NeuroTalk Support Groups - Artistic Expressions

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A Man Alone

by Stephen Orlen

I hated breaking up and I hated
Being left, finding myself in an apartment
With an extra set of silverware and a ghost,
Impatient to be gone. Then to summon up
Who I was before the bed was full with woman.
To shift the street-mind from getting to
To slowing down and window shop. In the bar down the street,
To let my eyes simplify again, and make no judgments,
And breathe in the smoke that drifts
Through one body then another,
And find myself close enough
To whisper into a woman's just-washed hair
And inhale that ten thousand year old scent.
To memorize a phone number.
To learn to say goodnight at her door.
To keep my hands in my pockets, like a boy.
To open the heart, only a little at a time

I heard your call for help, i tried not too ignore,
but you have hurt me badly, hence i closed my door.

I see you struggle daily with your inner thoughts and deeds,
but still i cant see past your ways, my turmoil thus still breeds.

You hurt me more, and curse my name, continue in this vain,
see me wither, deplete as this here man;. What do you hope to gain

You may not care, or cease to think, about the service i bestow you,
but i still do love ,my life is yours, and don't forget i really know you!.

OMG...be still my heart!!! :hug:

Somebody's Mother

by Mary Dow Brine

The woman was old and ragged and gray
And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.
The street was wet with a recent snow
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.
Down the street with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of 'school let out,'
Came the boys like a flock of sheep,
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
Past the woman so old and gray
Hastened the children on their way.
Nor offered a helping hand to her—
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.
At last came one of the merry troop,
The gayest lad of all the group;
He paused beside her and whispered low,
"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided the trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content.
"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,
For all she's aged and poor and slow,
And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand,
If ever she's poor and old and grey,
And her own dear boy is far away."
"Somebody's mother" bowed low her head
In her home that night, and the prayer she said
Was, "God be kind to the noble boy,
Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!"

"Somebody's Mother" by Mary Dow Brine

its nice to have a place to share my ....feelings

#
Colleen Rowley Parent THE CREMATED REMAINS
of a part of me
sits on my dresser inanimately
it has no voice no arms to hold
it has no wisdom nothing foretold...
just the ashes of a part of my heart
someone whose been there from the very start
his eyes still stare at me his smile still shines
but a hole exists at thiis moment in time
wondering when the pain will subside
as it comes and goes with the force of the tides
no more memories to make
no more of his time to take.
no more wondering how he is doing
as the blues of his death
have left me in ruins
family broken down into fraction
at the hand of his selfish actions
and brother and sister left with out a brother
a mother left with a pain that can smother
a father left in the pain of not helping
his little boy in his moment of coping
a wife tormented by the sickness of his mind
a daughter left to wonder why?
step daughter cousins nieces and nephews
all left in a state of confusion
friends from the past
friends from the present
friends left with there own heartache and resentment
friends that were more than that friends that were like family
have been damaged so painfully sadly
do you ever get past a suicide death
do you ever manage to heal with a bandage?
i put you in a heart around my neck
keeping you closer than you would ever let.
it is now that i feel you more than in years past
now that your gone your time went to fast.
It is a hard thing to grasp the thought of not being able to understand yourself ,the thought of never feeling good enough to the point that is paralyzes you in your life when it gets overwhelming. My feeling is that is what sean suffered.
================================================== ============
understanding
Don't ever assume you understand someone Else's actions, for the only understanding one can have of someone Else's experiences, is the understanding of them through through ur own personal journey {someone else experiences do not belong to you and they are all unique},there for when u feel u have understanding??? , STOP AND THINK, am i understanding this persons experience from the perspective in which THEY LIVED THEM???? , or am i understanding what there saying in relation to my life and my experiences the only thing u find in the assumption of understanding is misunderstanding
========================================
I sit alone At 3 am writing this ...
thinking of the times we shared;
all the memories we have;
makes this so hard to bare.
thinking of the father you were;
and just how many hearts that cared.

Sean, just a few moments to say goodbye
As my heart, body and eyes do cry.

Trying to look through this kaleidoscope of emotion
Trying to handle an cope with this moment.
Letting go of you............Is SO PAINFUL, because i LOVE YOU SO MUCH
That feeling these feelings
is leaving me crushed.
You are my big brother
NO one can EVER take your place!
When I close my eyes all I see is your face!

Sean the time is ticking just one more minute to say goodbye

One more minute to tell you how I feel
One minute SEAN
if your hear an your attention I could steal!
I wish for
One more minute to hold you tight
One more minute to look in your eyes
and beg and tell you together we can win this fight
One more minute
Just One more day
One more memory to make
As I'd reach out and your hand i would take.
there is nothing i can do even if i pray
but in my heart im still begging you to stay!

I understand I get it
Your body is gone now
But you live in my heart
there was never a second you weren't there from the start
in my everyday your memory wont part

Every second I hold on to
Every memory is precious
Every smile
Every laughter you shared
was nothing short of contagious

But....I guess ..... your fight is over
YOUR pain is gone
You’re up there singing
your favorite Neon Bach song
I think of you with a heart that’s full
I think of you with no ill will
I thank God for giving you to me
And I thank god for setting your pain free
I thank god and I pray
That he is holding your tight
And you are basking in the love of a beautiful new light.
============================================
today
i walk and i wonder how could it be
that tomorrow will come and i will be free
i will wander the street of this confused mind
i will make good decisions and have a clear mind
nothing ever will break me
it may have fractured its true
i just need to look forward and lean on you
my prayers will be said
and i will be strong in my faith
that god has a plan and
and in his arms sean is safe
ill smile and remember all f the movies that play in my mind
and hold you dear every moment in time
to move and heal is not a rejection
not in anyway is a careless reflection
just the road i have to take
not in any way a mistake
so i breath in a sigh of releif
as i let go of some of this heavy grief
for your soul is one that danced in the sun
and your smile and i are forever one
i love you
==========================================
pain

I feel beat up and twisted,
flipped and beaten upside down,
hurting deep inside my soul,
crying and tired of this never ending fal,l
working hard to hold it together,
wondering why i have to weather the weather.
one thing runs over me after the next,
I feel like im stuck in this tidal wave of stress.
one more trial to pass the test
,i have had it im finished cant take any more,
im tired of of the way gods knockin at my door,
dead brother dead aunt,
intimate relationship scard and bent,
my babies hurting suffering inside,
i sit and i watch her in pain as she cries,
hold my hands out to hold her,
love her with a heart that is damaged,
don't know how to help her dont know how to manage,
sickness sets in my body is hurting,
work is fed up that there is no learning,
damaged and broken withered and misfit,
dont know what to do don't know how to fix it.
turning to god my faith is challenged,
but im still trying to find a peaceful balance,
============================================
This is how i think Sean felt i wrote this poem a long time ago."
WINGS
OH LORD work with me
toss me a bone
I looked in that direction and still found no home
I reached out my hand and offered my soul
Wining for me wasn't a goal
I just wanna be happy
stop running from life
YA know make a commitment
Without having to fight!
I wanna wake up to some sunshine and be
where I wanna be
Wanna have someone im in love with laying next to me
I wanna smile and shine when I look at her face
I wanna be happy knowing she wants me to share in her space
I wanna find joy in the simplest of things
I wanna be that bird that flies when he
Spreads his wings
==========================================
MEMORIES OF YOU
Monday, November 23, 2009 9:20 PM
at the earliest of age
when we were both very small
and I couldn't live up to my biggest brotherly goal
which was to fill in your footsteps
walk in your path
be by your side
weather it is tears or some laughs
funny and mischief, torment and tease
the fun filled memories of you I seize
you were a father that glowed with a beautiful light
as his little girl Amy was “his world” and his biggest delight
you would gleamed as you would watch her
and Know you found the love of your life
Sean my big brother
I adored you so much,
wanted to be like you strong and tough,
feel the energy that you would exuded when u would walk in a room
and flash that Irish smile and make the girls swoon
many years had passed and distance had occurred
but my affection for you never would swerve
than I found you feeling lost and alone, feeling like you had no home
I said your coming home with me
and you looked at me like you got stung by a bee.
I said with confusion
Sean
I love you I, want to be here and he started to cry
and i could see the pain & fears he couldn’t hide
we lived together & worked together every day for a year,
24 -7 with his little sister was probably one of his fears
but day by day i watched as he healed
and smiled that sunshine again and began to feel
and God I love you Sean. That didn’t end with your life
your spirit and soul have taken flight
& every min we shared, every tear that fell, every trick you played
that made me laugh like hell Id do it all again even with the same finale because you were my brother my blood and a Rowley
Everything about you was a treasure and a gift
through your life so many hearts you did lift
and my heart holds you with the deepest of care.
And i know for a fact that around me your still there
love you brother

================================================== =======

------------------------------------------------------------
tomorrow
tomorrow is just another day
todays worries will be far away
what haunts you in the here and now
tomorrow will take second rail
what we have to understand is that time will never hold out hand
so when u think you have the time
think back to when u read this rhyme
and remember how colleen told you
live your life to your heart true

-------------------------------------------------
swimming
been thinking about relationships
about people
about missed opportunities
about living your life and getting to the end
and not wanting to say
i wish wish wish
i would of done that and i would of done this
and dreams and desires float on by
as you never look your true potential in the eye
and ya settle
and ya trudge along
singing the same old boring song
wondering when your ship will come in
as the days and the months and the years do you in
how often we have a hold of something we want
and we let go of it for fear of what ????
living your life feeling trapped between walls
and you listen and hear as your happiness calls
and it drifts and it drifts
further and further into this emptiness
till your sweet sounds of happiness aren't anymore happy
the echo becomes this shallow sad tear
a memory that causes your heart to fear
and again and again you wish and you wonder
what might of been
had u jumped in the water
and went for that swim
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WTF
explain this to me
what were u thinking
hittin the bottle a little to much drinking
the pain was intense
the turmoil to much
the life u were leading just wasn't enough?

so here we LIVE with this memory of u.
Dealing with this nightmarish image
is what i have left to do.
when i close my eyes what it is i see
isnt my brother it's that ****in tree
thank you sean,
thanks for the memories
thanks big brother
for takin such good care of me.

I had a ruff time that day as you can see
===========================================
February 19 at 1:15pm · Delete Post
#
Colleen Rowley Parent It isnt easy to be here it isnt easy to share
it isnt easy to relive these memories
that better qualify as nightmares
it isnt easy to undersatnd
that he lived a life with out a plan
it isnt easy to ask the questions why
it is easier to just sit back and feel the pain and cry
it isnt easy to let go
it isnt easy to hold on
it isnt easy to accept that you are gone
it isnt easy to reach for something positive
it isnt easy to live like this
it isnt easy to find the good
in the loos of your brotherhood
it isnt easy to try to feel that under the pain
is a positive message that will reign
it isnt easy to say good bye
and it still hurts when i look to the sky
and what i have left is the question WHY

my art work and photography

One More Thought by Rachel Hadas
I had to carry it on your behalf.
But there was always something else to do.
I had to fear, remember, and imagine,
but there was always someplace else to go.

I had to bear it all for you. For me.
Throw this out and keep that. Forget and know.
Old jokes, old anecdotes
struggle to the surface even now.

Our neighbors at the movie holding hands...
Another bubble bust. The tears went dry.
What had been slowly leaking, years and years:
the person who said "I".
__________________

old standards music @ our family reunion in the late 1960's

this was put on youtube by my son...
Audio recorded in the late 1960s at our family reunion
enjoy
love,
tena

http://www.youtube.com/user/RyanMcEnaney

KING HENRY V
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off
William Shakespear

COME ON ENGLAND

David

If You Knew

What if you knew you'd be the last
to touch someone?
If you were taking tickets, for example,
at the theater, tearing them,
giving back the ragged stubs,
you might take care to touch that palm,
brush your fingertips
along the life line's crease.

When a man pulls his wheeled suitcase
too slowly through the airport, when
the car in front of me doesn't signal,
when the clerk at the pharmacy
won't say Thank you, I don't remember
they're going to die.

A friend told me she'd been with her aunt.
They'd just had lunch and the waiter,
a young gay man with plum black eyes,
joked as he served the coffee, kissed
her aunt's powdered cheek when they left.
Then they walked a half a block and her aunt
dropped dead on the sidewalk.

How close does the dragon's spume
have to come? How wide does the crack
in heaven have to split?
What would people look like
if we could see them as they are,
soaked in honey, stung and swollen,
reckless, pinned against time?

Author Ellen Bass

Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True

Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True
by: Helen Steiner Rice

Often your tasks will be many,
And more than you think you can do.
Often the road will be rugged
And the hills insurmountable, too.
But always remember,
The hills ahead
Are never as steep as they seem,
And with Faith in your heart
Start upward
And climb 'til you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthy
Is ever too hard to achieve
If you have the courage to try it,
And you have the faith to believe.
For faith is a force that is greater
Than knowledge or power or skill,
And many defeats turn to triumph
If you trust in God's wisdom and will.
For faith is a mover of mountains,
There's nothing that God cannot do,
So, start out today with faith in your heart,
And climb 'til your dream comes true!

When the Horses Gallop Away from Us, It's a Good Thing

by Charles Wright

I always find it strange—though I shouldn't—how creatures don't
care for us the way we care for them.
Horses, for instance, and chipmunks, and any bird you'd name.
Empathy's only a one-way street.

And that's all right, I've come to believe.
It sets us up for ultimate things,
and penultimate ones as well.
It's a good lesson to have in your pocket when the Call comes to
call.

Can not say I know all;
BUT, know the feeling for I felt.
In silent pride we carry ourselves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_zuWHrLdI

Lyrics to Roll Away Your Stone :

Roll away your stone I will roll away mine
Together we can see what we will find
Don't leave me alone at this time
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside

You told me that I wouldn't find a home
Beneath the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal
And all the while my character it steals

Darkness is a harsh term don't you think
Yet it dominates the things I see

It seems that all my bridges have been burned
But you say 'That's exactly how this grace thing works’
It's not the long walk home that will change this heart
But the welcome I receive with the re-start

Darkness is a harsh term don't you think
And yet it dominates the things I see (x2)

Stars hide your fires
For these here are my desires
And I won't give them up to you this time around
And so I will be found
With my stake stuck in the ground
Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul (x2)

And you, you've gone too far this time
You have neither reason nor rhyme
With which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine

'momford and sons'

David

Thanks David...this video makes me think of Mango Shade..but he was before your time I think. He would have loved this song! And the surfing!

you want it all , you want it now............
but you want it your way..explain how?

how do i change my train of thought
& forget the the things of life i brought

to give in now, will break my resolve
just live your life and please evolve

the mothers love you cannot stand
is embedded inside your ungrateful hand

in times to come when you need of thee
be sure to love..and on bended knee.

you broke my heart one week ago
your mothers love went long ago

to tap back in to family trust
our rules to follow.... is one holy must

David

may trigger............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP6JD...layer_embedded

I was struck by the reality of killing family members left behind. :(

San Francisco Remembered....

by Philip Schultz
In summer the polleny light bounces off the white buildings
& you can see their spines & nerves & where the joints knot.
You've never seen such polleny light. The whole city shining
& the women wearing dresses so thin you could see their wing-tipped hips
& their tall silvery legs alone can knock your eye out.
But this isn't about women. It's about the city of blue waters
& fog so thick it wraps round your legs & leaves glistening trails
along the dark winding streets. Once I followed such a trail
& wound up beside this redheaded woman who looked up & smiled
& let me tell you you don't see smiles like that in Jersey City.
She was wearing a black raincoat with two hundred pockets
& I wanted to put my hands in each one. But forget about her.
I was talking about the fog which steps up & taps your shoulder
like a panhandler who wants bus fare to a joint called The Paradise
& where else could this happen? On Sundays Golden Gate Park
is filled with young girls strolling the transplanted palms
& imported rhododendron beds. You should see the sunset
in their eyes & the sway, the proud sway of their young shoulders.
Believe me, it takes a day or two to recover. Or the trolleys clanking
down the steep hills—why you see legs flashing like mirrors! Please, Lord, please let me talk about San Francisco. How
that gorilla of a bridge twists in the ocean wind & the earth
turns under your feet & at any moment the whole works can crack
& slip back into the sea like a giant being kicked off his raft
& now, if it's all right, I would like to talk about women...

"San Francisco Remembered," by Phillip Schultz :D

W. H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

David

The shape of my vessel is two dimensional
The beginning and end, the middle lasts no time.
My matter travels through the tightest of spaces
One grain of me follows the other, in harmony or rage.
I feel the pull of gravity, yet try to stem it daily
Occasionally I freely go with the tide of time.
Often those around me are similar of thought
Though once in a moment their company is overwhelming.
I speed my motion to remove myself from their presence
Yet I meet them or similar along this journey of time.
The warmth of closeness and the rush of wind and air
The outward reflection of the earth, are mere rooms.
My time is near its end I am but a grain of sand
In this hour glass of time, will I ever revolve again?

by
David

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMACK (Post 694447)

Bravo, David!! There's an American tradition of 2-line poems in the same direction you took:

The old dog barks without getting up;
I can remember when he was a pup.
by Robert Frost

Here's mine:

Ode to September 9

When you can hear the train,
It's going to rain.

Tom

Bravo Tom

And when your sitting on a bus
and hear ones life and all its fuss
ride the ride as it maybe
this ride in time could you're life be

David

ps .........personal messages are indicated at the top right hand where your user name is......................if there is a number there it means you have a personal message ...........click to open...................

Sometimes we hear but don't listen

Sometimes we See but do not comprehend [more a case of we....see...what we see]

Sometimes we talk...[& disagree ,,,,,more so..we do not agree
..when the two points above have not registered.

Sometimes we talk and no one listens [that's okay and perfectly normal]

Sometimes we..Try

Sometimes we Don't try [sometimes others do not try]

Sometimes we Live in hope

Sometimes we Live in Despair

Sometimes we talk........and what we say is: heard, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and at times its not...........Other times its misconstrued and ignored..........this to is right........[ that's a human element ]

Sometimes we have not got a clue? ...........................

David

The train is on its way
Do I catch it, do I stay?

The rain is overdue to fall
My cup is full can’t catch it all

I’m told the sun will shine today
My strife in life it won’t allay

A curious cure is not much to ask
A cure for the curious is just a mask

A silent voice a patient ear
Eyes that see my inner fear

One thousand times I have thought this thought
No bullets or poison have I bought.

This wretched pain has left a scar
And one not seen by those afar

But dear friend you have a life that’s full
Though the thought of death has a greater pull

By
David

A suicidal thought is NOT initiated by the mind as a way to harm the person.
It is initiated by the mind as a misguided attempt to protect the person. By understanding its intent you will be able to redirect it with self esteem and self love in place...fear will not be able to stimulate the negative cascading psysiological affects that make so many of us tire to the point of accepting suicide as the solution."

~Pter

Shooting the Horse

by David Shumate

I unlatch the stall door, step inside, and stroke the silky neck
of the old mare like a lover about to leave. I take an ear in
hand, fold it over, and run my fingers across her muzzle. I
coax her head up so I can blow into those nostrils. All part of
the routine we taught each other long ago. I turn a half turn,
pull a pistol from my coat, raise it to that long brow with the
white blaze and place it between her sleepy eyes. I clear my
throat. A sound much louder than it should be. I squeeze the
trigger and the horse's feet fly out from under her as gravity
gives way to a force even more austere, which we have named
mercy.

Maji Bo Mirdin, Bimra Bo Jiyan" (Kurdish Saying) :

Translation : Dont Live Waiting For Death, But Die Fighting For Life.

It is from a poem by Ibrahim Ahmed

David

THROUGH MY EYES

Words at times are said in kind
Other words with no thought of mind.
Words can hurt and cause distress
Hurt no more or kind words less.
Intelligent words spoken can confuse
They only taunt and not amuse.
Scoff and scorn to imply power
Comforts me less in this hour.
See the cause of anger wrath
Choose to take another path.
Leave thy thoughts of anguish be
And stop to think!!!!!!!!
When attacking me.

David

Song of the year

please let this song buffer up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E

weep for yourself, my man,
you'll never be what is in your heart

weep little lion man,
you're not as brave as you were at the start

rate yourself and rake yourself,
take all the courage you have left

wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head

but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
i really flucked it up this time
didn't I, my dear?

didn't I, my dear

tremble for yourself, my man,
you know that you have seen this all before

tremble little lion man,
you'll never settle any of your score

your grace is wasted in your face,
your boldness stands alone among the wreck

now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
i really flucked it up this time
didn't I, my dear?

but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
i really flucked it up this time
didn't I, my dear?

didn't I, my dear?

a agh a ghhhhhh aghhhhhhhhhhhh aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhagh agjh agh

agh a aghhhhhhhhagh agh agh aghhhhhhhhhhhhh

but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
i really flucked it up this time
didn't I, my dear?

but it was not your fault but mine
and it was your heart on the line
i really flucked it up this time
didn't I, my dear?

didn't I, my dear?

David [didn't i just]

Snail, snail, glister me forward,
Bird, soft-sigh me home,
Worm, be with me.
This is my hard time.

- Theodore Roethke

Story

by Sabine Miller

Tell me the one
about the sick girl —
not terminally ill, just years in bed
with this mysterious fever —
who hires a man
to murder her — you know,
so the family is spared
the blight of a suicide —
and the man comes
in the night, a strong man,
and nothing is spoken
—he takes the pillow
to her face — tell me
how he is haunted the rest
of his life — did he
or didn't he
do the right thing — tell me
how he is forgiven,
and marries, and has
2 daughters, and is happy —
no, tell me she doesn't
die, but is cured and
gives her life to God,
and becomes a hand-holder for
men on death row —
tell me the one where the man
falls in love with the girl
and can't do it, or
the girl falls in love
with a dog and calls
the man to tell him
not to come, or
how each sees their pain
mirrored in the other's eyes —
tell me how everyone is already
forgiven every story
they ever told themselves
about living
or not living —
tell me, oh tell me
the one where love wins, again
and again and again.

"Story" by Sabine Miller, from Circumference of Mercy. © Mountains and Rivers Press,

The Thing Is

by Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOGdU...eature=related

Rolls and flows of angel hair,
Ice cream castles in the air,
Feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun.
They rain, they snow on everyone.
So many things I would've done
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down and still somehow
It's clouds' illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels,
The dizzy, dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real.
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show.
Leave 'em laughin' when you go.
But if you care, don't let em' know
Don't give yourself away.

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall.
I really don't know love at all.

Tears and fears and feeling proud,
Say "I love you" right out loud.
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange.
They shake their heads and say I've changed.
But something's lost when somethings gained
Living everyday.

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.

Joni Mitchelle

David

Obituary

by Ronald Wallace

Just once, you say,
you'd like to see
an obituary in which
the deceased didn't succumb
after "a heroic struggle" with cancer,
or heart disease, or Alzheimer's, or
whatever it was
that finally took him down.
Just once, you say,
couldn't the obit read:
He got sick and quit.
He gave up the ghost.
He put up no fight at all.
Rolled over. Bailed out.
Got out while the getting was good.
Excused himself from life's feast.
You're making a joke and
I laugh, though you can't know
I'm considering exactly that:
no radical prostatectomy for me,
no matter what General Practitioner
and Major Oncologist may say.
I think, let that walnut-sized
pipsqueak have its way with me,
that pebble in cancer's slingshot
that brings dim Goliath down.
So, old friend, before I go
and take all the wide world with me,
I want you to know
I picked up the tip.
I skipped the main course,
I'm here in the punch line.
Old friend, the joke's on me.

Remberance Sunday 14/11/2010 11am [UK]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condem
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

David

http://catalogliving.net/

This is too funny! :D

"The farmers called this spring, but nature was a moody *****, no less than an alley dog or a wanton wife." Karin Lowachee "*****" = female dog