What a lovely poem, Lisa. “The divine spark in all of us” and “I want to believe we’re better than this, but I am oh so tired.” I hear and feel that, too. Thank you for sharing.
Kaitlin. This poem is EVERYTHING. It is truly giving me life today. I started off this month writing and then shut it down. Feeling the overwhelm of insecurity. This poem is making me hungry for healing through words and writing. Ready to begin again. Thank you.
This is remarkable and stunningly beauitful A. Every line and stanza here is wonderful. Thje poem is sensory and sensual, and I love this stanza:
"the way the wind
kisses our skin
and then whistles
through the trees?"
Your poetry has always been compelling, creative and powerful, but these past few weeks they have soared even higher. Your poetry is a joy and a revelation to read, ponder and reflect upon. I am so grateful for your sharing.
This is beautiful and powerful, Rachel. A perfect witness to this society and world in which we live. Your poetry is a wonderful testimony to what humans can be and do!
To create and destroy
To burn and to build
To care and to ignore
To drop and to carry
.
The divine spark in all of us
The evil, too.
I want to believe we're better than this,
But I am oh so tired.
We are.
(better than this & tired)
good stuff, lisa.
same
What a lovely poem, Lisa. “The divine spark in all of us” and “I want to believe we’re better than this, but I am oh so tired.” I hear and feel that, too. Thank you for sharing.
YOUR FAULT.
blame human error.
But if to err is human,
What did u expect?
to err is human
to forgive, divine
I have so much more to learn!
Amen to this, Todd!
Hah-very wise and witty, Chuck!
Thank you for this reminder to recenter. What a gift this May and your prompts have been!
How can we emerge from
Underneath the rubble -
Must it always be like this?
A new world is possible, but we
Need to unearth our neighbor first.
Yes to this, Katie!
Kaitlin. This poem is EVERYTHING. It is truly giving me life today. I started off this month writing and then shut it down. Feeling the overwhelm of insecurity. This poem is making me hungry for healing through words and writing. Ready to begin again. Thank you.
Only human
.
but that is everything;
don't you see
.
the way the wind
kisses our skin
and then whistles
through the trees?
.
the way the rain
washes our faces
before traveling
to the streams?
.
the way the earth
rises to meet the soles
of our feet, greeting us
with the same care
as every other beast?
.
the way the sun
heats indiscriminately
before it retreats across
the horizon to rise in
someone else's east?
.
At least have the decency
to see the depth of
.
our humanity.
This is remarkable and stunningly beauitful A. Every line and stanza here is wonderful. Thje poem is sensory and sensual, and I love this stanza:
"the way the wind
kisses our skin
and then whistles
through the trees?"
Your poetry has always been compelling, creative and powerful, but these past few weeks they have soared even higher. Your poetry is a joy and a revelation to read, ponder and reflect upon. I am so grateful for your sharing.
Thank you so much, Larry.
You are welcome!
H U M A N
To feel
\
To ache
/
To thrill
\
To grieve
/
To care
\
To weep
/
To love
\
To value
/
the quiet,
\
unquantifiable connections
/
which make life feel
\
possible
Nice.
turn turn turn.
This is so wonderful! I love the visual aspect of this.
This is wonderful, Ange! So creative and magical!
Thank you Larry ☺️
You are welcome!
Ah, Kaitlin, you’ve done it again!
Human
Staring at images
of earth taken
from outer space,
my attempt to comprehend
the level of zoom required
to find me in the picture fails,
which causes me to realize
what a small speck I am
in the cosmos.
A small speck, yes,
but a speck nevertheless.
Then my view expands,
scanning the horizon
to lay eyes on
so many creatures —
both flora and fauna —
all of which help define
and support the tapestrial beauty
of creation.
Before my mind explodes
from this revelation,
a single word escapes my lips:
. human .
As I roll these two syllables
around in my soul,
I hear colors, smell sounds,
and feel flavors,
all of which help ground me
in helpful, hopeful ways,
reminding me that I am
not merely a human doing,
but also a human being;
and in the marrow
of this perception,
the speck of my existence
glows warmly
in the oven of love.
Thank you for sharing this, so beautiful.
The oven of love! Beautiful!
This is lovely, Todd. I love the ending "the oven of love."
The space between you and me
Magnifies our physicality,
These human bodies,
Optical illusions of separation,
Humanity’s mistaken identity
As a culture of Me
Rather than We.
Very lovely, Janine. Thank you!
The human experience is riddled with such diversity
So many experiences are the same and yet we see them so differently
I remember hearing a story about two children playing in the yard of their home, when an airplane flew over.
One child continued playing easily and the other child was traumatized.
The human experience!
So much more to say, if only I had more words!
Today is Mother's Day in Nicaragua - this is reflected in my thinking about the word human :)
Human
What does it mean to be human?
Is it not to
Help
Understand
Mother
Accept
Nurture
Can we hope that to be human means
to embrace the love that gave us life?
Very nice, Jane! And my reply is a hopeful "Yes, we can!"
To be human is to
Create and destroy in equal measure
Demand recognition for ourselves
While denying it in others
Forgetting or refusing
To see what should be apparent, obvious
Our vision clouded by
Bigotry, ignorance
Exhaustion, apathy
And all too many other human traits
That render us incapable of
Remembering the miracle of our shared humanity
I pray to the spirit that exists — hoping that it exists—
In all our striving, imperfect souls
That we might be redeemed
Reconnected
And restored to one another.
This is beautiful and powerful, Rachel. A perfect witness to this society and world in which we live. Your poetry is a wonderful testimony to what humans can be and do!
Whispering, screaming, seething, and writing right along with you.
I'm so grateful for this community you've built and this invitation you bring to us every year.
Humans judge humans
12 blind squirrels each find a nut
Thirty four dang times
Hallelujah.
Human
Looking out my kitchen window
At and through the
Spotted lavender and peach orchids
And pink African violets
And flycatcher plant,
I marvel and feel human,
Peaceful, and Divine.
Human feels good.
This is nice, Bruce. You paint with words a beautiful picture!
Thank you, Larry.
What is it that makes us so special?
Elephants grieve their dead.
Rats adopt unrelated orphans to raise with care.
Teenage whales pull pranks.
Apes use tools and create technology.
Dogs love with unchecked adoration.
The animal kingdom is full of culture, emotion, and skill.
Maybe it would serve us best to remember that we
. . are animals,
. . kin to all who walk, crawl, swim, and fly about the earth.
Maybe we could connect more deeply with our true
. . nature,
. . dependent upon each other and
. . this planet in order to flourish.
We could open ourselves up to learn from our elders:
. . the flora and fauna that came before
. . we branched off the Great Tree.
Maybe,
. . when we remember that humans are animals,
. . are Nature itself,
. . we will be motivated to make this world
. . safer/better/cleaner/kinder.
Maybe.
This is amzing, Sarah. I really like your peotry and the depth and breadth of each one. I find myself hoping your maybes become or are realities.
This is a wonderful post:
"Human
I write,
hoping that
as you read
from the other
side you feel
it, all of it,
knowing that
you are simply,
completely human
too."