Tag: #ForgivingFridays

Morning

I wake to thunder and shivers of lightning through the window. The rhythmic sound of rain comes and goes. The sky surrenders with its tears.

Will I find the right words today? I only need to risk a few. Some come to me like soothing rain perhaps through the storm clouds of my dreams. I wonder, will they do?

Today, depending on how long the sky needs, the Sun may stay behind the clouds holding the sky in warm embrace forgiving the sky for all those doubts.

morning thunderstorm
rain weeps summer’s sun away
autumn starts to fall

Text: Linked to dVerse Haibun Monday. Mish is hosting with the theme of “morning”.  I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Tomorrow I will be hosting dVerse Poetics with the theme of frustration and heartbreak featuring Gerard Manley Hopkin’s poem “Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend” and Dionne Warwick singing the Bee Gee’s “Heartbreaker“.

Photos: “Early Morning”, above, “Morning Shadows and Reflections”, below.

News: My poem “Boundaries” appeared in the current issue of The Lyric.

Morning Shadows and Reflections

Forgive and You Won’t Have to Remember to Forget

While walking I recall whom I once was,
Some child, perhaps, more often someone who
Did not do what I now would do, because
At that time that was not what I thought true.
Was that child only me or was it you?
Defiled and broken, not worth much at all,
I catch it in my arms and break its fall.

Text: Linked to dVerse Poetics. Jilly is hosting with the theme of giving twisted adages. I twisted the adage “forgive and forget”. I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays since the poem was inspired by her four-step practice of forgiveness.

Photos: “Rays and Blue Circle on Green”, above, and “Room to Grow”, below.

Room to Grow

 

Miracle

Forgiveness is a miracle that we
Might not deserve, but it comes anyway.
Before it comes we doubt and skeptically
Confuse forever with some years delay,
Or maybe decades, centuries–or days.
But when it comes we’re awed to feel it bring
The peace that lets us breathe, and breathing, sing.

Text: Linked to dVerse Open Link Night. Grace will be hosting and the pub opens at 3:00 PM EST. I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Photos: “Geometry”, above, and “Up-close Crystal”, below.

Up-close Crystal

Food of Love

Forgiveness is the food of love
That patience hopes to bring.
We eat while daily dreaming of
How peace would let us sing.

Text: Linked to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Photos: “Light on Hickory Leaf”, above, and “Fence and Birdhouse”, below, linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme “The Food of Love”. Taken near Stoney Run County Park in Hebron, Indiana.

Fence and Birdhouse

Silence

Silence doesn’t make us lonely.
Accusations do.
May the times of silence only
Help those broken to renew.

Text: Linked to dVerse Poetics. Dwight is hosting with the theme “Silence”. I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Photos: “Chipmunk”, above, “Geese”, below.

Geese

Innocence

Connected by a daisy chain
Fragile bonds release the pain
That separates us. Now we know
With innocence fresh love may grow.

Forgiveness brightened up the dark
And drove the shadows from the park
Where daisies dance, wind blown, and we
Are bonded, blessed with empathy.

Text: Linked to dVerse Poetics where Sarah is hosting and to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Photos: “Focusing on One of Them”, above, “Blue and Red on a Blanket of Green”, below. Hopefully they are somewhere in the bonded and blessed daisy family.

Blue and Red on a Blanket of Green

Deadly Sins

Constraints from sinning turn their screws in me.
I sleep to see fresh dreams of a new birth
Where everything I do was meant to be
And not to amplify my own self-worth.
If ever there’s a heaven for this earth,
And even if I’m not permitted in,
May praise be given for forgiven sin.

Text: Linked to dVerse Poetics where Amaya presents the theme of the seven deadly sins (and corresponding virtues). It is also a septet, a seven line poem, which I will be featuring again on Thursday for Meeting the Bar. All of these sevens are here because this week we are celebrating dVerse’s seventh anniversary.

Because of the theme of forgiveness at the end I am also linking this to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays. Her blog reminds me of the power of forgiveness. Without her influence that last line may well have been different.

Photos: “Heavenly Green Touched by Red”, above, and “Two Ants Many Flowers”, below.

Two Ants Many Flowers

On the Bridge — #writephoto

Ellen stood on the bridge while Nathaniel photographed her from the shore.

“Don’t spoil my memories!”

He did not know how he could spoil her memories, but Nathaniel took multiple shots and made sure the photos looked good. He saw her smile. That let him know she was glad he was taking those pictures. For her part Ellen saw no future that did not include Nathaniel.

Today her face is wrinkled. While she was still able to walk her family decided to take her to her childhood home which seemingly random turbulences over the decades tossed her far away from. She asked to see that old stone bridge. They found the bridge. It was still there in spite of the changes, some challenging, some like windfalls of blessing, that would make almost everything else unrecognizable to her.

As they walked over the bridge, Ellen stopped to the best of her remembrance where she stood when Nathaniel took those photographs. She wondered what happened to him. Why did she lose him that summer?

Ellen thought of her family, husband, middle-aged children and grandchildren starting to have infants to care for. Some of them were with her on the bridge worrying she might fall and guarding her from the edge. She may have another year to share with them. As she breathed the air and watched the water move below she felt an overwhelming gratitude for all of it. The parts of her life she got right soothed those she wished she did differently. She looked toward the shore where Nathaniel stood long ago and smiled at him once again.

Linked to Sue Vincent’s #writephoto prompt. She provided the photo for the prompt. I am also linking because of the reference to gratitude in the story to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays.

Sue Vincent's #writephoto icon

Buttons

Ryan held the hand-carved applewood buttons. They each had four tiny holes like real buttons.

“Your Uncle Thomas made them for me.” Ryan returned the buttons to his great aunt. He couldn’t see why anyone would have made them.

“He made my wedding dress as well.” Ryan thought that was as odd as those buttons.

“We bought a cake and two rings. I had flowers for my hair.” He heard the story before.

“I forgave him.” Ryan listened. He hadn’t heard that part.

“For dying so young.” He had heard that part.

“I feel him visit me every day.”

Text: Linked to Debbie Roth’s Forgiving Fridays on themes of forgiveness and Charli Mills’ Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge with the current challenge to write a 99-word story prompted by the word “buttons”.

Photos: “Two Golden Rings”, above, and “Sunset”, below.

Sunset