Category: culture

Not Taking It

We climbed so high
this mountain of man
made obstacles –

I remember the rage,
no more than 9 –
how helpless it felt

a girl in a man’s world
but I climbed anyway,
we climbed anyway

and, instead of a hand up
we get this? Patriarchy
be damned! Your days are
numbered. Mark my words.

(Image my own)

What We Really Need

We purchase boards
imagine roots –
dream bigger
ignore the dawning

The higher the fence,
we tell ourselves,
the better the privacy.
Work hard, earn big.

And the longing grows
it’s the heart that seeks roots
hungers for connection
love like sunshine

Would knock down walls
throw open the doors
bask in the expansiveness
of kindred moments shared.

(Image mine)

Relevance of Story

Stories have power. Parents, teachers, public speakers, and therapists understand that the secret to engaging an audience or connecting with others is through illustration: storytelling.

I see it in the eyes of the my grandchildren, who love to hear tales of family history.

I’ve seen in the eyes of students, when recognition and understanding light up.

I’ve seen in in the eyes of audiences, who tear up or laugh at the telling of a relevant anecdote.

I’ve seen it in the eyes of the wounded trying to make sense of their past: the craving for a story that offers validation.

Imagine a world where we are absent from stories. This is a reality for many, whose race, ethnicity, or beliefs excludes them from discourse.

Chimamanda Adichie says it best in her Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story.

Is This War?

“War is hell.  You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture genuine fear.”
– unknown

The bomb has dropped
control slips from our grasp

We pray for a parachute
for someone to pull the cord

numbers escalate,
lives plummet

We offer encouragement
isolated voices faltering

moment of impact imminent
the implosion inevitable

impact reverberates
responsibility moot.

(  Image my own.)

Imagine

If we could lift understanding
to indigenous teachings
expand our love
to earth, sky, and sea
Make personal gain taboo
and Ancients a weigh point

If we could witness the mountains
slow floating across the sky
and touch the dolphin’s soul
anxiously swimming
where tuna are netted

Would we cower at our insignificance
or move forward, learning to accept
that all of life is deeply woven
into the fabric of our collective hopes.

(Image my own)

Expectations

Expectations artificial
living in an urban jungle
longing for nature’s calm –

time moves too swiftly
barely register
let alone participate

We are guests in our own
expectation’s dysfunction
licensed for depression

a smorgasbord for abuse
intentions mislaid,
disappointment unavoidable

The ego pretends to be open
but she’s an actress off cue
playing out a sentence –

condemned to basics
praying to escape
this dystopian malfunction.

(Image my own)