I love this poem a lot, Trish. The way that many of us, often times, put glory on a pedestal only distances ourselves from knowing, appreciating, and being it now. You call upon an important aspect of glorious living and I love your glorious perspective of the world. Thank you :)
This is exceptional Trish! What a creative use of "glory" in some of our religious contexts, as ambigious as that term can be in those settings. I like the reference to the glory your mom would sing to, and your wrestling with that and finding the deep glory of living in the present moment, receiving what is here, giving from your heart, and the intention in which you are choosing to live. This is a lovely poem.
We arrived home on Sunday after two weeks away, and saw flag and monuments to Memorial Day all through our travels. This poem-prayer came to me with today's word prompt.
Glory
Arriving home after a time away,
we watched the sun setting across
open field, deer grazing, colors illuminating,
quiet wind of spring turning to summer.
I thought of the flags waving in our town,
And across our homeland.
Old Glory holding vigil to the
lives lost along the road to freedom
or some less honorable destination.
I say a prayer for the fallen and
those who picked up the pieces from their
never coming home.
I think to myself “we need a new glory.”
Not a replacement but one that moves beyond,
a symbol of circles and cycles,
of all the colors that rise in the great open sky,
of a people who do not settle for simple security
or how big of a portion we receive.
A new glory where our rights are not compromised,
or resigned to a hierarchy steeped in power.
A new glory where Earth and its particles have rights,
WOW. Larry <3 This one is truly incredible. It's also another example of how, lately, your poems have filled in the pieces that seem to be missing for me - not inside, but in my consciousness, in my words.
YES to all this. It's so well written, it's so powerful, it's so confident and clear and intentional. You have described glory indeed <3 Thanks SO much for this.
Thank you Jillian, for your note and response to the poem. I truly appreciate your perspsectives and thoughts, and they help me see things I might not have seen before. And the affirming way you offer your reflections lifts me every single time. Thank you for taking the time to share. Blessings to you!
I skipped the day's word because, as much as I've loved reading the poems today and seeing the different ideas about it, glory is generally still a word that gives me the ick after years steeped in evangelicalism. Thank you for being so deliberate in creating a beautiful and inclusive new meaning for it here, Larry.
I understand completely, A. The word has paradoxical and conficting connotations for me., and I am so aware of the harm religous and spiritual dogmas and practices can cause. Many blessings to you always.
I love to create associations between human blossoming and our flower friends, and the way you did so here so masterfully was incredibly thoughtful and beautiful. You touch glory with so much humility. Thanks for sharing this, Saoirse! :)
This is plendid Saoirse. A wonderful homage to the beauty and joy of flowers, and of blooming, if only for a time until the cycle begins again. I especally like the way you bring the flower image to you, and your own flowering and blossoming along this journey. I know it will be so!
What a beautiful photo to greet the morning! What a wonderful face. I love that dogs are so expressive with their faces and bodies and don't bother with artificial gazes or trying to suppress true emotions. Love indeed!
I love this Jillian! On so many levels. It is a beautiful tribute to your Poppa, and you paint a real and honest potrait of a remarkable person. As you invariably do, you also expand my thinking and offer an entry to the reader beyond the story of Ken. These lines are superb:
"Glory doesn’t come from monopoly,
The exclusion of one generation from
The legends of another, "
That is insightful and powerful. And these lines that follow:
"But from the generosity
And care
When sharing these precious lifetimes
With those who will never have them.
That is so beautiful. Your poem invites us all in, to honor your poppa as well, but to also listen more intently to the stories of others in our lives, especially our elders. Thank you so much!
I'm really moved by your poem, Kaitlin. Yanks a little on my heartstrings because the dogs in my life are also some of the most glorious beings I know. Thanks for this little slice of beautiful glory in your world.
walking with Charlotte is food for my soul
"hurry up Oompah, you're going too slow!"
our journey to school is adventure each day
the birds and the bees, all the creatures at play
.
wisteria blooms captivate as we go
diaphanous texture, we pause, take it slow
lilac so fragrant; trees' dance in the breeze
The beauty, dynamic, transfixing, at ease
.
then back on the trail to the school and her crowd
cacophonous frolic, fun frenzy so LOUD!
She pauses, hugs firmly, affectionate kiss
My soul overflows; oh, the glory of this!
Love this. The rapture being a grandparent.
Wow, this is such a cheerful, bouncy poem itself with such a glorious subject indeed. Thanks for sharing more about being an Oompah ;) Love this.
This is wonderful Bob--an ode to the gloory and joy of being an Oompah!
Glory
My mother sang
in a country
church quartet,
lifting up melodies
and harmonizing
about the promise
of seeing the glory -
someday.
When that someday comes,
I don’t know
what it will look like.
But as for me,
I’m choosing to
open my eyes
and see the glory
right here
right now.
When I stand in silence
and watch the clouds
drift across the sky,
or watch the trees
adorn themselves
in spring
with leaves
all shades of green,
I see the glory.
When I see a seedling
break out of hard soil
to begin
its long journey,
or watch mother bird
tote straw after straw
to build her new home,
I see the glory.
And when I choose
to look beyond
your outward form
and see the
beautiful essence
inside you,
I see the glory.
Even when I dare
to look within,
beyond all my
layers of coverings,
deep calling deep,
I can see the glory
even there.
I’m not going to wait
until someday.
Harmonizing with
all creation,
I choose
to see the glory
now.
"deep calling deep" wow :)
I love this poem a lot, Trish. The way that many of us, often times, put glory on a pedestal only distances ourselves from knowing, appreciating, and being it now. You call upon an important aspect of glorious living and I love your glorious perspective of the world. Thank you :)
This is exceptional Trish! What a creative use of "glory" in some of our religious contexts, as ambigious as that term can be in those settings. I like the reference to the glory your mom would sing to, and your wrestling with that and finding the deep glory of living in the present moment, receiving what is here, giving from your heart, and the intention in which you are choosing to live. This is a lovely poem.
Golden
Loving
Overwhelming
Resplendent
You
We arrived home on Sunday after two weeks away, and saw flag and monuments to Memorial Day all through our travels. This poem-prayer came to me with today's word prompt.
Glory
Arriving home after a time away,
we watched the sun setting across
open field, deer grazing, colors illuminating,
quiet wind of spring turning to summer.
I thought of the flags waving in our town,
And across our homeland.
Old Glory holding vigil to the
lives lost along the road to freedom
or some less honorable destination.
I say a prayer for the fallen and
those who picked up the pieces from their
never coming home.
I think to myself “we need a new glory.”
Not a replacement but one that moves beyond,
a symbol of circles and cycles,
of all the colors that rise in the great open sky,
of a people who do not settle for simple security
or how big of a portion we receive.
A new glory where our rights are not compromised,
or resigned to a hierarchy steeped in power.
A new glory where Earth and its particles have rights,
Where all our kindred have maps to the open door,
where each precious moment is valued.
Where every living thing, and the non-living, too
Are held in undeniable and unconditional love.
WOW. Larry <3 This one is truly incredible. It's also another example of how, lately, your poems have filled in the pieces that seem to be missing for me - not inside, but in my consciousness, in my words.
YES to all this. It's so well written, it's so powerful, it's so confident and clear and intentional. You have described glory indeed <3 Thanks SO much for this.
Thank you Jillian, for your note and response to the poem. I truly appreciate your perspsectives and thoughts, and they help me see things I might not have seen before. And the affirming way you offer your reflections lifts me every single time. Thank you for taking the time to share. Blessings to you!
It is a mutually insightful experience. So much love to you, Larry! 💗
To you as well!
I skipped the day's word because, as much as I've loved reading the poems today and seeing the different ideas about it, glory is generally still a word that gives me the ick after years steeped in evangelicalism. Thank you for being so deliberate in creating a beautiful and inclusive new meaning for it here, Larry.
I understand completely, A. The word has paradoxical and conficting connotations for me., and I am so aware of the harm religous and spiritual dogmas and practices can cause. Many blessings to you always.
Day 30: Glory
a poem a day in the month of may
(The Liminality Journal: Kaitlin Curtice)
In the morning, you
glory — unfurling into
full bloom at sun’s light.
***
A common flower,
not showy,
persistent in your travels,
wending, winding,
climbing, sometimes binding,
easy to overlook
the glory of your
persistent opening
to the light.
You prefer a balanced soil,
not too much light —
12 hours will do nicely —
lest your bloom curl inward,
shriveling from toomuchsun.
Your cousin opens
to the moon,
unfurling in the dusk,
basking through the night
until touched
by morning dew.
I am opening
to an inner light,
a radiance, a spark
of glory
born before i came to be
and now unfurling
in words
and images,
and tenderness.
I love to create associations between human blossoming and our flower friends, and the way you did so here so masterfully was incredibly thoughtful and beautiful. You touch glory with so much humility. Thanks for sharing this, Saoirse! :)
"born before I came to be" mmm :)
This is plendid Saoirse. A wonderful homage to the beauty and joy of flowers, and of blooming, if only for a time until the cycle begins again. I especally like the way you bring the flower image to you, and your own flowering and blossoming along this journey. I know it will be so!
What a beautiful photo to greet the morning! What a wonderful face. I love that dogs are so expressive with their faces and bodies and don't bother with artificial gazes or trying to suppress true emotions. Love indeed!
Love indeed indeed! That's glory :)
I feel the same.
Glory
.
Through highs and the lows,
Even the close, with a kind heart
Glory will always follow.
.
.
There’s glory in the eyes of the older,
The inevitable dignity of a lifetime of stories,
Fantasies shared like a patchwork quilt,
A little here,
A little there,
Coming together to inspire a wistful wonder
In those who can only dream.
Glory doesn’t come from monopoly,
The exclusion of one generation from
The legends of another,
Experiences of the sort that only live on in Hollywood,
But from the generosity
And care
When sharing these precious lifetimes
With those who will never have them.
Glory is in the skin
Of a body that fought in world wars,
Clothed princesses and kings,
Made the whole world his stage,
And even now, soft and wrinkled though it is,
Makes the people laugh
Because he can’t stop his magic punchlines
About poop and crawling, mostly.
Glory is in the eyes
That have met a million more and show it,
That have seen impossible change come and go,
That have given him a snappy edge and biting wit,
That only know love and service
When they gaze upon his loved ones
Because his eyes have never failed him
In his constant search for his truth.
Glory is in living,
Living with a whole heart,
Living as your best, however your best may remain or evolve,
Living 97 years as
A remarkable, jovial, charismatic, entertaining,
Good looking, well dressed, absurd, fierce
Father
Brother
Husband
Partner
Friend
Companion
Ken
.
I’m still learning about glory,
But I know glory lives in my Poppa,
Because how else
Could you touch so many hearts at 97 and
Still look so damn good doing it?
Thanks for that lesson,
You glorious guy
I love this Jillian! On so many levels. It is a beautiful tribute to your Poppa, and you paint a real and honest potrait of a remarkable person. As you invariably do, you also expand my thinking and offer an entry to the reader beyond the story of Ken. These lines are superb:
"Glory doesn’t come from monopoly,
The exclusion of one generation from
The legends of another, "
That is insightful and powerful. And these lines that follow:
"But from the generosity
And care
When sharing these precious lifetimes
With those who will never have them.
That is so beautiful. Your poem invites us all in, to honor your poppa as well, but to also listen more intently to the stories of others in our lives, especially our elders. Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing. Enjoy learning more about him and glory.
Come forth, claim glory,
Jesus encourages James.
Fifth gets a toaster.
.
.
.
(a bad haiku from a more badder joke.) (sorry.)
Alright, now you're just messing with us. Can I be one of Jupiter's moons? Pretty please?
We live in a time when lauds and praises are dispensed as though they were sold at a big box store.
We create heroes and wizards and champions galore,
desperate to prop ourselves up with the hope that someone will always be there to save us.
If we create enough supermen will we overcome the despairs and ignominies of our lives?
No
We must find our own way to the noble and good values of our jaded civilization.
We must seek truth and justice endlessly, and only then will we find glory.
Thank you for this, Leslie.
We are taught,
Not to brag.
We try to dim,
Any celebrations.
Throw a party!
YOLO as the kids say!
Bask in the glory,
Of what you have done.
Nice work Liz! YOLO indeed! I hope you celebrate the glory of your good work throughout the month!
glory
my mind keeps going
to music
first with lyrics
"my eyes have seen the glory
of the coming of the Lord"
and then
"gloria in excelsis Deo"
but I even quietly
sang as I got caught
in a downpour
(no one heard my
Christmas cheer in May)
I think of the talent
of songwriters
and performers
songs that
touch hearts
and emotions
songs that demonstrate
glory
even without the word
sacred and secular music
that hits exactly
the way
we need it to
drawing us inward
connecting to
our souls
reminding us who
we are
and sometimes
who's we are
but also
taking us
to the past
memories
not just remembered
but felt
re-lived
it can be
sad songs
or the blues
engaging our sorrow
maybe
love songs
recalling first loves
or high school dances
songs that transcend labels
yet captivate moments
I can list plenty of songs
and versions
that fit the description of
glory
and I imagine you
do as well.
may those songs
as well as new ones
continue to narrate
or should I say
soundtrack
your moments
and feelings
bringing you to glory
eternally
This is great Steven. Thank you for lifting up the beauty and glory of music and song, and acknowledging the spiritual value of secular songs.
I'm really moved by your poem, Kaitlin. Yanks a little on my heartstrings because the dogs in my life are also some of the most glorious beings I know. Thanks for this little slice of beautiful glory in your world.
Love this poem. Our pets teach the true meaning of unconditional love.
This one tugs at my heartstrings
It’s a love like no other...our sweet Chaim has a teal bowl too. It’s our special meeting place everyday at 6:30✨