I am thankful for everything in my life, but if there’s anything I’m especially grateful for, it’s the amazing people God chooses to walk with me. You guys not only make the hard days bearable, but remind me why every day is spectacular.
Sometimes there are things you get for free.
Those things for which you never ask, for which require no particular task,
Things that solicit nothing more of your soul than but to breathe,
But to live;
To simply be.
And with each gasp of air, you receive. Abundantly.
Sometimes there are things you can’t explain.
The way your heart eased, absolved from all pain,
Fragile and hurt, yet you only felt gain. The peace in the clamour,
Amidst the glitz and the glamour, a voice,
Saying nothing,
And is just there. And the presence is deafening.
Sometimes there are things that make you smile all the time.
Loss of words, loss of rhyme, the moments when for once you’re not in a hurry,
When you finally comprehend that every single one of your worries,
Has led you here. To learn, to share, to grow,
To yearn, with passion, for the whole world to know,
That you are happy. Just really happy.
Sometimes there are things of which you have to let go.
Like that thing called pride that takes you farthest from home,
So to wait at the crossroad for a yes or a no, patience thin as a glass,
Transparent, exposed. To be truth, to be light, to be wisdom, to be hope,
Abandoning all that you reserve on the premise not promised
That someday they’ll be thankful, faithful, stronger.
Not because of you, but because of our Father.
Sometimes there are things called limits.
Time, distance, this place, that place,
That space without contact, without exchange
Of thoughts, sentiments, ideas, something strange,
Because sometimes we get busy, sometimes things get in the way.
But there’s a thing called friendship,
And I think I got it for free,
And words fail and fall short as a tale
And as a sufficient portrayal of how much it has brought me and taught me to be.
Ridden from selfishness, pride, impatience, fear,
So to nurture others in cherishing their own souls as dear.
The world places limits,
But love never ends.
So thank you guys for your love,
And for being my best friends.
Normally I wouldn't comment on something I perceive to be a private note or an ode to a particular subject, but this I feel deserves comment.
ReplyDeleteOf course opening up on the internet is normally easier than doing so in public, or in front of those you know and love. It takes courage either way to express what you did, and I feel that you expressed that loving thankfulness in a unique way through poetry.
What has always drawn me towards poetry is the minimalistic nature it encompasses, needing only a short line packed with emotion. Short stanzas filled with praise, to give the reader the message the author intended...
I can only imagine that you are blessed with a multitude of friends, because you are clearly an outgoing person, a true extrovert. People likely gravitate towards you naturally, which can be both a blessing and a curse, but I can imagine that you have quite a tight knit circle of friends.
My story is rather the opposite. While I may not be an extrovert of your nature, I am also not a introvert, rather somewhere between the two. I am independently minded, and work well alone, but definitely enjoy the company of others as it is only natural to do so. But, for the majority of my life I've been alienated with the stereotypical nature of being a geek because of my keen desire to search for knowledge and wisdom. I was taken advantage of by others for my knowledge, not as much in my early years of education, but especially so in high school. Of course in my first year of high school I was labelled as an outcast, and would only be searched out by others when they wanted something from me. I continually gave of myself in a rather pitiful effort to gain friends, which inevitably further alienated me to the position in which I truly had no friends. In the second through third years of high school I worked to try and gain friends by sharing a common passion with others, which worked out in a sense, but even then I was still mostly alone. By the end of high school I had people who would say they were my friend, but in the end I had given up on trying to make a connection with others, it just left me feeling like I was wasting my time. Wisdom was my only true friend, and the only one which I could seek out and find when ever I needed to. What was probably my smartest decision was making friends with members of the fairer sex, which you are a member of. This allowed me to at the very least, have someone to talk to and often on a much deeper and more intimate level than I ever would have with anyone else.
Of course here I am after my education on my own path, once again on my own. I've never had a facebook profile, but I promised people I would get one before I moved on with my education, alas I never did...
Maybe that will be my next move, once again seeking out those whom I left behind all those months ago. This time, not to beg for companionship, or prostrate myself before those I wanted friendship from , this time rather to have people drawn to me...
I'll leave you with a selection of songs, mostly sad songs, because one of my favourite genres is country music, so it is fitting that my response was of a similar nature...
...To be continued on the following comment...
Here is the second part:
ReplyDelete"Love Never Comes At All" - Ian Tyson
There was a time, love had no beginning,
There'll be a time, love will know no end,
Like it came late for us, better late than never,
It's the love, for some poor souls, never comes at all
Lookin' back down the canyons of the searchin' years,
All those nights I watched the sun go down alone,
Watched the shadows lengthen out towards the darkness,
And I wondered, would love ever come at all
On the desert, springs sometimes run dry,
Our love is like a deep well, that could drown both you and I
So tonight, as my guitar, tells of my love for you,
The stars will return to light the autumn sky,
The time we have left, I will prove my love is true,
It's the love, for some poor souls, never comes at all
(Interlude)
Way out on the desert, springs sometimes run dry,
Our love is like a deep well, that could drown both you and I
So tonight, as my my guitar, tells of my love for you,
The stars will return to light the autumn sky,
The time we have left, I will prove my love is true,
It's the love, for some poor souls, never comes at all
Were so lucky, that our love ever came at all...
"Colder Weather" - Zac Brown Band (fitting for the season)
She'd trade Colorado if he'd take her with him
Closes the door before the winter lets the cold in
And wonders if her love is strong enough to make him stay
She's answered by the tail lights shining through the window pane
He said, I want to see you again
But I'm stuck in colder weather
Maybe tomorrow will be better
Can I call you then
She said, you're a ramblin' man
And you ain't ever gonna change
You got a gypsy soul to blame
And you were born for leavin'
At a truck stop diner just outside of Lincoln
The night is black as the coffee he was drinkin'
And in the waitress' eyes he sees the same old light is shinin'
He thinks of Colorado and the girl he left behind him
He said, I want to see you again
But I'm stuck in colder weather
Maybe tomorrow will be better
Can I call you then
She said, you're a ramblin' man
You ain't ever gonna change
Got a gypsy soul to blame
And you were born for leavin', born for leavin'
Well, it's a winding road
When you're in the lost and found
You're a lover, I'm a runner
We go 'round and 'round
And I love you but I leave you
I don't want you but I need you
You know it's you that calls me back here, baby
Oh, I want to see you again
But I'm stuck in colder weather
Maybe tomorrow will be better
Can I call you then
'Cause I'm a ramblin' man
I ain't ever gonna change
I gotta gypsy soul
And I was born for leavin', born for leavin'
When I close my eyes I see you
No matter where I am
I can smell your perfume through these whispering pines
I'm with your ghost again
It's a shame about the weather
But I know soon we'll be together
And I can't wait till then
I can't wait till then
Sincerely,
Your faithful reader,
~Surrey's last poet...
I'm so incredibly sorry that I haven't replied in about a month... Things were extremely hectic this month with finals and Christmas gigs/parties etcs.
ReplyDeleteI can actually relate to you about high school... To some degree, I spent a lot of time by myself. Or whenever I was with people, I'd still feel like I was alone. But I'm sure you can attest that over time, you were able to turn that struggle into a victory. At the end of the day, what other people think of you doesn't matter if you don't think well of yourself. At least that's what I try to do/remind myself.
I will be praying for your peace. I hope you had a merry Christmas :)
And thank you for all the songs that you recommend. I really appreciate the lyrics!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely no problem.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd be interested in hearing your story of your struggle, but only if your comfortable with posting it. I felt comfortable posting mine, simply because of the anonymity of the internet...
I may have sold my story a bit, really I was and always have been a very independent worker, and independently minded, and I have struggled in group situations because of the way I am accustomed to working... Of course being a "geek" never really helped me make a lot of friends, but all of that is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I survived high school is a somewhat fitting statement, but rather I learned to thrive in my own way...
Have a Merry Christmas, and a peaceful and rewarding New Year.
Sincerely,
Your faithful reader,
~Surrey's last poet...