After a rainy day like today, I was reminded of this old poem of mine. Simple pleasures make the difference during this time. Hope you are safe and well.
Satsuma
Quiet in the house.
Just the dropping of the rain.
The furnace sighs.
I sit by the window,
cold pouring off the single panes,
legs bundled in muted blue wool.
My mind is quieter
having left my job. Gone,
the constant chatter behind my eyes.
A few days obsessing about a house task,
then the familiar cortisol storm
moves on.
I have longer pauses to hear
the crickets in haiku poems,
peel the loose skinned satsuma.
Very apt for this time. As Chris and I wander the deserted neighbourhoods each day I am taking time to notice a new bud opened, a chalked message, a well-tended yard. One of the books I cannot return to the library at the moment is a simple guide to Buddhism. The central message is awareness. I hope that when this period of forced isolation is over I will still spend time each day just sensing what’s around me. Poetry helps me be aware through expression of the poet’s awareness. Thank you.
Pat
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