A dear friend sends me poetry via email. Not poems she has written, but poems she finds and likes. I must admit at first I thought,"What the hell?" But then I started reading them, ha! What a joy.
I often struggle to relax enough to read. Anything. I'm not kidding. I do read, but I have to wrestle with an angel first. Concentration is something I earn. A good story helps.
Forget about meditating, it's just not gonna happen. So, receiving poems from her is good for my immortal soul. Perhaps there is balm in Gilead?
Here's the latest.
Future Plans
by Kate Barnes
When I am an old, old woman I may very well be
living all alone like many another before me
and I rather look forward to the day when I shall have
a tumbledown house on a hill top and behave
just as I wish to. No more need to be proud—
at the tag end of life one is at last allowed
to be answerable to no one. Then I shall wear
a shapeless felt hat clapped on over my white hair,
sneakers with holes for the toes, and a ragged dress.
My house shall be always in a deep-drifted mess,
my overgrown garden a jungle. I shall keep a crew
of cats and dogs, with perhaps a goat or two
for my agate-eyed familiars. And what delight
I shall take in the vagaries of day and night,
in the wind in the branches, in the rain on the roof!
I shall toss like an old leaf, weather-mad, without reproof.
I’ll wake when I please, and when I please I shall doze;
whatever I think, I shall say; and I suppose
that with such a habit of speech I’ll be let well alone
to mumble plain truth like an old dog with a bare bone.
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| Our great granddaughter is one of my role models |
I'm not a great for poetry either but I like this one. It's funny or sad, that women have to wait until we get old to be ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt is more sad than funny, I suspect.
DeleteThat's a nice idea -- to send poetry in an e-mail. I do like this one. Some poems can be rather impenetrable; I appreciate those that are careful with language and sounds yet simple enough to understand.
ReplyDeleteIt's been really fun. If she sends me one that is rather impenetrable, I just don't read it. Ha.
DeleteThe poem is beautiful. And you have chosen the perfect role model.
ReplyDeleteThank you, mimmylynn! To be able to live in the moment like an almost 3 year old, right?
DeleteA lovely poem. I'm going to add it to my Save Gems folder. Beautiful photo of your great granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteA Save Gems folder? Geez-o-Pete, I want one, too!
Deletesneakers with holes for the toes, and a ragged dress. (or rather, shirt and shorts) yes, please. lol
ReplyDeleteMy son started on his creative journey by writing / performing spoken word poetry. I've been in and out of the genre over the years, getting back in for a variety of reasons. I love this idea. I love this poem.
There is something delightfully subversive about sharing poetry. I love this poem, sneakers with holes for the toes, and ragged dresses (tshirts), too. How can anyone really relax in new clothes?
DeleteImpenetrable is a good word for some poetry! Mary Oliver is one I can appreciate and the poems I learned by rote in school come back at odd moments to comfort me. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child - great choice for a role model!
ReplyDeleteChildren are the best role models.
DeleteYour great granddaughter is living poetry! I read a blog called Alive On All Channels and have been introduced there to poets and poetry as well as writers of fiction and non-fiction I might not have known about otherwise. I don't seek out poetry but enjoy when others bring poetry to my attention (-:
ReplyDeleteInteresting (Alive On All Channels).
DeleteSounds like a great recipe for enjoying the end of your life!
Delete