02 October 2016

Wishes Before Blowing the Candles Out


Candle (PSF).jpg
source

That we Howl
now that we’ve awakened
to what we have made of our planet.

That we request
forgiveness and do
at least one thing daily
to honor energy and matter.

That we name them
Brother and Sister or
Mother Earth and Father Spirit
or Earth and AtmosphereLife, whatever—
just call out to them with gratitude.

That we recall
when we hear the newly born
how small we once were, what birth entails
what parenting it takes to bring seeds to harvest
and how good abundance would be
in uniting and healing community

That we re-invest
our birthday gifts—
use our perception
and invention to elongate the lives
of Earth and Atmosphere,
to celebrate their life-giving processes
and the mystery of creation.

That we have
Many Happy Returns of the way
to say Happy Birthday,
and to pray: 
forgive me, thank you,
help me, use me,
show me what to do and how 
to celebrate you.



Posted at Poets United 

Poetry Pantry #322

(Having just read the news on the eve of Rosh Hashanah)


My blog poems are rough drafts.
Please respect my copyright.

© 2016 Susan L. Chast



25 comments:

  1. That we name them
    Brother and Sister or
    Mother Earth and Father Spirit
    or Earth and Atmosphere—Life, whatever—
    just call out to them with gratitude.

    ah yes gratitude, indeed you have my yeah

    much love...

    P.S. happy Sunday

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  2. I love the thought of using a birthday for such thoughts... if birthdays could be reinvested for good of everyone... great poetry Susan.

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  3. My new all-time favourite of your poems, my friend. A Beauty!

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  4. The gift of birth given back - it often seems we forget the latter.. A howl seems apt when we truly stop and think

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  5. Indeed it would be a good thing if we reinvested our birthday gifts rather than kept them all for ourselves.
    I liked the ending: "forgive me, thank you, help me, use me..." Very prayerful!

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  6. Such a wonderful thought and beautifully expressed

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  7. Wow!! This one knocked my socks off!! Beautifully penned! 💖

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  8. We are such greedy creatures not thinking of the future of our kind or of the world. Just a precious few of us weep at our weakness in preserving the beauty of the world but sadly it all falls on deaf ears of those that just count money and those that aspire to do the same. If only posts like this were in the headline news.

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    1. I agree with old egg. We should count our blessings and not our money in the scramble to attain more and more stuff so that we will earn the respect and admiration of our peers because we are "doing well"

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  9. Yes we really need to stop and think of every thing we're doing, reinvest in the earth. Instead we seem hell bent on destruction.

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  10. This is a very ingenious extended metaphor. The blowing out of candles to mark a milestone pinned against the mess we've made of our planet. Really brilliant, Susan - and wonderfully rendered, to boot.

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  11. yes to be a bit humane and expand in love...a beautiful poem Susan...

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  12. This is such a gorgeous reminder Susan of celebrating life and Mother Earth.
    I also loved the title very much.

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  13. a good time of year for resolutions Susan [L'Shana Tova] and especially like the propositional beginnings of 'that we'- the succumbing of will to a greater purpose

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  14. Have a nice week, share your mood at MondayWRites

    much love...

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  15. A lovely piece Susan, perfect for the season....

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  16. yes, how many of us give a thought for our planet when we make our birthday wishes?

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  17. The anaphora works very well here to emphasize the progress of your theme.

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  18. You seal this poem with a prayer for all humanity, a prayer that I trust finds fruition in many lives. Thank you.

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  19. Wonderful, uplifting, and universal.

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  20. "show me what to do and celebrate you"...we do not do enough celebrating, not enough forgiving - life is such a gift and to soon we forget its beauty...bkm

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  21. Truly beautiful writing, Susan. The idea of the birthday is genius.

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  22. my prayer of gratitude is in the form of whispering mantras i send of to the spirit of the universes. i appreciate all for all is who and why i am.

    gracias

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  23. Great wishes, and obviously heartfelt.

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