Please don’t tell me about the
Evolutionary roots of appreciating beauty
Don’t try to dissect it for me
I’m sure there are good scientific reasons
Why we are drawn to beauty
But I don’t want to know those, not me!

I want it to be a feeling
A feeling of bliss that overcomes me
When I look at beautiful art
A warm feeling and a smile
When I listen to someone playing guitar

Please, let’s not analyze beauty
Let’s not make it part of the
Evolutionary theory of life

I’d like our love of beauty
To be mysterious, yet obvious
And not by diagrams defined

Appreciating beauty may have
Something to do with our survival
As a species
But I’d like to think of it
As essential to the life of our spirit
That’s how I see it

Lida Berghuis
December 28th, 2010

A response to Denis Dutton’s
A Darwinian theory of beauty

First half
Memories of Mazda
Dabirestane Daneshgah*
Visiting my aunt’s home
In Shiraz
Playing piano
Starting to write

First half
Moving the Canada
Prince of Wales High school
Sept Isles
Meeting Albert
Four years of patience
And of trials

Getting married
One year in Holland
Back to Canada
Two years in Texas
To Ontario

Natalie, Natasha and Nicholas
Sleepless nights
Learning on the job

First steps
First words
First day at pre-school
Kindergarten
Grade one
Time begins to fly

Back to teaching
Back to art
Mesmerized by collage

Awakening to poetry
First shaky steps
And so begins
A second journey
The second half
A rebirth of sorts

Tests and trials
Come my way
Each time
I try to learn
Each time
I hope it’’s the last
Not expecting
A relapse!

Sometimes  I see
The wisdom
What I thought
Was punishment
Has had its rewards
My senses have woken up
And I have something to write about

Lida Berghuis
April 28th, 2010

The softest ‘throw’ I have ever felt
Was passed to me last night
When I was feeling sad and low

My energy was drained
I was feeling down
I was drowning in a sea of sadness and sorrow

I put it on my legs and felt the warmth
I touched its soft wool and felt seduced

What was this most luxurious material I asked
Goat hair from Russia knitted by women
The answer came back!

I felt it again
It caressed my sad heart
There was a magic in this material

Heather told me that this was
Her special throw
Whenever she felt sad or low
She covered herself in its luxurious warmth
And started feeling better at once

Now, I believe in magic
That comes from love
This magical throw
Made me feel warm and strong

I didn’t want to part with it
But I did
I was feeling stronger and it was time
To leave

But I will remember this magical throw
How it touched me and warmed my soul!

Lida Berghuis
February 5th, 2004
After a visit to Hudson!

Solitude to think and write
Company to share and laugh out loud!

Solitude
The blessed morn
The world sleeps
It’s just me and my thoughts

Company
Sharing, laughing, hugging, crying
Without it dying

Solitude
Feeds the soul
I hear myself think
I can ask questions
Look for answers

Company
My joy in life
Gives me energy
Each and every time

Solitude
Necessary for my sanity
And peace within

Company
Essential in life
Social beings we are

Solitude
I crave you from time to time

Company
I need you to feel all right!

Lida Berghuis
April 10th, 2010

Hello everyone! A dear friend of mine suggested I start a poetry blog, and since I love to write and have a stash of poems that I have written in the past seven years, I decided to do so.

It may be interesting to note that I did not write poetry until 7 or 8 years ago. I’ve always appreciated poetry, but it wasn’t until I started reading the translated poetry of Rumi and Tahirih that I even considered writing poems. I didn’t think it was my strength or that I would be any good. I love to write, but keeping journals had been my hobby up to this point. Nevertheless, when I wrote the first poem, it was as if a flood- gate had been opened. They kept coming and coming and there was no stopping them. A few supportive friends encouraged me to keep writing. Insecure and unsure, I continued to write. I couldn’t have stopped anyway, but their encouragement meant a lot to me. Over the last seven years, I’ve written poems in my notebooks, on the computer, while at coffee shops, when traveling, etc. etc. I’m very happy to share some of my favorite poems with you in this blog. I’m glad that you have joined me on this journey. Your feedback will be very helpful for me, so please don’t hesitate to comment.

Until next time,

Lida