really

Nothing very much at all

Just a joke, just one bad day

And just a drop of rain

"It's just a cut, a tiny scratch

So why are you in pain?"

"It's just a little game"

And "can you talk for just a minute?"

But 'just' can be the thing

That pushes something to its limit

'Cause drops of rain are more than 'just'

When there are millions more

When every drop keeps inching water

Closer to your door

A cut is always more than 'just'

When you're already bleeding;

When every scratch reminds you

That you're further now from healing

A minute's never just a minute

When you're running late

And when expecting news

But all that you can do is wait

It's not just one bad day

When it has been a month or two

And it's not just a joke

When you find out the joke's on you

'Cause 'just' sounds oh-so-little

So it often serves to shrink,

To lessen what we feel,

What we experience and think

But if we're not familiar

With another person's feelings;

If we can't say for sure

If they are hurting or they're healing

If we don't know the nature

Of the things that have drawn blood

If we assume they're swimming

Whilst they're drowning in the flood

If we do not know how much time

Somebody else has got

Or how deep all their wounds might run

From all the things they've lost

It might be wise to listen

Whilst they're crying through the rain

And not dismiss their bleeding

When they're talking through their pain

And it might be wise to recognise

That 'just' for us is small

Whilst it might be 'just' the thing

That pushes them so far,

they fall

*****

Becky states she is currently trying to write a variation of this (as in it's not 'just' a smile - it could be the thing that saves someone that day) - but whilst it's still a work in progress, she shared this version

Becky Hemsley 2025

Artwork by Brooke Shaden

This poem is from her latest book, If The Stars Could Speak

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook

Will The Circle Be Unbroken ~ NGDB

 

Will The Circle Be Unbroken 

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

This Precious Life

This Precious Life

There is no greater blessing

than to simply be alive,

to awaken once more

within the quiet miracle

of breath.

To witness the beauty

woven into each and every day,

whether it arrives

wrapped in sunlight,

or hidden

beneath storm clouds.

No matter the circumstances,

I choose to meet this moment

with an open heart.

For every experience

is a teacher.

Every breath

an invitation.

Every step

a homecoming.

I do not wait

for life to become perfect

before I give thanks.

For this precious life

is already enough

to fill my heart

with wonder.

I find grace

in the ordinary,

the warmth of morning light,

the song of distant birds,

the rhythm of rain,

the silence between thoughts,

the smile of a stranger,

the steady beating

of my own heart.

I belong

to this living world,

and this living world

belongs within me.

Today

I release resistance

and rest

in simple presence.

I welcome joy

without grasping,

sorrow

without fear,

change

without clinging,

and love

without condition.

This moment

is enough.

This breath

is enough.

This life

is enough.

Simply happy to be alive,

I bow

to the beauty

that reveals itself

again

and again,

in each and every day,

no matter the circumstances.

And in that quiet knowing,

I discover

that gratitude

is not a destination,

it is the way

I walk

through the world.

~ 'This Precious Life' by Spirit of a Hippie
~ Mary Anne Byrne
~ Art By BinaS.Art

Source: Spirit of a Hippie on Facebook

How many things in this world hold a part of your soul?

 

Have you ever thought about how many things in this world hold a part of your soul? About all of the ways in which you have altered the way other people see and feel things?

Have you ever thought about how quickly you can be summoned into someone’s mind – their consciousness – because something seemingly insignificant has sparked a memory of you?

Because there are whispers of you in certain songs and special places.
Your smile is folded into specific words and particular phrases.
There are echoes of you wrapped up in certain clothes and random objects and your light lingers around you everywhere you go,
in ways you could never imagine.

And if you ever doubt it,
look back to all the times that anyone has ever sent you a letter or a message or a photograph, accompanied by the phrase

“this reminded me of you”.

It means your soul has left a mark on theirs. 

And it means that their life and their soul and their heart,
are all a little fuller,
simply because
they’ve known you.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024
Artwork by Steve Henderson
This poem is from the collection, Words to Remember by Becky Hemsley

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook

Frank Zappa knew it.