A shadow without light
Would ne’er a shadow be named
But rather darkness descending
On never ending night
Like moonlight shadows
And shadows with light
A soul’s sore pain echoes
Sweet victory’s delight
One side of a coin
Is one half of a whole
The yin and the yang –
Whole is more than its parts
I used to write poetry
I used to write every
Thought on my mind
But time has passed
And with it I find
Poetry has wings
And left me behind
A blank screen
Reflects its silence
To a waiting world
Challenging the brave
To fill its void
Writers write
And so it shall be
The darkness devoid
Of warmth
Will be brought
To life
In response to Daily Post: Screen
I want to write words
But with no pain in my heart
The tap has run dry
My fingers painted
Poetry with blood dripping
From my bleeding heart
Two weeks ago I wrote an exam, and failed by two questions. I am fortunate enough to have an understanding manager who sponsored a retake for me. And today, two days before Christmas, I passed! Yay! Now I get my headspace back, head from out of a 500-page study guide.
It has been mentioned by two different people in the past week that I have tenacity. I have never used that word before. So it is a bit strange to hear it twice in one week. But I passed, and I am glad! And relieved 🙂
A Star is Born Round VIII: Imitation of Life
A couple of months into the foray of public blogging, I made a friend with an amazing poet Oscar Plascencia from In So Many Words. Oscar has been a wonderful friend, willing to listen privately while I’ve gone through a couple of emotional meltdowns, and even sketched a beautiful piece of artwork and posted it to me. A couple of days ago Oscar requested that I do a 15-second video on his work and himself, to form part of a 2 minute video for his entry in the “Best Performance of the Year” online competition hosted at thepublicblogger.com. Instead of saying no, I decided to move out my comfort zone and try and do this for him. Well, it took me about a hundred takes and eventually gave up, sending the last one I took. If you’d like to support Oscar, head over to the link above and vote now! You might be able to make out who I am in the accompanying video! (I am not an actor by any means lol, but I tried!)
Vote Oscar!!
My Scottish grandmother and I outside her home in Cape Town
My grandparents bought a house in Cape Town in 1977, and made it their home. It was near the sea and you could catch a view of Table Mountain from a certain angle. We lived in Johannesburg (two-hour flight away), so used to go there on holidays. When I became a teenager, I discovered how similar in nature I was to my grandmother. We seemed to have similar quirks and oddities (many of which I’m pleased to say I have outgrown!) I felt closest to her than anyone. After my grandparents passed away, a relative moved into the house, which has now been sold, and my relative moved out yesterday. The house is ready for its new owners.
I remember when my husband and I packed up our home in Johannesburg. The moving company came and collected all the boxes and I remember sitting on the step thinking, the next time I see these boxes I will be on a different continent and have no idea where I will be unpacking them! It was a strange feeling. I waited for my husband to arrive home, and we drove to my mother-in-law. She had made up beds for us in the dining room, my defacto home for the next six weeks, while my husband went ahead of us in our move to Sydney. When we arrived on the Monday night, she made us tea and offered us homemade carrot cake. A lovely welcome, for a strange night of ours lives!
Tides come and go. Flowers bloom and die. Homes and hearts so welcoming, at some point, perhaps so far in the future it may seem, they cease to be, and are simply no more.
Replaced with new homes and new hearts.
Today I went to a funeral of a child. A child so full of life and enthusiasm and joy. I cannot even begin to imagine what the parents are going through, how the pain in their heart will make each new day seem impossible. No parent should have to bury their child. And yet it happens. I have friends (more than one) who have lost a child. We are born into this life. And one day we will die. We are not told when or how. I try and teach my children this. Do not be afraid of death. Because it can happen to anyone at anytime. It is up to us to make each day count, for we are not guaranteed another. Peace be with you.
Poems and Petals 