This first poem really stands alone. I will mention this though. I stole from AA on this one. In AA we say, "If you keep one foot in yesterday, and one foot in tomorrow, you end up pissing all over today."
Suck It up
You said, "Suck it up!"
And I hate your tone of voice
But I just noticed
How I flop and spread
Like melting lard all over
Yesterday and look,
I greedily grab
Hold of tomorrow as if
It belongs to me.
January 17, 2009 9:33 AM
**************************
I have said I follow the Bodhisattva ideal. I listen for facets of what that might be. I trust that when it is time for me to understand a new piece of the tradition, then I will meet a teacher. This image of compassion appeared and I wrote this poem about it. This day was one day that I thanked God for my unemployment, that I could have this encounter with Bodhisattva.
Reaching Out
Michael told me this.
He said I could take on me
A future burden
In my present one
And lessen the weight others
Carry when I place
That weight square on me.
I can reach out just like this
With my heart through time,
Through the weave of space,
Find your future cross and lift
The heavier end
Nestled in the weight,
Held with stronger love found here
In my graceful hands.
January 17, 2009 8:28 AM
My understanding, a future burden carried now is considerably lighter today than it will be. My understanding, I choosing to carry this lighter burden am considerably more capable of taking the weight because I am not distressed. Wow. I do not practice this. I am not ready.
Contraction
1 week ago
I love this bit: find your future cross and lift the heavier end...
ReplyDeleteand aside from straddling, there are a whole host of other ways to piss on today... but straddling makes the pissing a lot easier... even if you don't pee standing up.
Harlequin
ReplyDeleteLove your comments.
Christopher
Love your writing and your poetry. I am learning from reading
Linda
I certainly understand the problem of pulling yesterday behind while pushing too hard for tomorrow. A ship must maintain the proper ballast to fly upon the water as opposed to wallow or list. ~rick
ReplyDeleteI think this has helped, and I love those 'graceful hands'.
ReplyDeleteWow. Yes.
ReplyDelete'I am not ready'...I found the meaning a little outside the lines today.
Funny that
xxx
Harlequin, I certainly agree with you that there are in specific "a whole host of other ways". I wonder though if there are that many basic types of "pissing", which always seems to dampen, discolor, and render smelly whatever is pissed on.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you are always welcome here.
Rikkij, Thank you for the maritime image.
Lucy, actually there is some poetic license...my hands are beginning to get spots, the skin is getting thinner, and my fingers are a little short and fat :( Too short really for my piano reach.
{{{Michelle}}}
I can't find the words Christopher, but it's beautiful. You have a way with words. What inspried to start writing in the first place?
ReplyDeleteIda, long ago I thought I had a message and so I began writing intent on giving the message. I gave that up for more useful activity, which included actually learning something. I basically stopped writing, especially poetry.
ReplyDeleteNow, I am in a poetry rebirth and it quite literally began when I fell in love in 1999. The first collection of poems came out of being in love and trying to do justice to it.
A C#m D A
ReplyDeleteI pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead;
C#m D A
I just need some place where I can lay my head.
C#m D A
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
C#m D A
He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said.
Chorus:
A E D A E D
Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free;
A E D A D
Take a load off Fanny, And you put the load right on me.
A E D A D
I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around."
(Chorus)
Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day.
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, won't you stay and keep Anna Lee
company?"
(Chorus)
Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."
(Chorus)
Catch a Cannonball, now, to take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time.
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.
The Band
loved the pissing rejoinder... pause for thought...nicely done.
ReplyDeletei'm sensing that Christopher will soon be able to accept the future burden of having more bandwidth now, when he is young and able to handle the load.
ReplyDeleteChristopher, such seriousness in that second and then I ended up laughing as you wowed yourself and ended up admitting you don't practice that yet. Isn't it just the way to be wise enough to know certain things but yet not quite able to apply that knowledge. Why do you think that's so?
ReplyDeleteGhost, thanks for sharing The Band with me, and of course that is from my time. As for your comment, we will see :)
ReplyDeleteErin, It would not be hard to put a discipline in place, added to the others I do practice. But yes, I am not ready.