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OT - Woman Wednesday

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Women AND men! Sorry, males, but 'Woman Wednesday' just... flows. Wink

It's been a minute since I've done one of these (5 months!). Gimlet shared a poem yesterday (The Journey by Mary Oliver) and it got me thinking (hamster on the wheel!). Gimmy said (in part), "... I ran across this poem.  It resonated with me and I thought I'd share it...".

One poem has resonated with me for almost 3 decades. It has always been how I feel about my faith. Rereading it a few years ago, I was surprised to realize that it is also how I feel about my DH: the depth of his love and the physical/emotional security he provides are like being enveloped in a soft, warm blanket on a cold night.

FULFILLMENT
~Author unknown

Lo, I have opened unto you the
gates of my being,
And like a tide, you have flowed
into me.
The innermost recesses of my spirit
are full of you
And all the channels of my soul
are grown sweet with your presence
For you have brought me peace;
The peace of great tranquil waters,
And the quiet of the summer sea.
Your hands are filled with peace as
The noon-tide is filled with light;
About your head is bound the eternal
Quiet of the stars, and in your heart
dwells the calm miracle of twilight.

I am utterly content.
In all my being is no ripple of unrest
For I have opened unto you the
Wide gates of my being
And like a tide, you have flowed into me.

 

Go ahead; call me a hopeless romantic (hopeful, not hopeless!). But simply reading this poem fills me with serenity.

Please share a poem or saying or something that speaks to you. <3

Comments

Kes's picture

I am in reflective mood, for I am off to my ExH's funeral tomorrow.  We were together 24 yrs and he was the father of my two daughters.  I am not doing a reading tomorrow, but this is a poem that I read at my Dad's funeral in 1999.  It's called "Song" by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, a female Australian poet. 

Life is ours in vain, lacking love, which never counts the loss or gain. But remember ever, love is linked with pain. 

Light and sister shade, shape each mortal morrow - seek not to evade love's companion, sorrow, and be not dismayed. 

Grief is not in vain, it's for our completeness.  If the fates ordain love to bring life's sweetness, welcome too, its pain. 

 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

That's so poignant, Kes. Thank you for sharing. I'll be with you in spirit tomorrow. {{{hugs}}}

Loki's picture

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

notsurehowtodeal's picture

I discovered this poem when I was in my 30's, and 30 years later it still resonates.

Comes The Dawn

After a while you learn the subtle difference,
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul.

And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning,
And company doesn’t mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts,
And presents aren’t promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats,
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn,
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure…

That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth,
And you learn and learn,
With every goodbye you learn.

I always thought it was byVeronica A. Shoffstall, but apparently she adapted it from a much longer work by Argentenian poet Jorge Luis Borges. The orginal version can be found here

https://www.patrickwanis.com/you-learn-after-a-while-comes-the-dawn-the-...