Woke up to inclement weather of the heart,
Turbulence in the slipstream of life,
Another day older,
Jury’s still out on the wisdom.
Between gigs,
In the lexicon of music,
Between moments,
In the songs of life.
In an old truck held together
With duct tape and prayer,
I drive to ambivalence
In this frozen tundra I call home.
Thirty below zero under a forboding winter sky,
A homeless man trudges through the snow
With a convoy of shopping carts holding
All his worldly possessions.
Plodding on, seemingly indifferent,
Intoxicated perhaps,
Forging on nevertheless,
A paradox in my jaded world.
I gasp at this visual
It jolts me back
To the relative comfort
Of the life of my tormented soul.
Gratitude bunks with the unequivocal knowledge,
That life is inherently good,
We are hardwired to be happy,
Yet defy this from places of fear.
There is beauty in the snowflake,
Given birth by a blizzard,
I am capable of love,
I am fearless.
Thy will be done,
Not my will,
But thy will be done,
And I shall be grateful.
Copyright © Henri Ferguson 2008
Author notes
Years ago I had just returned to the throes of one of those blistering winters that Edmonton is notorious for. I was driving downtown in a borrowed dilapidated truck (with gratitude all the same) on a dark and bleak Sunday morning with Kris Kristofferson singing in my head. I was having what might best be characterized as a “whoa is me moment” when I saw this homeless man, dressed in flimsy clothes, draped with an old sleeping bag hauling his “material world” in two shopping carts. It continually amazes me how the universe delivers to us these humbling reminders to re-adjust our skewed perceptions and find that place of gratitude inside, a place that we all should visit more often. How soon we forget the blessings and comforts that have been bestowed on us and dwell instead in the vacuum of our wants and desires. I am blessed, and I shall be grateful.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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yes, we do forget all too soon....
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Wow!
A very powerful and thought provoking write here! It is so true that we all sometimes forget just how blessed we are until as you say, the universe reminds us that we are mistaken. We can all benefit from this reminder through your poem. Thanks for reminding me to be thankful today. Blessings, Patty
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I think gratitude is the most important emotion a human being can have. It's the foundation of happiness. I was very sick recently and said to myself I was going to sit in the sun when I got better and just enjoy the lack of pain for a few hours. I also thought that maybe the purpose of sickness is to remind us how blessed we are to be healthy when the sickness passes. Human beings have an infinite capacity of taking things for granted. I'm constantly counting my blessings, as you do in this poem. Unfortunately, it takes a conscious effort.
I was coming out of an El Pollo Loco a few days ago when a homeless man asked me for some change. I gave him a fiver. He said, "Are you sure?" like I'd just handed him a fifty. I said yes. His next question was, "Can I ask you something? How would you kill yourself, if you had to?" Startled, I decided to stand and talk with him for a while. He said his son was killed in a drive-by shooting and his wife had left him. His family had disowned him and he was an alcoholic. At night, he would ride his bike to the cemetery where they have an "eternal flame" that burns night and day, and he would look into the flame and beg Jesus to take his life. He said he was a coward because he was afraid of the pain he might feel if he killed himself, and because he was afraid of going to hell. He asked me if I would pray for him. We got on our knees and prayed on the grass in the landscaped island of El Pollo Loco as the drive-thru cars passed by. Everybody watched us, wondering what was going on. I thought about what a non-spiritual society it is when two men can't pray without it being a spectacle. We stood up and he hugged me, crying his eyes out, still wishing he was dead. After another half hour or so, I had to get back to work and said goodbye to him. He stood there waving until I drove out of sight. He was the saddest man I think I've ever met. I called the police and asked them to send someone from social services over to give him a room for a few days and some psychological counseling. I was sure he was going to kill himself soon. Anyway, talking with the most heartbroken and desperately sad man on earth sure changed my perspective that day. I couldn't remember what I was worried about before I met him.
Nice work, Henri. Your work is always soulful and thought-provoking, ergo the length of this response.
Take care buddy
Mark
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Oh, how this poem touched me ...
for once again, you used realtime situations to write timeless poetry ... Forever the carer and the healer, you see the global picture, and Beyond.
I love you for this, Henri. You are such a gentle soul.
Please write more. This is a rich and textured poem, and yes, a humble reminder that we are so blessed, and should be grateful!
Thank you.
Blessed be.
Myra
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Amen!
I think while I'm sitting inside my warm house
bemoaning the raging blizzard outside. I think
I needed to read this. and...realize spring will
come it will. Thank you Henri, You've always lifted
me spiritually.
Red
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Liked the metaphor used in this. Heard they had miserable driving conditions in Edmonton again Saturday. HEre we just got a skiff of that storm - light, fluffy flakes, nothing stayed. We are 2 hours south east of the city. Alberta winters, even springs, are very trecherous at times. Liked this description of the weather in this province.
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