tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563333699308202982024-03-28T12:04:28.808-04:00Susan's PoetryWhere does inspiration lie? Everywhere!
This is my attempt to shape breath and experience into words.
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.comBlogger703125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-28024906456999411222024-03-27T04:57:00.002-04:002024-03-27T12:56:33.002-04:00Morning Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkdNeqrm5Pr6HEjn7qFb7EWpbKL6RV39o3Escl95Oi8G8KU-9KO2MyvN3wHD21t_dn4J3OMxHlwXq22UDC4ypc72SoF5CualIPenvCU8agpQYzKJd2ZGuZqOTMBFiOjDsRHAzkfSr09lWSCeAXbkM4eDdVks5Yt9Wns5_wlElu0kHeS-_9xm4zRRWHjbK/s4000/IMG_20240318_072354721.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkdNeqrm5Pr6HEjn7qFb7EWpbKL6RV39o3Escl95Oi8G8KU-9KO2MyvN3wHD21t_dn4J3OMxHlwXq22UDC4ypc72SoF5CualIPenvCU8agpQYzKJd2ZGuZqOTMBFiOjDsRHAzkfSr09lWSCeAXbkM4eDdVks5Yt9Wns5_wlElu0kHeS-_9xm4zRRWHjbK/w480-h640/IMG_20240318_072354721.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">My home is high up in a castle<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">with a vista of grass and woodland.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">The rising day rims distant trees<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and then hits magnolia blossoms—<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">so sun or cloud cover, I don’t need<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">curtains to feel private, protected.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Here’s a daily invitation to wait<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">near the glass and secretly watch<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">swift moving cardinals. Here’s<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">an invitation to walk across the grass<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">toward the trees, pausing and<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">lifting my walker with each step. <br /> </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Finally, I learn the slow motion <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">that morning light seems to prefer,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">a speed meant to feel and to bless<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the light, to see and to accept<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the blessing of the grass, to welcome<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the shadow of the woodlands.</span></h4></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Sherry's prompt "<a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-coming-of-light.html" target="_blank">The Coming of the Light"</a> at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/">What's Going On?</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">(And here is a simple song.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">The Coming of the Light<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">It’s a long time coming,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">The light of dreams<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">The light of reason<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">The light of love<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I expect it each day<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">In morning light<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">In silver-lined clouds<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">In rainbows<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">But I know, without hearing the news<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">That famine exists<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">That blood flows<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">That neighbors hate neighbors<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I stand with others working for the light<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To heal the earth<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To feed everyone<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To eliminate revenge</span></span></h3><div><br /></div><h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">It's a long time coming<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Expect it every day<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">dream light<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">love light, holy light</span></span></h3><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><p style="text-align: right;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p style="text-align: right;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-85252576535573789432024-03-25T09:57:00.000-04:002024-03-25T09:57:13.412-04:00Humans are Animals, too.<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LN4TwDwuDInejrtnbQIPI-Z-4mnyiuDuEtT97RZfi6Sdu8kyzNa5i_OckUBb_MJnn3jsU1wOpmLV_yw6Ty85OGWBdn_isUisXx19Lt8FRvmLPcFL4kH4P8xsWPf-5PCsUlMbTPZx1CBeuTTHb5N1w1R2m7GIdeVYpN6o8O-g195P3xasIYrcIYrSINlv/s512/Damage_in_Gaza_Strip_during_the_October_2023_-_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="512" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LN4TwDwuDInejrtnbQIPI-Z-4mnyiuDuEtT97RZfi6Sdu8kyzNa5i_OckUBb_MJnn3jsU1wOpmLV_yw6Ty85OGWBdn_isUisXx19Lt8FRvmLPcFL4kH4P8xsWPf-5PCsUlMbTPZx1CBeuTTHb5N1w1R2m7GIdeVYpN6o8O-g195P3xasIYrcIYrSINlv/w400-h266/Damage_in_Gaza_Strip_during_the_October_2023_-_13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damage_in_Gaza_Strip_during_the_October_2023_-_13.jpg" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What happens to sunlight over bombs?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Is it friend or foe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or, like me,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">is it an inactive witness we think is neutral<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">because it does nothing?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I think of psalms.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">But what praises can we write<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">for any sides of today’s wars?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Surely all sides claim God.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What counts as winning?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">A tally of the dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A promise<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">That no country will attempt to push<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">any other country into the sea?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Sunlight here brings things to life.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Neutral, it is nature assisting nature.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Where in all the bombs and strife<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">can plants and animals find pasture?</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-30619365567717664742024-03-25T08:03:00.004-04:002024-03-25T08:08:11.635-04:00Prompts for April 2024 from thotpurge<p> </p><a href="https://thotpurge.wordpress.com/2024/03/25/prompts-for-april/">https://thotpurge.wordpress.com/2024/03/25/prompts-for-april/</a>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-84075647638656559212024-03-14T19:01:00.005-04:002024-03-20T11:12:19.397-04:00Lady Macbeth Advises Her Husband<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMYAvfY2rVFwTb6as3BCYp2KJ0Qhlj6Hv34HQf5_qAoUw-Fh9fY1pbxDnWMi5uYp4GykfDVinV7WsrMynzEYge6sC2r8VfKmMvINNCARvin5P8mhbTgGZQHYJLF-xH-gNB8BGsAeci-QotjQPm4bSf0wDHMItRW7cwkstHgWyL5-AUkDnwDIngIiWUbA_W" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="626" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMYAvfY2rVFwTb6as3BCYp2KJ0Qhlj6Hv34HQf5_qAoUw-Fh9fY1pbxDnWMi5uYp4GykfDVinV7WsrMynzEYge6sC2r8VfKmMvINNCARvin5P8mhbTgGZQHYJLF-xH-gNB8BGsAeci-QotjQPm4bSf0wDHMItRW7cwkstHgWyL5-AUkDnwDIngIiWUbA_W=w278-h400" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gabriel_von_Max_-_Lady_Macbeth,_1885.jpg" target="_blank">Source</a></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Listen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Really listen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">The blood won’t wash off my hands</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">or out of my clothes.</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">Will Not Wash Out! Look! </span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">Listen.</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I didn’t know before I killed,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">and really, </span><i style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">killing was easy,</i><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">but blood won’t stop flowing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Listen, my husband, do not kill—</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">not again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">You killed the king at my urging.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I should have known better.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">But how many others must die?</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Did you target my friend, Lady McDuff?</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> AND HER CHILDREN?</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">Killing is too easy.</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Do you aim for Malcolm?</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">
</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Will you kill </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">all those who oppose you?</span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">It doesn’t matter if you win, I tell you.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">You’ll be standing here like me,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">unable to wash the blood off your hands,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">unable to wash the blood off your clothes,</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">from your land, and from your soul.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">The blood will drive you mad!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Listen to me now.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><br /></span></b><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Really listen.</span></h3></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> <span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For my prompt <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/03/characters-in-action.html" target="_blank">"Character(s) in Action"</a> at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a> (With thoughts of contemporary wars and those who promote and prolong them.)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5768378871895184129" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2; position: relative; width: 626.3px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. 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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-57683788718951841292024-03-11T10:20:00.001-04:002024-03-11T10:20:31.258-04:00 Ex-Students<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><br />
</b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">Children
I knew as a teacher<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
disappeared into adults<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
leading serious lives.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
In our chance encounters,<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
I see their youth postures and<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
hear their young voices.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
My smile matches their smiles.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
A good kind of remembering—<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
seeing new bloom on old rose bushes.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
A good kind of forgetting—<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
the care some bushes needed<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">
to mature so gracefully.</span></b></span></h3></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">I pray for them and their families:<br /></span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">Be
safe from harm. Help create</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Poor Richard", serif;">the
earth you need to survive. </span></i></b></span></h3></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Sumana's prompt "Children" at What's Going On? </i></span></p><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i></span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-47063478694994654672024-03-06T08:56:00.002-05:002024-03-06T15:36:44.450-05:0021 Reasons I Speak<p> </p><br />
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan no-line-numbers;"></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because I
have been hiding in silence</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because silence
has not cured my heart sickness </span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because I
must share the truths my heart discovers</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because I
need a friend in truth, and she needs me to appear </span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because I
need to hear myself break through the noise and horror</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To say what I find there</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I want
to write a song</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">And say
your names</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To remember</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To
remember words and sentences I forgot</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To say I
love you</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">You are a child of God</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To cross the real and fake barriers among us</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To ask
for cease fire, for food, for peace, for wonder</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because when we speak we are not heard, but when
we are silent we cannot be heard, so it is better to speak*</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To invite others to voice what they know</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To start
the hard discussions people avoid</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To break
through numbness </span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To name
and see what is, the good as well as the rest</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To spin alternative
worlds where people can breathe</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To be alive</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: x-large;">*</span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: medium;">from Audre Lorde's poem "<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147275/a-litany-for-survival">A Litany for Survival</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Mary's prompt "<a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/03/fifteen-reasons-march-6.html">Fifteen Reasons</a>" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></h4><i><o:p></o:p></i><p></p>
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<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-43311252536313078802024-02-26T11:06:00.000-05:002024-02-26T11:06:01.679-05:00Earl Grey Tea<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz5-4qAc-FyZ08U6xolBi75KhQvMPwY19K09L9OcwWmopK9mPnogLPmtLPNBTfKIZeeDa_YA0bnE4JCTa4gDnheU2vdO9zsGir2OK33jE-T2qhwA-wKY_B3wZ8vJ1fmoYflXhoHUSOtBt3GVf_O_kXRvnFiiZz145vTwAr_sWKTx_NNzAN5pWxqFW7Jl-p" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1200" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz5-4qAc-FyZ08U6xolBi75KhQvMPwY19K09L9OcwWmopK9mPnogLPmtLPNBTfKIZeeDa_YA0bnE4JCTa4gDnheU2vdO9zsGir2OK33jE-T2qhwA-wKY_B3wZ8vJ1fmoYflXhoHUSOtBt3GVf_O_kXRvnFiiZz145vTwAr_sWKTx_NNzAN5pWxqFW7Jl-p=w400-h186" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earl_Grey_Tea.jpg">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Earl Grey tea is not just a cup of tea,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">but, rounded with honey, a rich toddy-<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">like taste for a break in late afternoon.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">It lacks only the whisky or bourbon<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to be a real toddy, as it flavors<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Chinese black tea with Spanish orange oil.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Imagine it on your tongue—the caffeine<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of tea and the citrus of Bergamot<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">oranges, a hybrid with tart lemon.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">It is an elixir of gods, a good<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">choice for fictional Captain Jean-Luc<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Picard of the Star Trek Federation.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Picard’s Enterprise is the superman<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of starships, ready to rescue oppressed<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">peoples and to forge new alliances.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Sometimes, I dream of this while curled safely<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">on the sofa, mug of honey-grounded<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">bergamot tea warming my hands and heart.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Other times, the tea is medicinal—<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">a cure for sore throat, swollen glands, and stuffed<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">sinuses—a clearing for good sleep, and<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">a balm in the here and now for wounded<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">spirits when action seems impossible.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Earl Grey tea is not just a cup of tea.</span></h4><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Sherry's prompt "Not Just a Cup of Tea" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On? </a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-28547773107036220082024-02-19T11:13:00.007-05:002024-02-21T11:33:31.552-05:00Color Cure<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39EA6A_U5WfZAwFBs8GLuojEYX_6XjeXriC0ruBbpxOGAOl37kn7hvwCuSh8mxNvOB6l0uJATToxjvroodJlikhFPEsbPXip6aK8nHRJqxfOqVb44GRkQUHyFGDYyLdgKWsKC1j4D2dDuvXnSQy4M27t4CS0pW83bpi_lAJT3MOTMsW0aNXoAc4K6gFXf/s1974/IMG_20240219_123809677.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1974" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39EA6A_U5WfZAwFBs8GLuojEYX_6XjeXriC0ruBbpxOGAOl37kn7hvwCuSh8mxNvOB6l0uJATToxjvroodJlikhFPEsbPXip6aK8nHRJqxfOqVb44GRkQUHyFGDYyLdgKWsKC1j4D2dDuvXnSQy4M27t4CS0pW83bpi_lAJT3MOTMsW0aNXoAc4K6gFXf/w640-h263/IMG_20240219_123809677.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa"; font-size: x-large;"> </span><br /></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I, who have been yellow with a clinging<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">cold this brown winter, feel a color cure<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">building from the ground up. Purple crocus<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">survive a lingering snow, mouths open<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">wide in lacy white on a green background.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">All of us inhale the promise of spring.<br /></span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSo0c4NtA6lBmQgV_B5unl3oaiJOAO-WKYsFcsPVNsvFpN1uxizz1BrJvFj0P0FkU83WEWPQlm9wM6jojHqDtklx10fpLz079bJ630u59tSlVeqLj3B3OcwNqGoUeNihIOItM7ox6i3UkcOsajw9lWzZCO0m8mGo4PCntIxYu1zqPdp3PfdHQrFOoFDyP/s4000/IMG_20240219_123739319.jpg" style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa"; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="4000" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSo0c4NtA6lBmQgV_B5unl3oaiJOAO-WKYsFcsPVNsvFpN1uxizz1BrJvFj0P0FkU83WEWPQlm9wM6jojHqDtklx10fpLz079bJ630u59tSlVeqLj3B3OcwNqGoUeNihIOItM7ox6i3UkcOsajw9lWzZCO0m8mGo4PCntIxYu1zqPdp3PfdHQrFOoFDyP/w640-h196/IMG_20240219_123739319.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Naked trees breathe, too, with their wet grey twigs <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">swaying lacy in a cloudless blue sky. <br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I am happy for a long moment, a cure<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of another hue, as I imagine how someone could<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">paint this moment, how I might feel colors<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">swirl away both sickness and sorrow.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For my prompt <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/02/colors-passing-through.html">"Colors Passing Through"</a> at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a></i></span></p><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>My blog poems are rough drafts.</i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>Please respect my copyright.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i>© 2024 Susan L. Chast</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-19117334973085539272024-02-13T08:03:00.004-05:002024-02-13T08:03:56.726-05:00Windows to the East<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> <br /></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQVikwXaxlg3HwScvsgAN6eA0KBIh8bVeohWUsftmObbo3-ZUSIRv9A8rzYVhKNBpQ-opot1HZjUp0_J6zD2Y57d3QVfeEN_Om3s_e5Q5O393q31yikvmGlCPNG93F-e24rOmvP2TXgc_Xh9yTdBP2_CdpIQT8yHbxZ_MwIwc5f25YHLEfNp2MBQP7GuH/s4000/IMG_20240118_072159603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQVikwXaxlg3HwScvsgAN6eA0KBIh8bVeohWUsftmObbo3-ZUSIRv9A8rzYVhKNBpQ-opot1HZjUp0_J6zD2Y57d3QVfeEN_Om3s_e5Q5O393q31yikvmGlCPNG93F-e24rOmvP2TXgc_Xh9yTdBP2_CdpIQT8yHbxZ_MwIwc5f25YHLEfNp2MBQP7GuH/w640-h480/IMG_20240118_072159603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Windows to the East frame the color show of dawn<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">at times splendid in reds and oranges, or dimmed<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">in pinks and yellows, and today diffused and colorless<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">through grey mist. Which is more ominous?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Red blood and rocket fire, the fake promise of truce<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">baby pastels offer, or this grey rain turned snow?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I remember days when dawn promised delight as<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">when Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony, or even<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">their lover’s morning when nightingale turns to lark<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and Romeo must flee—and even now each dawn<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">brings possibilities and I wake up with joy<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">for day arising with its own peculiar light.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">But sober, sober on reflection of war that<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I left behind only in my dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">death reigns halfway around the world, night turned
bright with<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">fire, and dawn only more death and its companions<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">starvation and homelessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snow-filled dawn, I pray<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">for light to reveal a way to ease the strife,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">for a balm to heal the harm done to all life.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Sumana's prompt "Aubade" at What's Going On? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7070860574070830108" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 1.2; position: relative; width: 626.3px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. 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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-52404608005054752942024-02-06T09:13:00.001-05:002024-02-06T09:13:52.543-05:00Time is the Key<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNxA5qDjEfmxEgIgd6BMQDjpnVt6kSDd3DOSEOwoDu9ncXMrzLXZwOzInewWrJd_03v65dIh9uBNSxxhBJ9IsRiC_Y1mgIYxk8CYfZo1rkhF4l4vFfQs79Cr4G12v2EMJcAriRRz-Tn5wglVYF1XJrMWdSvEV00fuWQPuWQKyY0wsaHvUyybp2dZhIpzI/s4000/IMG_20240203_112506912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNxA5qDjEfmxEgIgd6BMQDjpnVt6kSDd3DOSEOwoDu9ncXMrzLXZwOzInewWrJd_03v65dIh9uBNSxxhBJ9IsRiC_Y1mgIYxk8CYfZo1rkhF4l4vFfQs79Cr4G12v2EMJcAriRRz-Tn5wglVYF1XJrMWdSvEV00fuWQPuWQKyY0wsaHvUyybp2dZhIpzI/w327-h248/IMG_20240203_112506912.jpg" width="327" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">You think you know the combination to<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">me, as if I am a locker or safe<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">you can open at your convenience.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forget the
way in as often<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">as I remember it, and then go all<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the way to the Creator to get it.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">And that’s OK with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like the time<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the journey takes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like the company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">These are the only hints I can give you.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">For Mary's prompt "Safe" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a> </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-70708605740708301082024-02-06T08:47:00.003-05:002024-02-06T08:57:03.393-05:00Black History Month<p> </p><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">This year in Philadelphia,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Black History Month feels like Spring<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">bursting forth all at once.<br /> </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Light pours in as we turn<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">toward the sun, hear our hearts drum, and<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">breathe in our love for each other.<br /> </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">There is so much to learn. Learning<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">is a joy, is <i>the</i> joy, as colonialism<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">fades around the world.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Death and destruction mar the skin<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of earth, but deep down seeds open,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and green shoots insist on being born.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We may yet overcome.
Our hearts<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">are too full to die.
We stand up<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to see better what we have missed<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and yearned for—full representation<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">here and now. We
are the green shoots<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">ripening near to the surface<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of our world, and soon the reversal<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">will be complete.
What was silent<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">speaks. What was
invisible appears.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Now real progress can begin.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Written for the Simpson House prompt "Black History Month."</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><br /></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-16458820218502488042024-01-30T10:11:00.001-05:002024-01-31T15:35:05.442-05:00A Winter Day at Home<p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6o6QGWLR-OMTj8v9mleJMA0-20QZ9_Y1cKITGCWW903dfHds3Kb6oe9PSQn9kLMnlnVuJPAu75GZMFnv8X_IWS6wz44HuPpDwYAxU7dm_Yrnjiw39jIPfRRAEYnwsVzfrGz3nspUIz-t2OXuEhL05-LwdEwq8a5RHVpHTVJhKJRuM4TgBhcrO9sVqudx/s2394/View%20from%20my%20window.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="2394" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6o6QGWLR-OMTj8v9mleJMA0-20QZ9_Y1cKITGCWW903dfHds3Kb6oe9PSQn9kLMnlnVuJPAu75GZMFnv8X_IWS6wz44HuPpDwYAxU7dm_Yrnjiw39jIPfRRAEYnwsVzfrGz3nspUIz-t2OXuEhL05-LwdEwq8a5RHVpHTVJhKJRuM4TgBhcrO9sVqudx/w400-h330/View%20from%20my%20window.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6o6QGWLR-OMTj8v9mleJMA0-20QZ9_Y1cKITGCWW903dfHds3Kb6oe9PSQn9kLMnlnVuJPAu75GZMFnv8X_IWS6wz44HuPpDwYAxU7dm_Yrnjiw39jIPfRRAEYnwsVzfrGz3nspUIz-t2OXuEhL05-LwdEwq8a5RHVpHTVJhKJRuM4TgBhcrO9sVqudx/s2394/View%20from%20my%20window.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"></span></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Today’s grey skies set off the blackish limbs<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of winter trees interspersed here and there<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">with bursts of evergreen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The limbs, lacy<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">against the grey, seem to twine together.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">No lake reflects them, but beneath the ground<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">a root mirror has more detail: fibrous <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">tendrils drink, grow, and provide homes for worms<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and algae.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roots
and limbs feed each other.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">This is my view and reverie from an<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">apartment in a castle across the greening<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Behind me
exists vibrant senior<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within me,
seven decades.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What is visible, what is invisible?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Past life accumulates in the present<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">like roots beneath the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who sit still<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">in the spirit of now take in its depths.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Sherry's prompt "<a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/01/its-wednesday-and-this-is-what-i-know.html" target="_blank">IT'S WEDNESDAY, AND THIS IS WHAT I KNOW" </a>at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-3001258556543836782024-01-21T22:57:00.005-05:002024-01-22T19:58:45.785-05:00A Shoemaker's Magic<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVkDcnk17lfhoQpdLWj9U9M8BGENaK-Ov7PVxRYcMy220tE_ppCYIBp4uoayOoa9Jv4D8t90SpG2GzrUlFlKNv57yBMQQKZ1HZJBq9MllYzWb8NwwL4DuWcuSf0EzwyG-UPfe0OUrMsA9LI8RxMmNdRDyg3nouqZbXfZxkYoG0np5YbQ4nEd05dprfNGhT" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1092" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVkDcnk17lfhoQpdLWj9U9M8BGENaK-Ov7PVxRYcMy220tE_ppCYIBp4uoayOoa9Jv4D8t90SpG2GzrUlFlKNv57yBMQQKZ1HZJBq9MllYzWb8NwwL4DuWcuSf0EzwyG-UPfe0OUrMsA9LI8RxMmNdRDyg3nouqZbXfZxkYoG0np5YbQ4nEd05dprfNGhT" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 13.3px; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_A_Pair_of_Shoes,_c._1886-1887.jpg" target="_blank">A Pair of shoes</a>, van Gogh (1886-87)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Where are the shoemakers whose art<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">could help all of us walk the walk<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of preserving the earth, in part<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and whole, practice greater than talk?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">They would strengthen muscles and speeds<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of troubadours who visit places<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">small and green with different needs<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">unique to earth’s many faces.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">They would unite those who spread news<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of who’s doing what works and how.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">They'd help transform weapons into tools,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and troops into transformers, now.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Where are the shoemakers whose arts<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">steer us to paths that suit us, too,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">so we each find our role as a part<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of finding love in human hearts?</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i> For my prompt "Magic Shoes" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/">What's Going On?</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; 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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-6831969217022342832024-01-17T11:01:00.002-05:002024-01-17T11:09:02.247-05:00Build a Bridge to the Unknown<p> </p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6113525023707124419" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; position: relative; width: 626.3px;"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhgUJz1_ULihhaFFQoCtyxoEwb3Wv4vwQhAfE_v0BqImqsETn8qavgzyOkf7lulDiA14biVWZNXXT_2ZjMcMb1PmWw84XN552njAigSYgoX3GuPcbqBQ4H5NOsfdKdi2ccfMSu1ZRLQrh/s1600/spider+web.jpg" style="color: #992211; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhgUJz1_ULihhaFFQoCtyxoEwb3Wv4vwQhAfE_v0BqImqsETn8qavgzyOkf7lulDiA14biVWZNXXT_2ZjMcMb1PmWw84XN552njAigSYgoX3GuPcbqBQ4H5NOsfdKdi2ccfMSu1ZRLQrh/w640-h480/spider+web.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><strong><i>Quotes from Walt Whitman</i></strong></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><br /><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if we, like spiders, dared to swing out into the unknown </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><b>to find </b><b>purchase for the bridge which will span to earth's future? </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><b>What if we could take each </b><b>other there with effort, with enough fuel? </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if the song in our hearts were enough fuel?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if coming from the multitudes were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if containing multitudes were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if our identical molecules were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if our love of adventure were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if our love of children were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What if our love of self were enough?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><b>I am enough because I eat and sleep, </b><br /><b>because I button my shirt, </b><b>because I love the color </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><b>of the living, </b><b>because I have loved. </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Swing with me now past the shore of the oceans, </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">past the edge of the atmosphere, or </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">if you cannot, wait where you are.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I will return to tell you what I have learned, or </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><b>if I cannot, I will fly truth to you on pape</b><b>r planes </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">like messages from the gods. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For Sumanas <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/01/bridges.html" style="color: #cc113a; text-decoration-line: none;">Bridges</a> at What's Going On?</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #333333; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Build a Bridge is a poem from <a href="https://susanspoetry.blogspot.com/2012/09/build-bridge.html" target="_blank">18 September 2012</a>, </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #333333; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">inspired by Walt Whitman's "<a href="https://poets.org/poem/noiseless-patient-spider" target="_blank">A Noiseless Patient Spider</a>." </span></h3><div class="post-header" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Revised on 9/18/2012</i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-45306138470193478372024-01-09T08:58:00.002-05:002024-01-09T09:06:47.860-05:00Parents and Daughter<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P6zaCV4niKk?si=gTQvJTPhAkXVDnuI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Why would you settle for any less than the real thing?<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We want to know.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">You won’t be protected, only marriage could do that.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Take your time, look around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he won’t marry you,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">leave him.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Look at us, we are bound each to each, and have a home.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">How can I try to explain, times have changed,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">since you were young.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Do you hear me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
in love and we’re going to live together.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Your
marriage is good, and we know it. Some day we'll <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">be married.<br /></span></i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>But for now, we are going to get to know each other.</i><br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Why would you settle for any less than the real thing?<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We want to know.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">You won’t be protected, only marriage would do that.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Take your time, look around, if he won’t marry you,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">leave him.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Look at us, we built a home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come home, live with us.<br /></span><br /></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">No, I can’t come back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not the same,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">you and we.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We travel in a different world, and want to be together.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">As we fight the current draft, we will be side by side<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">in protest.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">And I know we can’t stay. I know we have to go.</span></i></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Mary's prompt "Parent/Child Relationships" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/">What's Going On?</a> From a time long long ago.</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-15547270477610163582024-01-03T14:33:00.000-05:002024-01-03T14:33:03.299-05:00Music of Romance and Drama<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zY4w4_W30aQ?si=2xbdTVr1iX--c0Q8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> I owned two records when 60’s youth culture<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">changed life throughout the USA, but not in my home.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I listened to Scheherazade and West Side Story<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">over and over, drinking in the romance<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and drama, looking for them in my own life.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eQRsf1PRt0c?si=3pUZDMY9NCuhXvZV" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></span></o:p></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> The early 70s longed for a transformation<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of hate into love that Scheherazade conjured<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">through her cliff-hanging stories. But our fate<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">was the West Side Story of civil war made<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">unspeakably worse by weapons and interference.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> And I was ready. O
Tony and Maria!<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">You are our 20<sup>th</sup> century Romeo and Juliet!<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I paused at the bedroom goodbye in the center<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of the drama: goodbye to youth, innocence,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and confidants--leaving only desperation.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /><div style="text-align: right;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iYAEhgLgddk?si=2xpkw5ykRh_SPASx&start=24" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div></span></o:p></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: right;">And protest. 70s free
speech and war resistance</div></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">molded the romance in me in their "Ball of Confusion."<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Classical and jazz turned to folk and rock. The band<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">played on. And I moved from classroom to frontline<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to bedroom where Leonard Cohen healed my soul.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
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</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> “Now it’s come to distances,” he sang,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">“. . . it’s just “the way It changes, like<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the shoreline and the sea.” And we kissed<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">passionately and philosophically, embracing<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">our work and the temporariness of it all.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i> Written for Sherry's prompt "<a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-music-of-our-youth.html" style="color: #cc113a; text-decoration-line: none;">THE MUSIC OF OUR YOUTH</a>" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-music-of-our-youth.html">What's Goin On?</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-47644957999827851752024-01-01T10:08:00.004-05:002024-01-03T14:33:19.750-05:00Tears in a Bucket<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXhaWi8hVFEUvXWobebmPy02yTU-mQ3WNr-Rh3K1iMQRdlcxD0O0loPtaJ5jR7JIekhleZr9GwW7iHkSZj8icT94NuAsjeCwDcwz9SJ1aZBribam5_dJnL6W8_yNnoUaoTOxBf9hKUg3PxORxP9WiJshL6Al3BIXjo2J-4rCi6PxDSY2BBEk9sTeLE3-IE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="552" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXhaWi8hVFEUvXWobebmPy02yTU-mQ3WNr-Rh3K1iMQRdlcxD0O0loPtaJ5jR7JIekhleZr9GwW7iHkSZj8icT94NuAsjeCwDcwz9SJ1aZBribam5_dJnL6W8_yNnoUaoTOxBf9hKUg3PxORxP9WiJshL6Al3BIXjo2J-4rCi6PxDSY2BBEk9sTeLE3-IE" width="147" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bail_(PSF).png">source</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
Catching my tears in <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">a bucket, I laugh <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">at myself and then<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">half smile at thinking<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">one day can ring change<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">with new year wonders.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">As if we could wish <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">away habit with <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">impulse, as if we<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">could use magical <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">words to invent new<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and good beginnings.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Procrastination's<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">my pitiable<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">habit. Though it
is<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">not as tragic as<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">use of weapons, it<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">diminishes me.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Because habit is<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">easy, we think it's<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">simple to alter.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Imagine changing<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">your dominant hand!<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Habit is ingrained.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Yet today is New<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Year’s Day, another<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">day with another<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">chance to end habits—<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the hard ones that play<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">over and over.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>Would you rather fill<br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>a bucket with tears?</i><br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I ask, then laugh and<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">grit my teeth with great<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">determination.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">This time I may win.</span></h4><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h4>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2024 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-68416355959911600392023-12-31T19:07:00.001-05:002024-01-01T10:09:40.302-05:00A New Year Prayer 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgniZOYzTReBBumJfURmGu2fCmasrZmsRCXtm7T3294rD3Ui5gf2sP0UPG6YqxIKRct9Y4qJZ0QBKs7NFfc08Pn_tCoBcXfKv0xK7NV8W7i9YWGXIwQ8DDJTqtqAwLlTuOmCzt16iuNg3sU5Jtwh1vw-JxIsTy0nZS4Ywi8AEvy8urwQLw7647aNv1iE6vb" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgniZOYzTReBBumJfURmGu2fCmasrZmsRCXtm7T3294rD3Ui5gf2sP0UPG6YqxIKRct9Y4qJZ0QBKs7NFfc08Pn_tCoBcXfKv0xK7NV8W7i9YWGXIwQ8DDJTqtqAwLlTuOmCzt16iuNg3sU5Jtwh1vw-JxIsTy0nZS4Ywi8AEvy8urwQLw7647aNv1iE6vb" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/dancing-couple-isolated-on-a-white-background-gm466570891-33856122"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">123-123, we move,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">we slow waltz into the new year<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">so much like the old one we pause<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to check the date. It is the eve<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">of hope, of birth, of forgiveness,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">but not forgetfulness. We pause<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to wipe the mud off our shoes or<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to shake off dust. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we move on,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">we pray, to the healing, having <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">had enough killing and screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">May we reverse reality<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">so love rides on top and seeps down<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">through the layers of inflamed men<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to suffering citizens and<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">border crossers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May we make room<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to heal, thrive, and pass on knowledge.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">May we take the time to bury<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">our dead ideas and enmities.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">May we nurture the growth of spring.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: right;"> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-85696367978003617892023-12-27T03:09:00.001-05:002023-12-27T03:15:11.128-05:00Can we keep peace alive?<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span><i>“Gratitude begins in our hearts and then </i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span><i>dovetails</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span><i> into behavior. </i></span></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">It almost always </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">makes</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"> you willing to be of service, </i><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">which </i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">is where the joy resides. . . ."</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: left;">Anne Lamott, </span><span id="quote_book_link_142911722" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/21421044" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;"><i>Help, Thanks, Wow</i></a></span></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">
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</h4></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Do you, too, feel paralyzed as bombs<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and guns continue their killing sprees?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">((Do you, too, tend to objectify<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">weapons as if people did not aim them?))<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Do you, too, stand by your senators’ doors<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">asking them to withdraw support for wars?<br /> </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Or are you the letter and poem writers,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the artists who create performance and<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">visual arts for spirit-starved people?<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Do you pour food and medical aid<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">into war and impoverished zones,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">helping those who lost limbs and homes?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Ah, troubled, generous friends, remember<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to treat yourselves as you would treat others<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">with love and hugs and all sorts of nurture.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Remember to keep your sleep safe so you<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">can keep children’s safer, to love yourself<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">as you would love a neighbor. Remember<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">they also help who only wait or pray,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">who grow and raise food or report the news.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Remember they also help who protect<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the earth's wildlife, teach school and inquiry, <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">provide therapy, and keep our streets safe.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Remember gratitude before it’s too late.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To end wars, we need gratitude like we<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">need manure to enrich soil. We have<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to learn to value those who spread kindness,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">curiosity, and conversation—<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">the rich loam in which seeds of peace can grow.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">To keep peace alive, we need everything we know.</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i> For my prompt "For Peace" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/">What's Going On?</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-38939681914332176182023-12-23T05:22:00.000-05:002023-12-23T05:22:00.210-05:00Porous Patterns<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> </span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">ALone</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">(I erase)</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Alone</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">I count</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Syllables</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">2, 3, 2, 2, 3</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">(5)</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Rules slip and change</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">But I like porous patterns</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Reassessing rules</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Is so much like</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Democracy</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">And requires</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">More than one</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Alone.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;">© 2023 Susan L. 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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-67405669975467497312023-12-20T14:37:00.002-05:002023-12-20T17:09:38.323-05:00Far Better than Innocence and Hope<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneAelKw_Y2Y8EXfEADVfeS3rxoL0ouKCw4dHduWkJgNcDVr7uXbQ9DFWu-qznyEStYIB-rlukfaVDdYTmcNI7MXsNiOJlF0nxhwVskSxcrzb2yv1x7Hgwe6ib_oBqOIpebFdXEEzgINxhMmecy8bvAuHsM359HMizLVc1nm21K2-0lxtCIMgex5LKLRu9/s2791/IMG_20231220_141116160.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2791" data-original-width="2321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneAelKw_Y2Y8EXfEADVfeS3rxoL0ouKCw4dHduWkJgNcDVr7uXbQ9DFWu-qznyEStYIB-rlukfaVDdYTmcNI7MXsNiOJlF0nxhwVskSxcrzb2yv1x7Hgwe6ib_oBqOIpebFdXEEzgINxhMmecy8bvAuHsM359HMizLVc1nm21K2-0lxtCIMgex5LKLRu9/w266-h320/IMG_20231220_141116160.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">My angel-wing begonia clings to one leaf in her insistence on
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left her in an icy car too long,
and now tend her soil and give water as needed to assist her effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But if I were innocent, I’d help her anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This seems better than hope—to collaborate despite
the odds, despite who is at fault. Waiting to discover culprits is complicity
in the harm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Action is better than innocence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is clear in cases of begonias and fire, but who will help analyze social systems
of destruction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who will find
alternatives and spark change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who will
stop the harm? Like my begonia, planet earth and its societies have few leaves
left, but we have something better than innocence and hope: <i>action.</i><o:p></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM8_2se0MNxOAbL0GNnj3_h3c1HKgZljo5IdZuToQTmwRDPCPC_TOPAjyW4LxU6teNdC7XaDDrT7jt8IOTONihxhf8uBLl7Cyb2g0etw94-2IVot9Lvl1JqzFofYsd2xkdMygb1ULONaWoTDAqPHdRLn3O4luyIOT_xX_OOz1D-aXQg_EnlXQLmBxJNFV/s3413/IMG_20231220_141138938.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3413" data-original-width="2139" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYM8_2se0MNxOAbL0GNnj3_h3c1HKgZljo5IdZuToQTmwRDPCPC_TOPAjyW4LxU6teNdC7XaDDrT7jt8IOTONihxhf8uBLl7Cyb2g0etw94-2IVot9Lvl1JqzFofYsd2xkdMygb1ULONaWoTDAqPHdRLn3O4luyIOT_xX_OOz1D-aXQg_EnlXQLmBxJNFV/w202-h320/IMG_20231220_141138938.jpg" width="202" /></a></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">People in action persist in nurturing what could be, they
research, they invent, and they dream new spirit into existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They reject fascism, and they consult all people, young and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Climate change and bombs create
rubble and death, but we survivors rebuild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Together we change course as knowledge grows. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acting with awareness is better than
innocence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s better than hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All hands, feet, hearts and souls join reason
and spirit to push us toward solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when hope seems gone, we act for those not yet born.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">May this New Year
wake<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">us to act as seeds
ready<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to grow new gardens.</span></h4></blockquote><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i> For Sumana's <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2023/12/happy-new-year-december-20.html" style="color: #cc113a; text-decoration-line: none;">Happy New Year!</a> at What's Going On?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>(a work in progress)</i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"></span><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-28985889884707701852023-12-10T08:56:00.002-05:002023-12-13T15:23:31.215-05:00A Simpler life<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtC_1kKCGIiUeJBob8s8m_lvGlgRWmD9dLgWr0TZKmwodEwjJ1_nB4pKNxdIaAv9bu1tR7LAyjTuH-_3qNuO02Lv3oc49w6ECbx_F7WzDe3BJ3ll7vzwua6HzxKPzVBhmqKjHbPcmqvYMGAzhRyI-UeTb42DUm6KyqUcCVnBm9DH4m6-4JToWjm7t6Q_6J" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1215" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtC_1kKCGIiUeJBob8s8m_lvGlgRWmD9dLgWr0TZKmwodEwjJ1_nB4pKNxdIaAv9bu1tR7LAyjTuH-_3qNuO02Lv3oc49w6ECbx_F7WzDe3BJ3ll7vzwua6HzxKPzVBhmqKjHbPcmqvYMGAzhRyI-UeTb42DUm6KyqUcCVnBm9DH4m6-4JToWjm7t6Q_6J=w640-h440" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Signac_Le_Pin_Saint_Tropez.jpg" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Once
upon a time I didn’t believe I’d live past thirty.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">It seemed so
ancient, and besides, my anti-Vietnam war<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">protest and pro-truth
work were dangerous, as shootings and more<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and more violent
arrests by authorities attested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">But war in
Vietnam ended and I lived past thirty. <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">By then, I had married,
divorced, degreed, and focused my life in<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">directing theatre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left innocence in the dust of time.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
Once upon a time there was theatre—imagist, realistic,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
and absurd imitative art—that let me keep distance from<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
characters’ ideals and errors in life’s tragicomedies.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
I wanted audiences to cheer and hiss while loving good<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
guys and bad and in-between. I wanted audiences<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
to see themselves and laugh, to see in themselves and ponder truths<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">
just as we did in rehearsal, just as we do in our lives.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Now, at more
than twice thirty years old, I find trees are drama<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">enough—crossing realms
of reality, myth, and story—speaking<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">to complex simplicities
of calm acceptance amid storms<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">that rage
world-round, daily, endlessly. I ask <i>can innocence<br /> <o:p></o:p></i></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>exist
after knowledge of cruelty and complicity?</i> And<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">answer <i>yes</i>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the fierceness of youth working to
extend life;<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">it’s the
hope that grows and expands beloved community. <br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></h4><div><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For Mary's prompt <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2023/12/reflection-looking-backage.html" target="_blank">"Reflection / Looking Back/age" </a></i></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going On?</a></i></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div></o:p></div>
<br /></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-47194971116932277372023-12-01T22:19:00.000-05:002023-12-01T22:19:21.170-05:00Conversation: The Core of Revolution<p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: medium;"><i>“Revolutionary love is how we stay in the fire. . . . Revolutionary love is the call of our times.”</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: medium;"><i>~Valarie Kaur*</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Revolution is turning<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Turning from old practices that no longer work<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Turning to other ideas, old or new.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Like “seeing no stranger,”<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and instead, seeing people we do not yet know<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and wondering about them.*<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Older and braver than before<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">we ease toward neighbor trees <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">close enough to learn. <br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We show our wounds<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and ask to see theirs, learning<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">what limbs the scars replaced.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We decide to fight<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">our instincts to freeze<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">flee, fawn, or flop. <br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Faith shields our roots<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">as we let rage rise up like fireflies<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">signaling its truths.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">And those of us who can<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">read fireflies, welcome their sparks<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and take detailed notes.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">From the dark we imagine,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">not alone, but in collective creation:<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">What turning could change everything?<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We breathe together,<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">exhaling as if we were trees with roots<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">touching and nearly entwined.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Failing at first, we try again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Forgiving failure in them and in ourselves,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">we try again with a lighter load.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">We are not alone.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Pain sears temporarily, and then<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">roots touch roots.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Turning, we are in relationship<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Turning, we feel joy that change is possible,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Turning, we share grief that it takes so long.</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i>For my prompt <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2023/09/revolution.html" target="_blank">"Revolution"</a> at What's Going On?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">In<i> See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love (Random House, 2020), </i></span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Valarie Kaur lays out her experience/discovery of revolutionary love in 9 steps: fight, grieve, wonder, reimagine, listen, rage, breathe, push, transition. My poem accepts her model for living revolutionary love. It is a rewrite of my </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://susanspoetry.blogspot.com/2021/02/putting-it-all-together.html" target="_blank">Putting It All Together</a>: Engage, Tend the Wound, Breathe and Push.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-48138912179341198992023-11-22T10:12:00.005-05:002023-11-22T10:15:49.520-05:00Sorting Out the Past<p> <br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4SWiEJS9Tc78zZmF0fMhY4C77ez4cD_iDAvfnhpAjHteIKwPxuCMRTZLWT_TbwiXogLLIVNUBY559mZ-ktr62xnGMtWbb1qhDIuKmcotIZEMZwYq2_qm6N_fiQxEBLetvOgs_47q6b5DFixECdbsfG_8jqR97bPBNEE5AcxMvwdGQy8UFOPVo1WHrUf/s4000/IMG_20231122_100022556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2029" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4SWiEJS9Tc78zZmF0fMhY4C77ez4cD_iDAvfnhpAjHteIKwPxuCMRTZLWT_TbwiXogLLIVNUBY559mZ-ktr62xnGMtWbb1qhDIuKmcotIZEMZwYq2_qm6N_fiQxEBLetvOgs_47q6b5DFixECdbsfG_8jqR97bPBNEE5AcxMvwdGQy8UFOPVo1WHrUf/w324-h640/IMG_20231122_100022556.jpg" width="324" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Tasked with halving my possessions to fit into a smaller
home, I'm sorting my material past too slowly. Moving day looms and I’ve still
boxes of journals, letters, and photos. It
would be easier to trash the whole lot, but then I’d miss the exquisite pain of
vivid memory, moments raved about and suffered over.</span></div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Eyes moist and back bent, I pause over the slowed hands
and open clock of the task.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">How I used
to write about love and touch and feelings! My eyes move them into my body—gems glistening and rushes of hillside brooks,
shade of soft pine and grassy clearings, sweaty beds in small rooms and long
conversations—desires quenched and unquenched.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I talk to them, memorize them, try to order them in time.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I thrust them
away if the emotion is too surprisingly hot or cold.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> I</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> didn’t save the in-betweens, just page
after page of passion, nothing a simple yes or no.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Shall I take you there? Better I tell you
that this time is a gift to myself. I will keep a few boxes to torture
myself with later.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">Now my heart is spilling over, but recalled in
tranquility, poetry may blossom from this soil, maybe a memoir or, better, a novel.
</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I fertilized the ground in days when
life was too vibrant to pause and create this other level of experience.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">But maybe I will not write, only linger occasionally
in the wealth of the past.</span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa";">I look forward to the next adventure.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">Rediscovered bones<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">Something to hang the flesh on<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa;">When today allows.</span></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: "Aref Ruqaa"; font-size: medium;"><i> For Sumana's prompt "Memory / Remembering" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" style="color: #992211; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">What's Going on?</a></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5030201976869866140" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; position: relative; width: 626.582px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></div></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-456333369930820298.post-47251177370053115762023-11-22T00:16:00.002-05:002023-11-22T00:18:18.553-05:00Distress Signals<p> </p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br />
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,<br />
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,<br />
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.<br />
</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">~from Shakespeare's <i>As You Like It</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>Act 2, 1: 14–17</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">If you hear the roaring of the wild,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">become its tongue and broadcast<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">its distress signals in your own language.<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Cry, <i>Why cut me?</i> and <i>I am love!</i> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">(Don't forget the love in grief, OH!)<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">Deepen the roar, discover the lyrics,<br /></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">and participate in the song trees sing<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">now, not yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be like the wind:<br /></span><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: large;">See how the wind lifts the trees’ voices?</span></h4></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Aref Ruqaa; font-size: medium;"><i> For Sherry's prompt "The Tongues of Falling Trees" at <a href="https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">What's Going on?</a></i></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5030201976869866140" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; position: relative; width: 626.582px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My blog poems are rough drafts.</span></i></span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Please respect my copyright.</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">© 2023 Susan L. Chast</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"><div class="post-share-buttons goog-inline-block" style="display: inline-block; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;"></div></div></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723639294340760325noreply@blogger.com6