Musings After Fifty
I cannot hope to change
a thing in this world
except myself, as I am
moving through it
contemplating my own
particular gullibility
and realizing that some things
are never resolved
in all finality.
I cannot hope to speak
for any other
nor they for me,
for my unique perception
is my individuality.
Yet it, too,
is affected by
our commonality.
I am losing my fear
of duality or plurality
within myself ,
and view integration
of all the parts of me
as an asset,
rather than a liablity.
The good and the bad
both lay inside me
and never could be
separated--
the bad discarded,
the good kept.
For this human inability
I too often wept.
Now I fear stagnation
more than anything,
having learned
that activity means little
when the movement
is just lateral.
Life's journey means little
without a destination.
Now there is no venom
coursing through my veins.
Instead, there's been a growing
acceptance by my soul
of things the way they are,
not as I thought they should be.
My contentment lies in knowing
in my journey to be whole
and letting go my demon,
I embraced not just the joys,
but inevitable pains.
Now I hear my laughter
turning into happy
sighs of resignation.
I am looking forward
to whatever must be,
without consternation,
to whatever will come after.
Author notes
Written December 8th, 2001
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1 - 10 of 10
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well done
Beautiful, and I intend to not ruin it with helpess remarks. Only "Beautiful" can cover it... ps: and I'm not always nice -
A-excellent
Life's journey means little
without a destination.
or a dream, and you are still filled with those,
nice to find someone around here older than me, makes me feel like a kid again, as you might imagine I found much here to empathasize(sp) with here, Thanx. -
excellent
Really great write. well done :)
Meg -
don't touch it!
Very inspirational, I've yet to realize the wisdom that you possess this still means something to me regardless of how old I am. -Brandon -
don't touch it!
I feel some kind of peace from your poem. I think we are all looking for who we are, but we don't want to embrace everything we find. The first line is words to live by. Thank you for writting this. -
had to come back for another visit...still just as good as ever!
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I've never actually felt a sig of resignation...lol...sighs, yes. Would help if I could type.
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I can't imagine you with sigs of resignation...not you... You have such a spirit!! Those of us who share your years applaud you for what we see as a life filled with the acceptance of our choices, and the wisdom we hope it brings. I love this!
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key words in my life I hear here, loyalty to thyself, peace within my heart, tolerance of undying changes life brings, and contenment within brings a soul gipping acceptance.
Nice form and flow here! -
There is not a single thing I don't like about this poem! I've read it again and again, and there is so much you've written here between the lines. I tend to do creative reading sometimes, but the flavor of your work seems to declare, 'I yam what I yam' and that's not a bad thing - regardless whether it met anyone else's expectations or not. Acceptance of your whole leads to contentment. (Happiness has highs and lows, but contentment is a constant basis for satisfaction.) But...I don't have to explain the nuances of words to you...Again, I'm mesmerized by your usage of vocabulary.
Your first 2 verses reflect much of my philosophy..'I'm not responsible for what happens to me, only how I deal with it' but when I do make changes within myself, it creates a ripple effect that spreads to others and affects them. Your individuality and theirs is affected by our commonality. Your words said so much within such a small space.
The next two verses reminded me of 'Faults'...discussing how we view our weaknesses in comparison to how others view them. Again, acceptance of who I am, but NOT quitting there. The next verse follows it by a desire to move forward based on knowledge from past. And, YES, you definitely need a destination. If you don't know where you're going, how would you know when you get 'there'? (part of my speech on 'setting goals' *smile*).
'Instead, there's been a growing acceptance by my soul
of things the way they are, not as I thought they should be.' Excellent lines - especially spiced w/declaration there is no venom coursing thru veins (what a descriptive choice of words!)
I also like how you started with 'I cannot hope...' and ended with hearing your laughter and happy sighs.
Yep...I liked this. I hope you aren't horrified by all my comments. It may not have been all you WROTE, but it's what I READ. *grin* I'm looking forward to reading more of your work - and your free verse works well here. Thanks for sharing this. m
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