Tag: writing

Categories
Poetry

Warped Regression

I am wretched
  spastic in time
visions zoom and swoop
I am not alleviated of guilt
I am a burden of my own burdening

Knocked to the hard ground
       concrete bloodied
pieces of knuckles, jaws
  scattered about
       detritus of a coming war
  spastic in time
visions sink, exhaled
  a finale, last breath
I am not alleviated of guilt
I will not profess my own burdening

Seamless lips, faulted
  refusing to admit witness
slammed with responsibility
  reaping, weeping, false confession
but a word, treason, is not spoken
  and the clouds do not lift
visions sink, heavy, inhaled
  as poison, saddled, trained
a whistle blows, heard for miles
  you know it’s gone —
a train of burden

You ought to have seen this coming
       hisses a Voice outta dark
          whispers like old wheels
       grinding to a halt on a rusted track
                        (obligation bearing back)

And if I did?
         words evaporated, arisen from
           a vibrating box,
         moved by mind

And remain ignorantly attached?
        But why!
            — surprise in the Voice

                                          silence

Addiction to the merry-go-round
of burden,
the colours, the depths of pain
    the highs  of   lows
the energy, vibrating
       words,   vibrating
     endowed with mind-meaning
   and mind-made-up

The Voice can see what
         lack of service lacks
  and   stops.   shocked —
            disappears, abandoning

            Please!  I laugh
Please!  I laugh
                   and laugh

Categories
Poetry

The Leper

Untouched
     and why
such disgust at
     contagious negativity
gangrene and gross
     debilitating degeneration
carnivorous and swift
     progression is easy
unneeded consent
     submit    submit
and why
     untouched except
with separate wash
     still never away
she wept
     and why

Categories
Poetry

A fickle thing

I started to lose interest
where it began, I cannot tell –
was it diseases of delusions?
   or the medications as well?

Aversion to sugar
I dislike that sweet —
  but a little too tart?
         sours my treat

A dash of salt
  is too salty still
     when I want a
                     silly snack

Creamy vanilla
    or buttered plain
        are two with simple
                               lack

Yet mocha dark
       or caramel glazed
              are off my beaten
                                path

So what is it I fancy?
      what is it I crave?
  and what will satisfy me?
  or quick become depraved?

For once a pleasure rises
    a pleasure, she must fall
    and he who sympathizes with
                                attachment
       is he who loses all

For grasping at an object,
impermanent, illusion best
is ignorance, the birthplace
of delusions, all the rest

So what will satisfy me
     external to my mind?
Nothing nothing no   thing
         for all that is
         is named,   is mind

Categories
Poetry

Lost Life Loss

                         a memory

it is not mine

                      upon a log I sit

           ‘neath the snowy pine

under darkened sky

                      beside earthen stove

           a bitter wind kicks up

in the moonlit grove

                      the jingle of the horse & sleigh

           as it carries him so far away

I cannot weep, I do not cry

                      a muted heart is breaking

           and as the silence lies

a frozen bough is snapping – loud

                      to crack the quiet

           still, expected in the freeze

I do not startle, there is no breeze

         no wind at back to impel me

                      my bones have stiffened here

           my mind is anything but clear

as the winter’s solitude

                      forces delusions rather rude

           inner quietude never did follow outer

now it’s simply easier to hear

                      internal screaming

         though the fire burns, continuous

it takes us not

                        because it cannot reach

         what we refuse we got

         buried below

                        alive and dead

         some peace & love

                                     blessings bestowed

how are these all stripped from me?

         as he plods on down the snowy path

                  I know he won’t be coming back

         so I’m wrecked to watch him leave

though it is not my memory

Categories
Monday Motivation Philosophy

Hold Fast Your Destiny | MM 2

The best discipline I ever received from a teacher in elementary school was, “I’m not telling you not to do it. I’m telling you not to get caught.” He was referring to my poetry notebook confiscated by a substitute teacher. She had taken particular offense to the metaphor I drew of my homeroom teacher as the falling sun.

Mr. Watson was one of few teachers who did not actively try and kill my childhood dreams of becoming a creative. The first time I received in-school support was from my grade two teacher: he laminated one of the first stories I wrote.

I carefully crafted my dreams in secret for most of my young life. Teachers and many other adults were unskillful at nurturing big ideas. They were small dreamers, and they functioned to place limits on all young lives they touched. This was my experience anyway.

There is a Bob Dylan quote that goes, “Destiny is a feeling you have that you know something about yourself nobody else does. The picture you have in your own mind of what you’re about will come true. It’s a kind of a thing you kind of have to keep to your own self, because it’s a fragile feeling, and if you put it out there, then someone will kill it. It’s best to keep that all inside.”

I feel this truth. When you have a special idea or dream or talent, it’s important to keep some of it to yourself. You have a personal legend, a treasure, and it’s perfectly okay to guard that. In fact, I believe you should. Not everything is meant for the world to see. People kill ideas. We see it every day. Not one idea can be agreed on by all people – so why try and make it so?

Keep doing what you love, what’s precious to you. At the right time, you’ll be able to reveal it to a select section of the world: your special audience. In its infancy, you must guard your personal legend so it can’t be torn down by people who take joy in setting other people’s limitations. In the meantime, work on removing self-imposed restrictions. Encourage others wherever you can, and this gesture will be returned tenfold.

Your potential knows no bounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-8J2ogTDA4&ab_channel=WorldFarmacy
Categories
Firescape Fridays Photography

Firescape Fridays! | FF 1

Moving into a building with an accessible fire escape has been such a gift! I think I spent half my summer basking in the afternoon sun, reading, writing, meditating, philosophizing and watching the squirrels from this spot.

Friday afternoons seem like the perfect time to share some of the pensive poems and ponderings I’ve compiled upon my perch. Please enjoy Firescape Thoughts as we head into each weekend.

Skies

This evening’s clouds are incredible
It’s almost impossible to believe
When you peel back such beauty
You could find such ugliness beneath

Categories
Resource Wednesday

Resource Wednesdays! | Issue 1

Each Wednesday I’ll do my best to share a resource I’ve created personally (like my Volunteer Supervisor Package or the Resume & Cover Letter that landed me a job without an interview).

I’ll be breaking down some important docs to their skeletons and provide you with tools to make your success easier. I like to promote efficiency through sensible, ethical and reproducible work principles. I’ll also share resources by others that have been helpful to me.

I’m aiming to create a small bank of professional goodies (pro bono), because I think everyone should have a happy work experience that fosters growth and appreciation. If you don’t know where to start on that journey, this is the place for you. If you’re well on your way, but could use a little extra support, this is for you too. If you’re already an expert and want to bestow your wisdom, feel free to contact me for a coffee.

Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming weeks:

A breakdown of the Volunteer Supervisor Package: a resource intended to build and enhance the relationship between the Volunteer Coordinator and the Direct Volunteer Supervisor(s) at your typical not-for-profit organization.

Why is this important?

When volunteers are properly supported, you have the opportunity to receive their outstanding kindness, skills and even professional qualities. The benefits of this range from increasing volunteer participation to surpassing your fundraising goals.

Most non profits can benefit from volunteers at every level – but only if volunteer positions are well-structured; provide screening, training, supervision and support; and volunteers are appreciated for their efforts. Professional volunteer administrator networks are a great local resource for volunteer coordinators to collaborate, but sometimes professionals are still unwilling to share the bones of their materials. Moreover, sometimes organizations’ policies discourage this openness.

Over the course of the next 6 to 8 weeks, I’ll be breaking down the Volunteer Supervisor Package I made for my favourite non profit when I developed the Volunteer Coordinator position. We’ll go over:

  • Volunteer Supervisor Responsibilities
  • Checklist for Successful Volunteer Training
  • The Volunteer Handbook
  • Top 10 Ways to Thank Volunteers
  • Thank You Notes & Cards
  • Tips on Giving Constructive Feedback
  • Volunteer Request Form
  • Replenishment Request & Other Communications

I’ll be sharing templates whenever I can so that you don’t have to start from scratch!

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View the Word Document here.