Tag Archive | Poetry

If my heart was a suitcase

Apr24

If my heart was a suitcase
That could only fit five things

In my heart I’’d keep love…
Love for beauty
Love for fun
Love for my friends and family
Love for light

In my heart I’’d keep, joy…
Joy of wonder
Joy of creativity
Joy of travel
Joy of wisdom

In my heart I’’d keep freedom
Freedom to be me
Freedom to share my thoughts
Freedom to learn and grow
Freedom to explore

In my heart I’’d keep music
Music of poetry and song
Music of nature songs
Music of the world
Music for my soul

In my heart I’’d keep kindness
Kindness to you and me
Kindness to melt the hearts
Kindness to share and give
Kindness to grow and thrive

If my heart was a suitcase
These are the things I would take along

Lida Berghuis
April 24th, 2011

To my children!

Apr10

dsc00531Sometimes we think we’’ve done
Everything right
Crossed the t’’s
Dotted the i’s
Taken care to be thorough
Taken the time

And yet something goes wrong

Sometimes we think
We’’ve learned from our experiences
In the past
Been there, done that
Figured it out

And yet we are so surprised
To be where we thought
We would not go one more time

Sometimes we’’re so sure
We’’re on the right track
Have thought things out
The road seems smooth and flat

But detours appear
Out of nowhere
We’’re taken by surprise again

Sometimes we think
We’’ve had our share of trials
Suffered enough
Been tested and tried

But we encounter
Another hurricane, and …
What we’’d so carefully built
Disappears in an instant!

Call it unfair
Cry out: not again!
Curl up from distress
Or lash out with rage

Reality can’’t be changed
You can’’t go back
And start again

But you can go forward
And problem solve
Think and pray
And talk things out

This life, is a series of marathons
The finish line, not for the faint of heart!

We train
We prepare
We do our best
But surprises will
Always be there

So, take it one day at a time
You will surely overcome
There will be gray days
Rain and hurricane
But the sun will shine again
You will feel better than you did before
Because you have overcome
And understand more!

Lida Berghuis
April 5th, 2011

Make me laugh!

Apr5

If you want to make me happy
Make me laugh!
Don’’t need expensive gifts
Or a Caribbean cruise
Just make me laugh!

If you want me to pay attention
Make me laugh!
Don’’t need fancy power points
Or audiovisual aids
Just make me laugh

If you want me to be your friend
Make me laugh
Laughter binds hearts
Like nothing else can

I have nothing against crying
Or being serious
But there is enough of that
Make me laugh!

Laughter is healing
Laughter is the best medicine
We all know that
So give me my vitamins
Make me laugh!

Lida Berghuis
April 4th, 2011

Time to bloom!

Apr3

To bloom or not to bloom!
To be true to oneself or not!
To risk rejection, falls, or other unknowns
To leave what’s comfortable behind

Blooming is natural
The way things should go
But blooming is not inevitable
Buds can stay closed

Wasted beauty
Wasted perfume
A loss for the flower
And for us too!

To bloom
We need to be nurtured
We need light
Water and protection
From the storms around

But when all the conditions
Are all right
The final step is
Up to us!

Bloom
Get out of your comfort zone
Bloom
Because that’s what you were created for
Bloom
Don’t by shy, timid or restrained
Bloom
It’s time to perfume that air

Lida Berghuis
April 3rd, 2011

The river of love

Mar30

A road might end at a single house, but it’’s not love’’s road
Love is a river, drink from it

Rumi

 

Love is a river
Drink from it!

 

Love flows like water
And nourishes the soul

Can’’t contain love
Can’’t run out of love
Love is not limited to a person or a place
Love flows eternal
It’s generous!

Love can flow like a torrent, wild
It can meander like a gentle stream
It can be noisy and loud
It can be quiet and serene

Love’s essential
It vivifies us
And without it
We will shrivel and die

 

Lida Berghuis
March 27th, 2011

One sock off!

Mar23

Nicholas has one sock on
One sock off
It’s an odd image
But what stands out
Is the he does not mind!

I see him walking down the hall
One sock on
One sock off
I wonder why he doesn’t
Take the other sock off
Or put the first sock on!

Asymmetry
Something odd
It catches my eyes
He is so at ease with himself
Walking one sock on
One sock off!

I ask him
“What happened to your sock?”
He says, “Natasha took it off!”
And keeps walking
One sock on
One sock off
I keep staring at him
And wonder why
It bothers me so much
That he has only one sock on!

Lida Berghuis
February 23rd, 2004

Soul sisters

Mar19

A mighty torrent flows
From heavens above
If I stand under it
It will wash off the dross

Inspiration
Is always there
If I open my heart

Words written long ago
By the hands of one who’s gone
Touch my heart

Sisters in this tradition
We call poetry
Women writing
For themselves and humanity

Women’s voices
Were often not heard
But times are changing
Woman’s voice is now honored

May 21st, 2004
Shrine

Reading Homage to Emily Dickinson
By Roger White

Normal?

Mar16

What is normal?
I’’be come to the conclusion
That “normal” does not exist!
My normal is someone else’’s insanity
Your normal, perhaps not so normal to me!

It could be that normal has a range
A wide range
From shy and quiet,
Contemplative and severe
To joyful and bubbly,
A bit manic and ecstatic!

Who are we to say what’’s normal?

Does normal mean predictable,
Obedient
One who follows rules?
Because artists do none of the above
And we would not want to have a society
Without artists, for sure

Does normal mean not in the fringes
Out of the box?
Off the chart?
Because life would be boring
If we were all in the box!

Does normal mean
Within the fdboundaries of reason
Dictated by culture and tradition?
Because nothing would change
If someone did not push
The boundaries at times

So, normal is relative
Based on our expectations
Our world view
Our culture

What is normal to me may
May be your definition of abnormality!

Lida Berghuis
March 16th, 2011

Friendship

Mar13

I look out the window
I feel so alone
Alone in my home
Alone in my community
Alone in bearing the burden
Of my pain and sorrow

I don’t have enough energy
To reach out
I long for contact and company
And for loving arms to hold me
And tell me things will be fine

….

Worse than pain and sorrow
Is the feeling of being alone
Because no matter what troubles you face
Everything is more bearable
When you have a friend
A true friend you can call on
A true friend who won’t judge

And the difference between sanity
And the feeling that your are about to lose it
Can be as simple as
The kind words of a friend
Their radiant smile
Their listening ear
Their time

The difference between
Helplessness and the willingness
To hang in there and try
Is the heartwarming thought
That there are those
You can call on
In moments of crisis
And that they will take the time
To let you unburden your soul
They will provide the balm
That will help you carry on

The Ultimate Friend is always there
But you also need the caress
The soothing words
The listening ear of a friend
One with whom you can be real
And share your intimate thoughts

If you are lucky to have such a friend
You notice that everything hurts less!

Lida Berghuis
March 11th, 2011

Nicki does not discriminate!

Mar4

Nicki does not discriminate
Old or young, boy or girl, friend or stranger
To him, it’’s all the same!
To him, what matters is the
Human factor!
He will talk to anyone
He will become engaged from the start
His enthusiasm and charm
Disarms whoever comes his way
He is accepted right away
He is admitted to the group
And pretty soon
He’’s at the centre
Giving ideas, listening with care
Making you smile
And blowing you away!

And all this he does
Without trying hard
He is almost oblivious
To his own charm
I overhear him talking
To Nat’’s friends
I have to smile
How did he join them?
What does he have to say
To seventeen year old girls?

I look over
And I see his face
So intense!
He is so present
He’’s all there!
He’’s engaged
A bottle of joy
A bottle of charm
Full of energy
Full of life
Who would not want
To be around
This essence of joy
This fountain of love?

Lida Berghuis
March 4th, 2011