THE INVITATION (photo) & ADVICE IN A LONG FORGOTTEN VOICE (mixed format non-dream poem) by Roswila

ADVICE IN A LONG FORGOTTEN VOICE

no, don't keep making
wishes, you stubborn old woman,
you know you almost
always get them, and then what will you do,
stuck again with more than you bargained for

or, maybe, as also happens, less in some major
way that you never could have anticipated

so let your life live itself out, wish free:
the present moment's offerings pass quickly


[non-dream tanka with two 2-liners written 11-14-18. That "voice" I kept hearing as I drafted this was my paternal grandmother's. Which is odd as she (Grace Adelia) never offered me any sort of advice, at least that I can recall. Much less like that in this poem. She just about wished the vast majority of her own life away, in love with her first husband. I do not mean to minimize the other sorts of objective challenges she faced, nor to claim that I ever really knew her deeply. Simply that a particular aspect of her way of living stands now as a warning to me. Hm, that's probably why my unconscious foisted this (ultimately mediocre) poem on me. To push me to look closely at and release all the wishing. To recognize the consequences of looking past what's right here. Of course, this sort of letting go is far easier said than done. But isn't that true of much of life? In fact, I'm beginning to believe that being able to let go may be one of the most important things we need to learn to do, in so many ways. And certainly at this far end of life at which I now find myself. (I'll be 75 in less than two months.) Photo "The Invitation" (11-27-15 006v3a) by Roswila]

PLEASE NOTE: in most browsers you can click on the above image for a larger version. Also, the photo accompanying a post is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse, similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku).

There are many other sorts of posts on this blog. I indicate which are about or influenced by dreams. Some non dream focused posts are book reviews, "regular" poems (some by other writers), scifaiku, writing exercises, Tarot haiku, photos, haiga, and so on. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006, at the end of the sidebar.

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until next time, keep dreaming,

[a/k/a Patricia Kelly]
**** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”). Roswila's other blog (dedicated to her photos only, i.e. no poetry or other writing; daily post); TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.