Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Follow up

 Ten years ago I set out on a journey. I drove across the country in search of a better life. With all my belongings and my cat intact, we moved to a different place and started over again. It was an amazing, freeing experience, and I would do it over and over again. But there was one small part of me that I left behind. A dear friend. An accomplice. A confidant. The plan was to meet at my new location once I got there and set up. I would go first, find a shelter for all of us and then we would be reunited. But that did not happen. I was so hopeful and excited, but one day a phone call came and said that the place back there was still comfortable and the road was long and scary. So it was just me and my cat. We did fine. But the feeling of abandonment did not leave me for years. I bet it was over five years before I finally forgave. And when I did, I wrote this:


We met again and are keeping in touch now. We are both happy where we are and glad to know that each is doing well. I guess you could say it all worked out in the end. But I think what really worked out is that we both learned a lesson about ourselves and the promises we make. Good lesson indeed.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

She -ra

In the year 2018, I was particularly inspired by the events in my life. I was writing poetry about anything and anyone. It was just pouring out of me and I had to find subjects. So I called on my friends to let me know if they wanted a poem written just for them. My friend Sheena requested one and here is what came out of that:





She loved it! When I told her I was thinking of posting some of my poetry online, she sent me this and said "Here's one for you". I am very grateful for my friends and the inspiration they bring. I am very grateful for this particular friend and the companionship she offers. After all, who are we writing these for, if not to share with friends?


Monday, April 5, 2021

If time will have us


A few years back I met someone who ended up being very special to me. For a little while, we played the game and enjoyed each other's company. We no longer talk or write, but those times will always be special to me. We were in two completely different places at the time and it was never meant to last, but to relieve us of our burdens for a while. To give us a break and show us that there still is much to enjoy and live for. I think of those times fondly. I do not miss any of it, but I am so very glad it happened. It was time for a lesson and a lesson was learned indeed. 


Let's fly halfway across the world
So we can meet again
Relive the very first touch that felt so careless and special

To hear the song that is your voice
To shiver from your breath on my neck
Let's pretend like nothing ever happened before
And all this is the very first and fresh

Allow us to tread carefully around each other
So we don't scare the other away
But make it feel like a dance in an empty room
While thousands of eyes are watching

Let it be the part before the flesh is caressed by the cool of the silk and the thorn of a rose
Let it excite and threaten the quiet
Let it invite but feel like a cold shoulder
Let's make it last like the torture that is separation
And let it burn like the magic that is your
embrace

Let the sweetness of the lips colliding
Spread across the world so all can feel the softness
That is your passion
Let's close our eyes and use our touch
To refresh the memory  

Oh what a time it was to be so careful but curious enough to still act on the temptation. What joy it was to be aware of the end and make the most of every moment as if it was going to last forever.

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Too Much

 After a few very heavy days of bad news, too much mental work, disappointments, and not being able to see the end of it all, I feel heavy. It all just hit me so hard today that all I want to do is cry and pretend it is not happening. But it is happening, and I have to deal with it all. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and we all hit our walls from time to time. Today is not a good day. 


The pandemic, the personal struggles, the responsibilities, the expectations I have put on myself, and lack of assistance in a few of these things has got me way down today. I am sure we have all been there at one point in our lives or another. In my case, it helps to let it out in form of poetry. It is way better than self-harming in any way just to not feel so lost and disoriented. If you feel down today, I got you. I see you, I feel you, I care. These are times we need support and positive attention the most. I hope you all get it if you are going through a negative spell like I am right now. Be kind to yourself. This too shall pass...

Monday, March 29, 2021

In Ink and Lines

 Handwriting is as unique and individual as one's fingerprints. I have struggled with mine for a few years. Often it is very difficult to read, even for me. But To know that there is no other like it is interestingly comforting. Handwriting can be just as useful in solving crime where handwritten notes are involved as anything else. Forgeries on important documents dealing with large amounts of money can lead to one's demise. But no matter how hard one tries, they cannot abandon their way of writing and it will be noticed by a trained eye. 
This poem is not as intense as that. It is about recognizing the handwriting about those important to you and perhaps even sending secret messages simply based on handwriting. How marvellous! 

And I shall recognize you by your pen strokes
  with every crossing line and hanging flick of vowels
  like fallen petals on the grass
  your written lines presented on the contrast
of harsh and gritty paper in smooth ink

And you will be unmatched in this exquisite skill
  of molding thoughts in simple words
  which in return transform my heart and mind
  into a soft and willing composition
of all that I still am

And never will there be another so pristine
  as you about the thickness of each letter
  that spells your simple yet commanding name
for reasons only known to you and I

And I shall claim you as my own
  amongst the thousands of stars that shine on us
  so far apart yet ever closer through the light
 that showed the way to those before us
as it will shine my way to you through darkest ink

And yours will be the only touch that matters

 

                                                            AC

I hope you enjoy this poem as much as I enjoyed writing it. Share your views or ideas in the comments. I'd love to chat.

Saturday, March 27, 2021

i copied time...

 Leonard Cohen was one of the most intuitive and fascinating Canadian artists. Although most people know him by one of the most covered songs in history "Halleluja", Leonard Cohen had much more to offer to the world. I didn't come to know and appreciate his genius until later in his career with the song Susan. Somewhere I read that he dedicated this song to a love he used to have when he was a young lad. Something about that song captivated my attention and mesmerized me. Further looking into his works, I discovered his poetry. I'd like to start off by saying there is so much of it!! We have no idea how lucky we are to have this genius shared with us!! So much of his poetry is raw, bare, at times a little vulgar, but all of it is pure truth and openness. I would like to share one piece with you. 

To me, this poem means patience, respect, freedom. Every verse can be its own poem with its own meaning. But together these pieces make up such a large picture. One thing Leonard Cohen was is a lover of women and femininity. He praised their beauty, their tenderness, and their power over him. I read all of that in this poem. Having a watch as an illustration to this poem is probably my favourite part. I believe it adds depth and a sense of mortality. I hope one day when I am ready to go home, someone sweeps the infant dust off for me too.

What emotions does this poem arise in you?
What thought does it provoke?
What meaning does it add to your existence?

Thursday, March 25, 2021

We the Silenced

 I listened to the Ologies podcast, episode on Voter Suppression

https://www.alieward.com/ologies/politicalsociology?rq=voter%20suppression

and it broke my heart. As someone who lives in Canada and has never had trouble casting my vote, I was shocked to hear about the lengths governments go to in order to keep their position by making it very difficult for minorities to vote. Moving poll stations farther and farther away from communities, cancelling weekend voting, making it difficult to have enough identification by increasing the number of required pieces, the list goes on and on. I was inspired to write a poem about it.


You Speak of Numbers Lower Than Ever
You Blame the Young, the Uninterested Minds
or So You Say.

But Your Words Act as Blankets
Covering the Truth Under Think Layers of Deceit
As You Guide Crowds of Onlookers to Only See
  What You Want Them To!

We Are the Silenced, the Discarded, the Suppressed
You Can Not Lie to Us and Place the Blame for What You Do
We Shall Not Be Responsible for Your Corruption!

You Lock the Doors and Strip Us from Ability
You Take Away the Grounds We’ve Come to Rely On
You Shorten Days and Lengthen Distances…

But Our Faith and Our Resistance
Are Stronger than Your Iron Grip on Our Throats and Our Tongues
We Shall Be Heard!

And We Shall Fight for Our Right
To Choose Our Champions and Leaders
We Shall Prevail!

And You Shall Perish, Like You Wish Our Voices Would…

 

AC

It often is difficult to express the anger and sense of injustice in words. I hope I was able to touch on it here. I will never understand the frustrations and feeling of hopelessness that the people who have to deal with Vote Suppression deal with, but I hope to at least give them another voice. And let more people know about the injustices of the world. The more we know about, the more we are driven to make changes!

Follow up

 Ten years ago I set out on a journey. I drove across the country in search of a better life. With all my belongings and my cat intact, we m...