A woman’s voice

Jun21

 

D7DCE750-9576-46B9-8985-B925BF1FCDA3
A meeting is in progress over Zoom

University professors and administrators at work

I hear the confident voice of a woman 

Who seems to be chairing the meeting

The cadence of her voice 

It’s tone

The words she uses

All tell of her competence

And her assurance that she is being heard

Because she has ideas that are important to share

I hear men’s voices too 

But hers is dominant

They are obviously solving problems and making plans

How wonderful to see women in science

In the highest echelons 

Voicing their opinions

Leading the charge

This is how it should be in all areas

This is the sign of things to come

June 21st, 2023

Doing Lida things

Jun8

IMG_9187

I am Lida, doing Lida things

What might those be?

Going somewhere new

And losing my way when returning home (pre-GPS times)

Bringing home jalapeño lemonade instead of regular lemonade

As if that is something that exists and I should check 

Not listening to the doctors’ instructions 

And considering them suggestions

Doing something wrong over and over again

And not learning my lesson 

Doing my writing or collage very fast

Is that being inspired or just not having enough patience?

Cooking meals that take no more than an hour

Long drawn-out cooking is not my thing

Doing gardening in white clothing

Not bothering to change

Doing a lot of silly things despite my age

What is age but a number?

Enjoying travelling, the farther, the better

Seeking adventure and enjoying interacting with other cultures

Making decisions really fast

And then pondering if I’ve made a good choice

Laughing out loud in a museum 

Wondering why we look at such old paintings 

Wearing dresses all summer long

Pants are not my favourite apparel   

Many of the things I do are from being impatient

Being directionally challenged

Being stubborn 

And thinking I know better

Bring silly 

And enjoying laugher and having fun  

I’m simply being Lida, doing Lida things 

June 6th, 2023

Sacrifices

May30

IMG_9272

A child is born

And brings much joy

But the mother makes many sacrifices

The sleepless nights

The fatigue and feeling overwhelmed 

Her priority becomes her child

The child grows

And in each stage of growth

There are challenges 

And the mother learns and grows as well 

The teen years are the time the child

Tries to be their own person

And their life starts to separate from that of the mother

Early adulthood are sweet years

The independent child becomes a friend 

A helpmate, a confidant 

And then it’s time for the child to leave 

To start their own journey in life 

And the mother once again must sacrifice 

The bonds she has carefully created over the years

Must stretch somewhat 

The distance between her and her child has to grow 

But the mother’s soul will always be close 

To that of her child

Her thoughts will be with him/her

Her love will go on 

April 30, 2023

Looking forward

May29

IMG_9292

Need to look forward not backward

When looking backward I’ll miss my times with Nick at home

Our early morning chats as we had breakfast

And the rest of the family was asleep

Seeing him make lunch with left overs each day

Asking me, “can I take the whole thing?”

Giving himself lots of time so as not to rush in the morning

Reminding him to take two Cold Fx when he was sniffling

And wondering if he had got enough sleep

But as I look forward 

I’ll enjoy Nick and Magalie coming over for dinner

Or somethings brunch

Planning get aways together when their busy schedules allow

Watching them decorate their place 

And create a cozy space for themselves

And thank God for the internet

We no longer live in the same house

But he is a few clicks away

And he answers fast

There is also is FaceTime

Children leave home

It’s inevitable

But no one said it’s doesn’t require some adjustment time

May 29th, 2023

Tragedy and comdy

May19

ED68F10F-4F09-4D52-B011-A465C51E6572
I go to Youtube as I do every morning

To hear the news of the day about Iran

I play a clip about three innocent young men

Who were executed ruthlessly

To serve as examples for others who want to protest

Then I play a clip of a Finnish comic

Making interesting observations about the English language

Finnish is a most interesting language too

With words as long as a sentence with no space

Why switch from serious to silly you may wonder

Because the news of the world is too hard to bear

Without some comic relief

So much injustice

So much pain

My psyche can’t handle too much of that

I need the comic relief

To be able to get on with my day

May 19th, 2023

Fifty nine

May17

IMG_9076

How do I feel at fifty nine?

I feel hopeful

I feel content

I feel excited for the future

I love that I have a chance to write and publish

I love that I can share my experiences and feelings with others

I’m grateful for the children we’ve raised

One of whom is about to get married

I’m grateful for a wonderful marriage

Which has stood the test of time and trials

And has brought me comfort and joy

I’m grateful for amazing friends

Who love me and support me

So, I feel pretty good

And look forward to the years to come

May 17th, 2023

Freedom cries

May14

IMG_9077

When the price of protest songs is solitary confinement

When rappers end up bring tortured

When freedom of speech is non-existent 

When so much in your life is controlled and inspected

Freedom cries 

Liberty dies

Justice is hand-cuffed 

And beauty must hide

When youth leave their country

Because they don’t see hope 

When corruption is rampant

Inflation roars 

When the retirees and teachers protest

When the prisons are full 

When the courts are only a show

And lawyers get arrested

Tears run down the face of a nation 

And joy is hard to come by in most places

But no matter how dark the night  

The dawn will come and the sun will rise 

May 14th, 2023

What I write

May4

95C3D2F4-C919-454E-9B91-0B13575DC328
What you see is what you get

What I write is genuine

There is no pretence

There was a time I could not express myself

My thoughts and feelings remained hidden in my heart

Maybe I was afraid to share them

Maybe I didn’t know how

I remember those days clearly

And the helplessness I felt

As if something was stopping me from speaking

And I would wonder why

Well those days are gone

I can be myself now

Especially when I write

What you read is who I am

Plain and simple

I write from my heart

May 4th, 2023 Continue reading →

Mother tongue

May3

C3C7B847-8204-492C-93B0-9F80EEC29028

I’m sitting at the coffee shop 

Having my morning coffee and writing

There is a couple sitting to my left

The woman has dark curly hair

The man is wearing a suit

They are having an animated conversation

In a language other than French or English

There is a man sitting to my right

The food he is having as a wonderful aroma

An early lunch

He is talking on the phone

Speaking in a language other than French or English

This, my friends is Canada

Where we often hear people speaking in their native tongues

Waves of immigrants keep coming to Canada every year

And with them they bring their cultures and languages

They learn English and French too

But they also converse in their mother tongue

This, my friends is Canada 

May 3rd, 2023

Prisons in Iran

Apr29

ED68F10F-4F09-4D52-B011-A465C51E6572

Prisons are usually a place to house 

People who are dangerous to society

In Iran, that is the case as well

But prisons also house people who are dangerous to the regime

Writers who criticize

Environmental activist who tell it as they see it

Members of religious minorities

Those who oppose the government

Those who take part in peaceful protests

Those who lead these protests

Prisons have become the gathering place of 

Those who want change and are not afraid to talk

April 28, 2023