Tag Archive | Poetry

My cocoon

Jun7

img_7107

 

I feel like I’m in a cocoon

It’s very dark in here

There is discomfort and pain

 

I feel like I’m in a cocoon

Can’t see what’s outside

Can’t see the future

I know I can’t stay here for ever

But how long do I need to wait?

 

Feeling a little claustrophobic

My world is so small

Will it ever change?

 

I’ve heard stories about a beautiful world out there

Full of life and colour

Full of bird song and meandering rivers

Is that just a story?

Will I ever get there?

 

I want to believe the stories of transformation

I want to believe that this small abode

This dark place of limitations and sorrow

Will one day give way to a marvellous world

 

June 7th, 2020

Black is beautiful

Jun6

 

D92DF9B9-5787-4FD7-8EF6-0B857EF25414
The colour of your skin is beautiful

It’s a velvety midnight black

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

It shines like the ebony keys on the piano

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

It’s the colour of the pupil of the eye

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

Sometimes it’s a lovely chocolaty brown

 

The colour of your skin is beautiful

But real beauty is in your eyes and in your heart

 

June 6th, 2020

Less than

Jun3

248F3A56-B163-41C5-B359-3164FCDE4D19

The first time I realized I was black was long ago

Someone had to point that out to me

To tell me that I was different from them

To tell me that I was less than them

 

And at that moment

My whole world changed

I saw the divide

I realized that  the colour of my skin

Has put me in a different class

A class that is less than

 

Can you imagine how I felt?

Can you imagine the confusion and the pain?

Can you imagine me realizing

That I would be treated based on the colour of my skin?

 

And the sad thing is it doesn’t have to be this way

The superiority of one race over another is taught

It’s taught by family and friends

It doesn’t have to be this way

 

June 3rd, 2020

Women of our times

May29

 

img_4219

In response to a recent honor killing:
Women have been under the control of men for a long time

Their lives restricted

Their choices restricted

Their whereabouts restricted

 

Sometimes men have gone too far

In exerting their authority over the women of their lives

Lives have been lost

Families put into mourning

Societies horrified

 

Sometimes these actions have gone unpunished

Encouraging others to do similar things

 

But times have changed

Today we recognize that women need not be

Controlled, guided or protected by men

 

Today, women have the same roles in society that men do

Their education is the same

Their responsibilities are the same 

And so should be their rights

 

Laws have been tilted in favour of men for a long time

That no longer makes sense

A community that is not just cannot thrive

 

May 29th, 2020

Insight?

Apr30

 

image
I wonder what we will think

When we look back at these unusual times

Days of physical isolation

Limited travel

Closed schools

Working from home

Unanswered questions

Worries and fears

 

What will we take away from this experience?

Will we be wiser?

More compassionate?

Will we be less materialistic?

Will we be more thankful for all that we have?

Will we have made new friends and connections?

Will our priorities have changed?

 

When the ground is plowed

The harvest is bountiful

The longer the stew simmers

The more delicious it is

 

Difficulties need to be followed by insight

Otherwise suffering is wasted time

 

April 30th, 2020

Mask?

Apr24

IMG_1005

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

First they said, don’t wear a mask 

We need them for the health care workers

That made sense

Then they said why don’t you make home made masks?

“Not all of us can sew!”

They said use a bandana

“That would look wired”

They said you can buy one on line

“That I can!”

 

The masks arrived after a few days

They looked cute

But for some reason I didn’t want to wear them

 

My smile tells people I’m friendly

My smile communicates warmth and love

My smile can brighten someone’s day

My smile makes me feel good inside

 

How am I supposed to let people know I’m smiling at them

If my mouth is covered with a mask?

I could paint a smile on my mask

But that would look awfully creepy

 

Some people wear masks

Others don’t 

If everyone did, it would be easier

So, I continue to wonder

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?

 

April 24th, 2020

Learning from our mistakes

Apr15

248F3A56-B163-41C5-B359-3164FCDE4D19

Is man incorrigible?

Will we ever learn from our mistakes?

Not always it seems

We make the same mistake over and over again

But why?

Because we have not changed

We see things the same way and behave the same way

Only a shift in our values and behaviour

Will give rise to better decision making

There needs to be a fundamental shift

In how we see ourselves and our place in the planet

We need to put justice before profit

We need to be less greedy and more generous

We need to look upon others as our brothers and sisters

We need to value honesty and trustworthiness

Our values will determine the outcome

 

April 15th, 2020

Formative days

Apr14

image

These are days of isolation

Of social distancing

Of hunkering down 

 

These are the days of slowing down

Driving less

Travelling much less

Returning home

 

These are unusual times

The world is going through a crisis

And geography and borders matter not

 

These are days of compassion for others and ourselves

Of the selflessness of those who venture out for us

The nurses the doctors and other essential workers

Who must continue to be out and about

 

These are the days of realizing 

The level of our interdependence 

These are the days of coming together

To look for solutions 

 

These are the days of empathy

Of patience

Of evaluation

 

These days are formative days

The effect of which will last a long time

 

April 14th, 2020

Looking for calm

Apr5

09E8D9DC-9884-406D-AC93-82ED1EF161DB

Back and forth
Back and forth
From icon to icon
On my cell phone:
WhatsApp
Instagram
E-mail
News
Facebook
I read
I listen
I contemplate
And repeat…

Too much news?
Too much information?
Too much screen time?
Perhaps

So I put my phone away
Open my notebook
And start to write

Suddenly time slows down
I relax
I don’t have to process so much information
I don’t have to listen to sad news
I can be in my place of calm

The coffee shops are closed
So, the comfortable chair in our bedroom, by the window
Is where I’m writing today
It’s cloudy and
We’re longing for the return of the sun

We’re all doing our best to cope
To stay connected to friends
To avoid getting cabin fever
To do things in new and different ways

Thankful that writing centres me
Thankful that I’m in touch with my friends
Hoping we’ll emerge stronger and wiser
When we’ve made it through these challenging times

April 2nd, 2020

Apart yet together

Mar29

04751D06-DDEC-437F-B718-BC856D971869
Apart yet together

Far yet next door

In these days of social distancing 

We find other ways to socialize 

 

From WhatsApp calls and video chats 

To Zoom meetings and gatherings 

Technology is our loyal friend 

 

Many people work from home

And see each other even more 

We have meetings on the cloud

Wherever we are in the world

 

Distance is meaningless

It’s a thing of the past

All hail technology 

We live in a new world 

 

March 29th, 2020