Partners for Life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“The great thing about getting older is that you become much more mellow. Things aren’t as much black and white and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good things much more easily… “  - Maeve Binchy 

“Aging is not uncomplicated. Creativity is an extraordinary help against destructive demons.” - Ingmar Bergman

“We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.” - Deepak Chopra

“The ordinary experiences of aging alter and clarify your view of past, present, and future.” - Edith Pearlman

Now, many if not most of us have to cope with various health issues as we grow old(er). Never easy. The trick is not to let it obscure our perspective on the bright(er) side of life, especially as it is reflected in the kinder side of human nature

PARTNERS FOR LIFE

Growing old,
quality of life much the poorer
just for that, barely 
in touch with a mind-body-spirit
often losing its way
among mixed feelings forever open
to misinterpretation,
of positive thoughts persistently overtaken
by naggings of disillusion?

Looking back
over some shadowy shoulder
at inspiring dreams
left unfulfilled like litter on the streets
where I have lived,
expecting more of a Here-and-Now
than it was able to give,
left wondering what Time may yet yield me
other than... a lonely eternity?

Alternative voices,
familiar enough to any heart-and-soul
having had to rise above
such negative thoughts as sure to haunt
even a positive thinker
whenever life take a turn for the worse,
(as often as not)
tasking us with the greater art of being human,
in starting over, yes, yet again

Oh, mind-and body!
unable to win through, but for letting in
and partnering a native spirit
defying description, invariably taking its cue
from a natural world
no less under threat than a heart-and-soul
continuing to be inspired,
forever working through stages of regeneration;
come mind-body-spirit, in unison.

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2023

[Note: I have been very unwell, but  working on another post-poem has contributed, in no small measure, to my starting to feel a lot better and more positive about looking on the bright(er) side of life...😉 Oh, and I hope some of you will have enjoyed browsing the post-poems in the blog archives during my absence, and will continue to do so.] RT

 

Hello Everyone, from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“Faith is a passionate intuition.” - William Wordsworth  

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.” - Khalil Gibran

“The belief that one's own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions”. - Paul Watzlawick

Now, it is the day before Christmas wherever the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated; a time, too, to reflect on just what any religious faith means to us, both personally and universally.

As regular readers will know, I consider myself a pantheist. Pantheists believe that God is nature.

Why do I think this way? I have no idea, except that I could never relate to a personified God, yet whenever I have engaged closely with nature, I have always experienced a sense of spirituality which I had always associated with religion, although religion had never given me access to the same experience; a very intimate experience, I should add.

No one person’s perspective on life, faith, whatever, will ever be quite the same, not least because we are all different.  That is not to say that one or other perspective is right or wrong, simply an integral part of who we are. 

Me, I find various religious dogma too prescriptive and often incompatible with my perspective on life as all-embracing, all-inclusive; no excluding anyone on the basis of gender, sexual identity, walk of life etc. Humanity thrives on our differences, differences we need to accept and respect. Religious leaders profess to agree, yet their dogma argues differently. Accordingly, many of their followers may argue differently too.

As regular readers will also be very aware, I am very much in favour of agreeing to differ in a spirit of peace and love, not the kind of divisiveness that causes, families to estrange, nations to declare war. <<wry bardic grin>>

Sadly, human nature is such that we often find ourselves caught on either side of various divides, that cannot or will not see where each is coming from, cannot or will not bring themselves to communicate and even try to understand and find common ground.

Human nature itself is complex, confusing, invariably expected to explain itself, when our actions cannot always be explained away; feelings are not necessarily the same as motives and do not lend themselves easily to the vocabulary of reason. From early years, we are taught that to understand ourselves and each other we need to be insightful as to what motivates, even justifies certain actions.  Yet, as the quotations above suggest, there are elements within all of us that even we, ourselves, are at pains to explain away.

Anyway, enough of my amateurish attempt to explain my deeper sentiments from which has evolved an all-inclusiveness that I try to inject into many of my poems. How far I succeed or not is up to the reader to decide.😉

It is Christmas Eve and, in the Spirit of Christmas, I want to thank you all for looking in on my blog posts and poems, it means a lot to me.

All that remains, for now, is to wish you all safe, well and hopeful always. Sadly, the ways of the world and human nature are such that this is not always the case. Even so, we can but keep looking on the bright(er) side of life and do our best to spread happiness, comfort and joy along the way; rarely easy, yet we can but try.

Whether we celebrate Christmas or not (I don’t) may the spirit of Christmas - one of hope, peace and kindness - be with us all.

Oh, and yes, I am working on a new poem, so do drop by again soon.

Take care, folks, whoever and wherever you are.

Hugs,

Roger

[Note: This post-poem also appears on my gay poetry blog today.] RT

PS Many thanks to those readers who take the trouble to point out any print or spelling errors in some of my poems; I always take note, re-read the poem as it appears on the screen and make any necessary amendments.

Smiling Through

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen

“ What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.”- George Eliot

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now, as regular readers will know, I have been treated with hormone therapy for my prostate cancer over a period of a good ten years now; one of the side-effects can be - as it is so for me - regular depression and/or a rising sense of panic whenever even small things go wrong. 

I suspect it may seem worse for older people like myself who live alone, which is maybe why we appreciate acts of kindness so much, as it helps (considerably) to alleviate these symptoms; someone able to pare just a few minutes to talk to you and help calm you down can make all the difference.

Since the pandemic, everyone has been under stress. Here in London, acts of kindness are noticeably in far shorter supply than they were previously. For example, fewer people are willing to pause to help ole Rog when clearly in difficulty or offer a seat on a crowded bus or train, so I have to stand, leaning on my walking stick for support. 

 Whenever anyone does offer me their seat, I thank them, throw them a huge smile, and the light in their eyes suggests it is as much welcome to them as their offer of a seat is to me.

As in many old sayings, there is much truth in the one about kindness bringing its own reward. 

Hopefully, we have seen the worst of Covid-19 and its variants, although there remain hard times ahead as the financial crisis finds so many people struggling to make ends meet.

All any of us can do is keep looking on the brighter, lighter side of life and take comfort in the knowledge that there is always light at the end of even the longest tunnel.

No, never easy, but... we have a choice?

SMILING THROUGH

This heart grew heavy,
loaded down with sadness, a sense
of feeling adrift,
barely keeping afloat for sailing
stormy waters,
struggling to make sense of a life
searching heart-and soul
for that familiar surge of a lively inspiration,
now gone quiet, all but a vacuum

Mind-body-spirit
struggling to rise above such despair
as strikes fear
in the hearts of those of us anxious
to make sense
of a You-Me-Us simply drifting along
having all but lost sight
of who we are any more, not as once we were,
birds of a feather, so happy together

Lately, even the smiles 
on our faces tell lies, trying to disguise
a You-Me-Us fallen apart
over tard times without our noticing,
taking us for granted,
failing to see how we rarely any more
as once we would
fondly reminisce about how we met, fell in love,
caught up in the magic of stars above

So… it came to pass,
we agreed a trial separation some time
to think us through,
search the remains of who we once were,
try  and see our way clear
to bring You-Me-Us together again, fill 
the Black Hole
we'd dug ourselves, a lonely, grieving while apart,.
anxious to reconcile mind-body-spirit

Yes, we courted anew, years falling away, tears too,
a shared heart-and-soul smiling through...

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

Hello again, folks, from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we mast never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King

“Always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne

“If you are pining for youth I think it produces a stereotypical old man because you only live in memory, you live in a place that doesn’t exist. Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” David Bowie

Hello again, folks, from London UK

No poem today, sorry. I am working hard on the final part of my poetry trilogy, but the heat is getting me down and there is still more of it in my mind than on paper. As regular readers know, years of hormone therapy (only) for my prostate cancer have really messed with my thought processes. Even so, we golden oldie poets are stronger and more determined than we look, so I press on. I am taking a break from Misnomer (3) while we are having to endure a heatwave here in the UK, but hope to finish and post it sometime next week.

The heat makes me feel dead beat. but writing poetry and doing word puzzles help even a gay poet to think straight. 😁  

Reader G J has emailed to complain that “You are very selective with your quotes, always choosing those that support your own views. Besides, some of the people you quote are obscure and unheard of…!” He or she also asks, “Do you realise that you often repeat the same quotes on other posts?” 

Yes, I am selective about the quotes I choose to post, not to support my own views, but (a) to provide the reader with an entry to the poem and (b) to avoid giving the impression that I am simply imposing my own views. As for obscurity, there is an entry for everyone I quote on Wikipedia if anyone cares to look, as I hope they will; yes, the authors may be obscure to some readers, but are well worth looking into, but this is a poetry blog and there simply isn’t room for me to expand.

As for repetition. I learned at an early age that if something is worth saying, it is invariably worth repeating; that’s how memorable quotes become… well, memorable. 😉

I hope some of you will find time to explore the blog archives now and then, although I suspect a heatwave is probably not the best encouragement...

In the course of global warming, I imagine many if not most of us will be having to deal with unseasonal heat and its consequences in the foreseeable future. I can but wish you all to keep well, stay safe and continue (as I do, albeit a struggle sometimes) to nurture a positive thinking mindset, whatever… No, never easy, but there is a lot to be said for the old saying ‘Hope springs eternal’… especially when the going gets tough.

In my experience, too, the spirit of kindness never fails to make itself felt and give hope a timely and very welcome boost

Take care, stay safe and keep well,

Hugs,

Roger

An Empathy with Nature (2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus

“Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly he work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces that make it a living thing.” John Stuart Mill

“The temple bell stops, but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.” - Matsuo Basho

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is the temple. The philosophy is kindness.” Dalai Lama

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou

The idea or metaphor of the human body as a temple isn’t exclusive to any religion, can also be found in various religious texts. One example is fasting, practiced in order to grow closer to some divine life force by distancing oneself from worldly dependencies, such as food and other pleasures. 

Sadly, this very distancing can encourage a degree of separatism within various societies / communities worldwide, where the art of agreeing to differ is more likely to light the flames of aggression than any candles of peace among those members who are (understandably if not always appropriately) more concerned with driving home their own point of view than agreeing to differ. 

Our sexuality is an expression of who, not what we are; for sure, it is not an attack on the temple of the human body since we are born this way; it is not a choice. The only choice is whether or not we feel encouraged to express it and look the world in the eye as we do so.

As regular readers of both my poetry blogs (my fiction blog too) will know, I was in my early 30’s before I finally emerged from the closet that had been my prison since I first realised I was gay at the age of 14 years (during what were overtly homophobic 1950’s here in the UK.).

60+ years on, I’d have hoped for a much kinder world, any perceived ‘differences’ regarding gender, ethnicity, culture or religion seen as making a positive contribution to a common humanity and welcomed as such. It is good to see this happening, especially among young people around the world, many if not most of whom deserve better than the awful prospect of being made to feel rejected - intentionally or not - by kith and kin.

AN EMPATHY WITH NATURE (2)

Some abuse me, say I sin
whose faith would condemn me
to serve a life sentence
for finding my own way, not theirs,
accessing a sense
of spirituality reflecting the real me,
(yes, warts 'n all);
no copycat stereotype, me, for a spirituality
that lets me BE

Consider mind-body-spirit
a temple to life forces, both worldly
and divine? In the latter
we can trust its promises to fulfil,
by way of heart-and-soul in good time;
i any other we can but hope
our judgement not in error, or else
we have but ourselves to blame, no comfort
 in hindsight…

Given life, a learning curve
my kind would do well to climb,
grow wiser to home truths,
give its kinder voices a say for the sake
of a common good,
respect various differences of opinion,
in all corners of society;
no life force has a monopoly on the humanity
that lets us BE 

Call me Sacrilege, in this heaven-and-hell world
where Peace so needs to have the last word…?

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

[Note: this post appears on both my gay and general poetry blogs.]

 

The Bee

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

 “In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”” –Alice Walker 

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” – Helen Keller

“We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in.” – Ernest Hemingway

Many years ago, a boy, about 10 years-old, I asked a disabled man in a wheel chair if he missed walking. “You bet I do!”, he said with a wry grin, “… so, thank heavens for imagination, eh?”

It struck me at the time that imagination was poor compensation for being unable to walk. 

Now, years on and in my 77th year, often frustrated by having to deal with an increasing mobility problem, needing compression stockings and a walking stick to get out even locally, I count my blessings that I can walk at all…  and know exactly what he meant.

THE BEE

There is a trellis fence sprawling with roses
whose gate I often pass through, into a garden
tendered with loving care
by the thoughtful heart, anxious that any who
enter there should open their senses 
o such sights, smells and sounds urging we
bond with the bee homing in on a favourite rose,
attend to late forget-me-nots

Always open, the gate, garden as welcoming
to strangers as old friends, whomsoever drawn,
whether by accident or design,
conscience or circumstances beyond reasoning
or control, body-mind-spirit
leading us into a panorama of peace and quiet,
taking its cue from mixed feelings, 
overflowing hearts posing questions, left struggling
to make sense of mixed feelings

No easy answers or solutions, bee disappearing
out of sight, out of mind, as we try to feel our way
to at least a leading clue
as to how to get through another day, fighting
off fears with a heart-and-soul,
taking us places we love to see, letting Earth Mother
show us how much beauty survives,
however badly the world treats us, whether in real time
or ‘live’ seasons of imagination

Oh, but to stay in the garden, breathe clean air, 
engage with such beauty as nature and human nature
have it in them to invoke,
given tender, loving care, left unprovoked by elements
seemingly all but indifferent
to such kinder life forces as call on us to follow a bee
into a trellis rose, be inspired
by how a beautiful garden landscapes grows on the heart,
wannabe world in miniature

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

Where there's Life...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of Man that will not go out, no matter how dark the world becomes.” - Leo Tolstoy

“Survival is not so much about the body, but rather it is about the survival of the human spirit.” – Danitra Vance

Reader, C. P. has emailed to say she is elderly and fears that the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, as ordered by Vladimir Putin, may lead to a third world war, given Putin’s animosity towards NATO and its okaying supplies of military hardware to assist the beleaguered Ukrainians. She adds that she is in her 80’s and well recalls the devastating effects of WW2 on natural and human landscapes worldwide.

What can I say, but that, hopefully, Putin will have more sense than Hitler and temper any such thoughts and ambitions with due caution? We cannot anticipate any mind-body-spirit, only let our hopes get the better of our fears and get on with our lives, take each day as it comes, focus on staying as cool, keeping as well and being as happy as we can.

Whatever tomorrow has in store for us, we can but wait and see. Meanwhile… all the while, mind-body-spirit continues to engage with heart-and-soul, we may not always feel as complete as we would hope, but at least all the better for remaining as yet unbroken…? 

WHERE THERE'S LIFE...

There is a rising tide across the world
in the cost of living (in more ways than one)
all walks of life, no exceptions...
increasing violence on the streets, 
in the home, hard to explain
various theories as to why it, oh, so often seems
we only dare feel safe in our dreams

A coronavirus pandemic has hit a world
already struggling to contain its fears, rage
and despair as the rich
appear to be getting richer even faster
than the poor getting poorer,
those caught in-between left confused and vexed 
as to what on earth we can expect next

Yet, true to say that where there’s life, hope
may well lie bleeding from wounds made by stabs
of harsh uncertainties
at a mind-body-spirit all but left for dead
by the host heart-and soul
that's overlooking the protective nature of life forces 
primed at birth to do battle with our enemies

Mudflats, home to various living organisms
watched over and duly inspired by Earth Mother
in the art of weathering tides
and other natural elements, reminding us
how all creatures great and small
face daily battles for survival, nor will the stronger win,
but those set to let natural life forces in

Wars, within and without lines drawn in mud,
sand, urban streets, even landscapes where luxury
is byword and keyword…
are fought with know-how strategies
and inborn resolve to expose
the stuff of which we're made for living, such life forces
as the power of love and freedom inspire in us

Win some, lose some, to all intents and purposes,
life and death as likely as not to make its own choices,
heart-and soul finding peace,
even in the thick of battling dark forces
for kith, kin and country, a sense 
of what’s right on its side, inner selves, an all-prevailing 
rallying call, our conscience, motivation and guide

Though freedoms won and lost at the toss of Time’s 
worn coin, we can but trust in Earth Mother and our own
sense of justice, forever to remain,
however tough the going may get, trusting
mind-body-spirit to find ways 
to inspire us, firing heart-and-soul into rising above it all,
cheering us on to (eventually) score a winning goal

Though nature and human nature lose out time and again,
the Landscape of Hope but awaits a healing rain

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

[Note: I have rewritten both the title and closing couplet to this poem after several emails from regular readers confirmed my own misgivings. Any emails, by the way,  should be addressed to rogertab@aol.com with. 'poetry' in the subject field.] RNT

Hi folks, from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi, folks,

I am struggling a bit with the poem I will be posting on the blog tomorrow, suspect that I may well be suffering from a lack of self-confidence in both poetry and survival skills due to a hotchpotch of feelings imposed during the pandemic, especially lockdowns. Many people appear to be experiencing much the same indescribable, but almost tangible mixture of feelings, good and bad, leaving them not quite knowing what to do to best alleviate them. 

Well, I may have difficulty walking these days, but, now and then when I cave in to feelings with which I can’t quite get to grips and play safe by staying indoors all day, even distracting myself with writing a poem, doing a spot of housework or keeping my thought processes in finer fettle by completing a word puzzle or two… I can expect even more broken sleep that my prostate cancer imposes anyway.  So… I force myself to go out for a while, if only to do some shopping, promising myself that I will not let rising prices get me down. 😉

Sometimes, I like to find a quiet spot in a local park and let Apollo have his wicked way with me yet again,, such as perhaps he did when the poet John Donne wrote “God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world…” as if the world was ever so, not least for a variety of common human failings.😉

Such moments of contentment, a whimsical sun on my face, are rare for yours truly these days as I do battle with old age and health issues; even though these are likely to be far fewer than those with which many people have to contend on a daily basis, there is always a temptation to give self-pity a free rein, just as the sun is seeking cover behind a cloud…

Today, though, positive thinking has the stage to itself as I, along with many others, remember Harry Billinge, D-day and World War 11 veteran and campaigner, a shining example to us all, who has died at the age of 94 and was buried today in Cornwall. I never met Harry, but if ever there was someone to reassure us of the power of mind-body-spirit to see heart-and-soul safely home, it was he, among tens of thousands of others around the world not only surviving extraordinary odds, and helping to make the world a better, kinder place…but also putting self-pity and cynicism firmly in its place.

All may not be right with the world, but it remains more right than wrong just so long as there are the likes of Harry Billinge in it. 😄

Reader J.J. has emailed to ask how I deal with muddled thought processes as hers are “…very much inclined that way since the pandemic…” Fear not, J.J. there are many of us in much the same situation, for whatever reason. Only earlier today, for example, I spent a l-o-n-g time looking for my wristwatch, only to discover it further up my arm where I had pushed it earlier while washing my hands after lunch…! That’s not uncommon, either, that’s life. wry bardic chuckle

Time now to complete a poem for tomorrow; another variation on old themes, it’s true, but, as regular readers will know, I am often prompted by my late mother’s much-loved voice in my head reminding me that if something is worth saying, it is usually worth repeating…😉

Take care, everyone, stay safe and… be positive, if only because being negative never got anyone anywhere worth visiting…😉 Oh, and remember... be happy, be sad, and tears where tears are due, but neither forget the healing power of laughter, ever.

Many thanks, as always, for dropping by, much appreciated,

Hugs,

Roger

 

Walking the Dream

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

 “There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more.” – Robert M. Hensel

My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on the things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with.” – Stephen Hawking

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” - Helen Keller

Once overheard by yours truly: Able-bodied person to wheelchair user: “Don’t you feel bitter about not being able to walk?”

Wheelchair user: “I did once, but soon learned that bitterness is the worst kind of disability. “Besides,” the disabled person added with a wry grin, “… once you learn to walk the dream, you can start enjoying the scenery again.”

Now, I was only 12 years old at the time and didn’t understand the implications, but I never forgot that snippet of conversation. 

Growing old now, and - after a bad fall in 2012 – unable to enjoy walking as I used to and miss it terribly. That spot of earwigging, though, always springs to mind whenever I start feeling sorry for myself. After all, I can still get out and about with the aid of compression stockings and a walking stick. Even other health issues that plague me, from time to time, pale into insignificance whenever I think of what some people have to endure  all the time and do so with a strength of mind-body-spirit aenough to put a smile on their faces.

Suffice to say, disabled people are truly inspirational. 

WALKING THE DREAM

I’d walk miles by rivers, streams,
leafy woods and lively forested lands
thrilling to the sounds
of wildlife, feeling privileged to breathe
its air, tread its grounds,
invoke the freedoms to which it was born,
if only to be hunted down

I grow older, hopefully the wiser
for walking those miles, bringing smile
to a heart-and-soul
always under threat by the ways of a world
challenging mind-body-spirit
to anticipate and outwit any devilish schemes
posing a threat to our dreams

Yet, humankind faces other threats
heart-and-soul needs must learn to rise
above its tears and fears,
bring mind-body-spirit into even fuller play
than wet believed possible,
hive the lie to our life’s being as bad as it seems,
start walking our dreams 

Mobility problems and other issues
may well do their best to undermine us,
yet, heart-and-soul
not so readily backing down from any threat,
by accident or human design
likely to thwart us, hurt us, bring us to our knees,
desperately seeking peace

I walk miles by rivers, streams,
leafy woods and lively, forested lands,
thrilling to the sounds
of wildlife, feeling privileged to breathe
its air, tread its grounds,
enjoy such freedoms as invoke memories, fictions,
and walking my dreams

Mind-body-spirit, empowering us all with an ability 
to bring a whole new dimension to our reality...

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

Hi, folks, from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi, folks, from London UK

Sorry, everyone, no poem today. Yes, I am working on one, though, and hope to post it here soon.

Meanwhile, several readers have emailed me to comment on yesterday’s poem, given that I don’t often depart from my passion for internal and/ or external rhyme. For some years now, I have contributed to a US poetry magazine, CC&D, published by Scars Publications whose editor only accepts blank verse or poems where external rhyme is absent. 

Scars have released a collection book of the January-April 2022 issues which includes my poem ‘Classroom Politics’; the book is called ‘Unfinished Business’ and can be ordered from Amazon; to submit a poem and/ or ask for further details regarding other Scars publications on sale and to access to the works of various contributors, including yours truly, contact: ccandd96@scars.tv for various links.

Another reader, PW, asks how I am coping with my prostate cancer, especially in the light of how years of hormone therapy have messed with my memory and thought processes generally; his mother has recently been diagnosed with dementia. For me, as well as writing up the poetry blogs, Wordsearch books have proven a godsend; they are fun, relaxing and challenge the thought processes all at the same time, much as crosswords do (at which I have never been any good.😉) Wordsearch books are available from The Works stores around the UK and/or can be ordered online.  For more details about these books and other items such as jigsaws etc: https://www.theworks.co.uk 

PW also asks how I "cope generally" with growing old and living alone. Readers often ask this and there are no easy answers. Yes, I get lonely sometimes and family, friends and neighbours friends can be a blessing, of course, but, generally speaking, I guess it’s a case of providing mind-body-spirit with the willpower to deal as best we can with the many and various obstacles that can present themselves to any of us anywhere, at any time; more so, possibly, as we grow old, physically and/ or mentally  less able to run such gauntlets.😉 At the end of the day, though, I suspect it’s all down to that old rogue, Hobson’s, choice…(wry bardic chuckle)

Positive thinking is the key to life, in whatever field we endeavour to excel or at least make our presence felt. For me, it has been the key to surviving health and psychological issues that have plagued me for much of my life; even though it hasn't opened many of the doors I hoped it would, I am still here to tell the tale, so I just focus on the positives in my life - past and present - and try, as far as humanly possible, to avoid the kind of pitfalls attached to any negatives...😉

Now, without digressing entirely, PW also asks if my poetry collections are still in print. Some UK public libraries may have copies in a Reserve Stock collection. Unable to find a publisher in the UK, not least because I insisted on including a selection of gay-interest poems, I only self-published a limited number of volumes of each title. (I probably gave up trying to find a publisher too soon, but health problems took the wind out of my sails.) An American publisher agreed to publish one volume, but messed me about to such an extent that I finally withdrew from a potential contract by mutual consent. I continued to contribute to various UK poetry magazines for some years, but latterly have only published to my blogs. Maybe one day…

That’s it for today, folks. Do browse the archives attached to any of my poetry  blogs, sometime, where you will find an assortment of earlier posts-poems. In the meantime, I will endeavour yet again to stir willpower and thought processes to work on a new poem. As I have said before, I don't expect everyone to like every poem I write. Hopefully, though, everyone will find poems they can relate to and/ or enjoy.

Many thanks for dropping by, 

Take care, stay safe, and keep well,

Hugs,

Roger

[Note: PW also suggests I upload the novels on my fiction blog to Google Books, as well as promoting them, along along with my poetry blogs, on social media. I will certainly give  Google Books some thought as  Blasphemy is already there; Sacrilege  was intended as Book Two of a trilogy, but the American publisher who had showed an interest in publishing the trilogy, lost interest when Blasphemy failed to give him the kind of access to the UK market that he'd hoped for. Subsequently, I lost interest in writing Book Three (Redemption) as I was quite ill at the time anyway. A younger version of yours truly would almost certainly have pressed on, but growing old has a nasty habit of undermining self-confidence. 😉]

Come, the last Dance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” – Winston Churchill

Where there is unity, there is always victory.” Pubilius Cyrus

“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, I where the dance of life really takes place”. - Barbara de Angelis

No preamble to the poem today; hopefully, it will speak to the reader in much the same spirit as the quotes above.

COME, THE LAST DANCE…

I go to where I grew up,
play with other kids in my street
such childhood games
as only children can make fun,
no hidden agendas
or cash changing hands on the quiet,
time yet for all that
once schooldays left to improved versions
among adult fictions

I go back to teenage years,
nursing such hopes for the future,
anticipating the fruits
of success, no prospect of failure
getting a look in,
too busy making plans for adult days
and enjoying the landscape
with close kin and peers in ways that only
confirm immaturity

I go back to post-school
disappointments and start to climb
various ladders of opportunity,
failing to reach the sky, hitching rides
on clouds into lands
of in-between, mind-body-spirit falling
from this heaven to that hell,
Earth Mother, no less empathic or beautiful,
nor inspirational

Yet, hillock, a mountain…
each promising stream, another river 
to cross in the absence
of any bridges available to eyes blinded
by inexperience, ears deafened
to wiser words by an ego screaming abuse
for its failing to stay any course,
weighty sensations of regret, shame, self-pity,
crumbling me

Came into No-man’s land,
Earth Mother’s crying out for succour,
silencing ego, letting
heart-and-soul speak, lay bare home truths,
finally acknowledging and taking
responsibility for being here, error of my ways
staring me in the face, telling me
to get a life, start regenerating my personal space
into a kinder place

So, a new journey begins,
mind-body-spirit urging my every move
to put the past behind,
look to a future, both eyes open, ears too,
watching out for road blocks,
attending forces meaning me well at every turn,
trusting heart-and-soul,
not least by having it keep me safe, guide me true,
and enjoy the view

Time passes, self-awareness
actively engaging with mind-body-spirit
to learn share, move on,
through all its tomorrows, with heart-and-soul
on board, less afraid of a future,
nor needing to hang on to some reinvented past,
let fake smiles hide real tears,
for rogue forces having us  run against each other,
not so, Earth Mother

There can be no going back
to the way things were but in such dreams
as are often only escapism
from such ways as may well need we address,
improve on, in the spirit
of a common humanity and its capacity for love,
fewer factions of one-upmanship
homing in on cultural differences as enemy forces
potential for wars

Whatever, life but asks that we give peace a chance
to partner our last dance...

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

In Pieces

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paul Coelho

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” – Mahatma Gandhi. 

“There is something in the human sprit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out no matter how dark the world becomes,” – Leo Tolstoy

As the war in Ukraine continues into week eight, we can but marvel at the resilience of both refugees fleeing the conflict and those left behind. Sadly, given conflicts the world over, it is not the first time nor likely to be the last time the heart has nursed such sentiments. 

If we let them, such sentiments can bring the host mind-body-spirit ever closer to The Abyss, to the edge of which many of us are likely to stray, for one reason or another, during our lifetimes. 

Reader A.D. has kindly emailed to say that he enjoys many of my poems and appreciates my choice of quotes. He asks what my first choice would be among quotes that have helped me, personally, weather and rise above hard times. A tough question, but I guess it would have to be the Tolstoy quote above; ironically, a Russian, given the current situation in Ukraine, and possibly why the Gandhi quote comes a very close second.

IN PIECES

Too often the world 
will turn a deaf ear to such words
of wisdom as its history
has remarked over centuries,
distracted by main events
hogging headlines, humanity more
inclined to scan than take in
any such implications for personal space
as may give cause for concern

Mind-body-spirit, though,
knows better than to rush to conclusions
likely, in turn, to lead us
into rushing to judgements without
being full advised of truths
behind hearsay from whatever source,
now urging that heart-and-soul
investigate issues invading personal space,
rediscover an affinity with peace

Together, we dig and delve,
uncover such truths as relate to ourselves
as much as the project
in hand, beginning to understand
what makes us tick
in (or out) of time with history’s alarm clock,
accepting or rejecting a need to make redress,
invariably down to us, no one else

While enemy forces all around,
hell bent on confounding, all but destroying
human roots, stunting growth,
slamming doors on such thought processes
as may well reawaken
survival instincts, trust mind-body-spirit
to come into its own,
message we’re not alone, move heart-and-soul,
three-in-one up for the call

We live in a global consciousness
and personal space, each deserving the best,
nor the latter any less;
no matter how we engage with others
in the spirit of kindness,
friendship and hope, things may yet fall apart,
what counts is making a start,
heart-and-soul, to itself, remaining true, or else
our world, inside and out… in pieces

Let  mind-body-spirit heal, and nothing the same,
yet, a rose by any other name…?

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

All Change

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” - Anne Frank

“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.” – John Milton (Paradise Lost).

I have to confess I struggled with todays' poem; the confused state of my thought processes down to IT problems made me feel as if I was losing touch with any creative ideas altogether. New technology is not only a challenge I can barely meet halfway these days, but one I suspect, with which many older folks around the world are having difficulty finding ways of coping. Yes, I will be 77 later this year, but that is not considered 'old' by many people, not these days anyway. And, yes, I have some good friends to help me. But...

Ah, but I am also retired and live alone, as are a growing number or people in the world today.  When we find ourselves staring into The Abyss, there is  - more often than not - only willpower to prevent our tumbling over the edge.

Now, age is not necessarily the only diet on which our more positive life forces need to get right in order to function well, enable us to fulfil whatever potential drives us, for better or worse. The circumstances in which we find ourselves as we grow up, older, and (hopefully) wiser with regard to best dealing with what some call 'fate' or 'destiny' - plays no insignificant part. As regular readers will know, I count myself among those who would contend that, to no small degree, we create our own 'fate' or 'destiny' with whatever tools or talents we are gifted by the life forces within us. 

One such tool, and often the hardest to use, is the ability to 'think happy'. So, how do we think happy when our lives take a sudden nosedive? Good question, and no easy answers. I know it sounds trite to resort to such old sayings as 'Where there's life, there's hope' - but it is so true. Hopes is possibly the best motivator for having us rise to some emotional and/ or physical challenge, make the best of a bad job... whatever... and move on, driven by a Willpower provided by sheer resilience with Hope at the wheel... Such, I suspect is the nightmare situation in which not only the people of Ukraine are facing, but also those feeling trapped in 'living nightmares' at home and abroad; indeed, all refugees seeking a better, kinder, emotional and/ or physical landscape.

So how do we 'think happy' when we are in the depths of despair or heading that way? Good question, and no easy answers. While the quotations above may give a clue to how yours truly has coped with the highs and lows of life, everyone has to find their own way. Most of us do, sooner or later; in many if not most cases, including yours truly, tending to be later a lot more often than sooner...

ALL CHANGE

Waking to a beautiful sunrise
on yet another day of having to contend
with such demands as modernity
is inclined to impose on mind-body-spirit
that heart-and-soul are hard put
to play its part, constantly undermined
by ageing thought processes
unable to keep pace with an ever-changing world
where ‘progress’ is the password

As inspirational any dawn may be,
even to the suffering heart-and-soul awakening
to a barrage of slings and arrows
scoring direct hits designed to weaken, render it
more vulnerable to everyday forces
always making excuses that they mean well,
designed as aids to modern life,
not weapons meant to give various powers that be
greater control over this ’n’ that society

Yet, there lies within the heart-and-soul
of human nature a potentially greater affinity
with peace than war, no matter
what mines a changing world may choose to lay
across such finer landscapes as arts 
and sciences seeking to compensate for the worst
that any less noble one-upmanship
seeks to present itself (under a various false colouring)
to heart-and soul, ‘progress’ notwithstanding

Day, come to shine such light across the world
as even refugees made to move on from life forces
familiar, loved and treasured so
can hope to find others, be as inspired by them
as by happier times engraved
on heart-and-soul, feeding into mind-body-spirit,
a native willpower refusing
to be put down for long by enemies without and within,
but take their cue from tomorrow’s rising sun

Though enemy forces may appear to defeat,
even kill it, they invariably underestimate the power
of mind-body-spirit to rise above
the worst of things, make its peace with the past,
not only look positively to the future,
but also reset, recharge, and customise it,
reasoning with heart-and-soul that nothing less than
a whole will do, no paradise lost (ever) quite irredeemable,
can resist an affinity with the seemingly impossible

Having lived, despite tears for various fears haunting us daily,
remains nature and human nature’s enduring legacy

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

[Note: A reader has emailed to criticise the blog and poems for my often repeating myself (in both). Well, apologies if any readers find it irritating; it is partly down to growing old, I guess, but - as my mother often used to say, anything worth saying has to be worth repeating...?] RT

Hello from London UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hello,  everyone from a bitterly cold London, UK,

Sorry, no poem again today as I am unwell, although still looking on the bright(er) side of life and hope to be back with a poem soon.

Only a few days ago, we were basking in warm spring sunshine here, but now, the weather witches have magicked up a brief return to a wintry climate. So, it's off with the tee shirts and shorts and on  with the overcoats and central heating again...

Sadly, with rising food and energy costs, many people are having to live with the cold; some families are even having to keep their heating low or off, just to be able to feed themselves while others are increasingly having to make use of food banks. 

Yes, hard to believe in 21st century UK!

Nothing, of course, compares with the everyday misery and suffering endured by the people of Ukraine as Russian troops continue to pursue invasion tactics with merciless intent, tens of thousands  of civilian survivors forced to flee the ruins of their homes and cities. So far, sanctions, by various countries in a shocked and appalled West, seem to be having little effect on Putin, although already making themselves felt on the  everyday lives of ordinary Russian people.

It is awful to think that many Russians believe the misinformation they are fed by a State-controlled media that not only encourages them to support Putin in believing that the war in Ukraine is totally justified, but is also responsible for many young Russians having gone to fight, believing they are  'liberating' Ukraine from some Nazi-like repression.

Yes, hard to believe in a 21st century world.

A friend here in the UK who has a Russian neighbour tells me that she has been disowned by her family in Russia for speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In parts of Russia itself, though, some people have access to alternative News reports; there have been a growing number of anti-war protests; protesters are immediately rounded up, arrested, and now face the likely prospect pf long prison sentences.

Yes, hard to believe, even in a 21st century Russia. 

Me, I count my blessings. My health issues are nowhere near as debilitating as those endured my many people around the world, including here in the UK; I can get out and about, albeit slowly, with the aid of my trusty walking stick and have been living with prostate cancer for nearly ten years now, longer than I anticipated when first diagnosed, so... I may not be able to enjoy retirement just as I once imagined, but I remain young at heart and continue to take each day as it comes and try to make the best of them rather than dwell on the worst, just as I did when I was young for real.

Yes, I miss the mutual exchange of love and support between friends and loved ones who have died, but that love and support lives on within us, as a source of inspiration as well as precious memories; we can continue draw on it as much, if not more so, as from the living.. and having known some very inspirational people, from various walks of life, I do just that. 

We all make mistakes, some we can redeem, some we can't, bur we can at least learn from them and not repeat them; where broken relationships are concerned, it takes two to dance that particular tango; it remains on of the greater human tragedies that some just can't... or won't.

Yes, mind-body-spirit has much to be thankful for even during such hard times as history has shown the human race across its history, no exceptions made for a 21st century world population enduring much the same across various landscapes of personal space.

Expect a poem again before too long, folks. Meanwhile, we can but all do our best to nurture a positive thinking mindset if only to feed those hopes and dreams that, in turn, feed a joie de vivre that may well suffer serious injury from time to time, but will, as likely as not be inspired to rise above them,  live to fight and defeat its demons another day...

Yes, such is the poetry and prose of everyday life...in any century.

Take care,  folks, and many thanks, as always, for dropping by,

Hugs,

Roger

Refugee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao Tzu

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”. – Andy Warhol

As the war in Ukraine rages on, tens of thousands of refugees face an uncertain future. Now, moving on is one thing; being forced to move on, uprooted from the very soil that has shaped your life so far... that’s something else altogether. We wish them every success in rebuilding their lives.

A friend once commented to the effect that that we are all refugees from our own mistakes and/ or misfortunes, trying to give our heart-and-soul the chance to build a better home in a  wiser self. Well, I guess we can but try...

REFUGEE

Need to move on,
but can’t stop keep looking back
at the way things were
when we were happy, just you and me
doing things, sharing dreams
looking for rainbows even as our heavens
falling apart at the seams

Need to move on,
taking inspiration from the way
we were then, can be again,
if we but put our shoulders to the wheel
of change, turn it anti-clockwise,
expose this Here-and-Now for just what it is,
a punchy, fistful of lies...

"Need to move on,"
they keep telling me, much loved
voices in the head, presuming
to speak for the dead, in whom our love
trusted to keep us safe, see us right,
though our thought processes left all weepy
and scared, day and night

Need to move on
from raging against the cruel winds
of war and want; let my fears
remind me there is still hope for us, winds
of peace on pause yet again,
rise above them, get a new, kinder, life for us
no ifs and buts, as and when

Need to move on,
made to run a gauntlet of life and death
challenges to which we are born,
trusting in the power of love-and-peace
to see us over the finishing line.
favourite to win, inner voices first to applaud
in front boxes reserved for reunion

Whenever the need to reshape mind-body-spirit,
the heart-and-soul up to it, never defeated

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2022

You-Me-Us, Lifesaver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank

“In all things, it is better to hope than to despair.” - Goethe

“I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” – Pablo Naruda

As the war in Ukraine escalates, news came through yesterday of Russian forces bombing a children's and maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has declared it a war crime.

Meanwhile the flow of despairing people struggling to flee Ukraine in freezing conditions continues with Russian forces persistently ignoring ceasefires.

At home, and across the world, we can but watch, aghast that this could happen in 2022 while, many of us still suffering both mental and physical effects of having to cope with the coronavirus. The situation in Ukraine may well seem a whole lot worse, but Covid-19 has brought despair to many and despair is despair is despair; to the despairing individual, it is as immeasurable as it is indescribable.

In this life (as many, including yours truly, can testify) when standing still is no option, looking back on kinder times is often the only life force available to spur us into moving forward, less with regret for their absence than in a spirit of celebration and hope.

YOU-ME-US, LIFESAVER

In the eyes of sadness
there is only one thing to do,
pluck a cloud
from the sky and hitch a ride
through time,
to wherever mind-body-spirit
has a whim to revisit,
put a smile on the face of a Here-and-Now
that’s forgotten how

There are old friends,
we used to know before our years
took us places
we didn’t always want or choose
to go...
when we’d laugh and play games.
exchange party hats
and silly names, listen wide-eyed to fairy tales,
fly with nightingales

There are special people,
with whom we’d enjoy special moments,
whose genial ghosts
never fail to cheer the soul that’s lost,
taken a wrong turning,
needing to be put right, helped to lighten
the load it bears,
redirected to some far kinder thought process
than ends in tears

Playful pets, too, recalled
to perform such lively acts as likely to warm
a heart grown cold,
for loneliness, grief or on discovering old age
no ‘true-to-life’ movie
here Happy-Ever-After as likely as not to win
Oscar nominations all round,
no dry eyes in the audience, bur tears
of delight, no fears

Ah, many the comfortable
and pleasurable zone we need to make our own.
as and when
we can, and best not delayed as any tomorrow
may yet bring sorrows
enough to urge a saddened eye but open wide,
steer a passing cloud
through as lively a stream of shared consciousness
as You-Me-Us

Copyright R. N. Taber 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Making a Difference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber 

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, ty sleeping with a mosquito." - Dalai Llama

Too often we underestimate the effect of the little things we do to try and make the lives of others that much better, but it is always worth remembering any kindnesses we perform may well have the effect of sending a message of goodwill which, in turn, may well be passed on and on and on... across generations, for all we know. 

Sadly, though, much the same can also be said for any acts of spite.

Now, we all make mistakes, of course, but while eighteenth century poet Alexander Pope may well have been spot on when he wrote "To err is human..."* it is no excuse for antisocial behaviour.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Will a fallen angel
pick on me and drag me away
or will a gentler spirit have mercy,
come Judgement Day?

Will a wolfish Death
delight in tearing me apart
or strike suddenly if no less cleanly
at my heart?

Will doves of peace
be left to wing eternal light
or an infernal dark, in other words,
out of mind, out of sight?

Not ours to know,
the how, where or when,
but encourage a grown any wiser self
to look and learn?

Dare we unite in peace
and love, let common sense
rule, or trust our leaders and betters
to do right by us?

The greater trust we have,
a brighter light likely shining
in ourselves and on each other, mutual
giving and taking

Where an endgame strategy
devised to put one over on us,
who dares, sees mind-body-spirit making,
all the difference

 Copyright R. N. Taber, 2002; rev. 2022

* From:: An Essay on Criticism, 1711.

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in my collection, First Person Plural, Assembly Books, 2002; it has been  considerably revised, however, and may not justify its being called a revised version.] RT

Comfort and Joy, OR A Pandemic called Loneliness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

"If you're lonely when you're alone, you're bad company." - Jean-Paul Sartre

They say you can be lonely even in a crowd. For me, that was never so true as during my closet years. Sadly even in this 21st Century of ours, here are still many LGBT folks who feel unable to leave that same, lonely closet for on reason or another. I respect those reason, of course, but urge anyone who feels they are caged-in, as I did for many years, to find the strength of will to escape it and trust that family, friends and peers will accept that we LGBT folk are only as human as they themselves.

Now, several people have expressed concern that I will be on my own over Christmas, but I welcome the solitude and an opportunity to engage with both a positive-thinking mindset and you, too, dear readers, especially any of you who might also on your own; a mixed blessing at the best of times, even more so  as Covid-19 and its variants continue to rage all around us. 7

As I have said many times on the blog, love comes in many shapes and sizes. I defy anyone to say they have never loved, and/ or  been loved; it may feel like it sometimes, but we only have to look within ourselves to realise we may well be suffering from blurred vision, invariably due to hard times...

I have only  just written this poem, off the cuff, to help reassure all of you, me too, that the world may well be a mad one, but it has a kind heart and a mind-body-spirit more than capable of overcoming any pain and fear if we but engage with and give it its head... Not always easy, true, but what in life is ever easy...?

Perhaps, after all, there is a lot to be said - in many if not most circumstances - for the old adage, 'No Pain, no Gain.'

COMFORT AND JOY or A PANDEMIC CALLED LONELINESS

Alone at Christmas, yet not so,
surrounded by cards from family and friends,
marking where love begins
and any wallowing in self-pity ends
just for knowing they are there
and thinking of me, each part of a memory
that’s fresh and evergreen,
written and signed with such love on the heart,
as to comfort global mind-body-spirit 

Alone at Christmas, yet not so,
fond thoughts traversing past-present-future
with thanks and hope
for things yet to come, feed inspiration,
even a salvation of sorts
in the eyes of whatever God and Earth Mother
engages with the souls
of all creatures great and small if only for trying
to give and make the best out of living 

Alone at Christmas, yet not so,
a sense of peace and joy flowing through bones
that have taken knocks enough
over years of struggling to get by in a world
that would pass us by
if we let it, but for such enduring spirits as Love
and Kindness, invariably there
for us at times of need, not always on time (if ever)
but, true to say, “Better late than never...) 

Loneliness is a pandemic for which no vaccination,
yet, to love and have been loved its sure salvation 

Copyright R. N. Taber 2021

[Note: this post-poem also appears on my gay-interest poetry blog today.] RT

 

 

 

 

  

Hi, folks, from London UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Hi folks,

Yes, it's me again, without a poem I'm afraid, but am working on one, so...soon.

We all know that the pandemic has proven to be a very stressful time for most of us, young and old alike for various reasons. Every death affects  family and friends, while grief is hard enough to deal with at any time, let alone in the middle of a pandemic.. The news about the omicron variant likely to cause fewer deaths and less serious illness is encouraging, but scary nonetheless as it is still too early to be sure just how potent the new variant will prove to be. Hopefully, the scientists will soon have sufficient data to be clearer on the matter. I the meantime, many people are as confused as they are frightened; a recipe if ever there was one for stress

We can but do our best to cope, not only with our own stress, but bear in mind that we are not alone, make allowances where appropriate for family, friends, neighbours, even strangers whose behaviour is clearly disproportionate to whatever we may have said or done to annoy, upset, anger them...whatever. We need to try, also, to keep an eye on anyone who lives alone and may need practical and/or emotional support. I don't mean just the elderly, either, as I suspect there are a good few people of all ages who are feeling anxious this weekend, unwilling to get on the phone to even family or friends and admit they feel as though they are trapped on a sinking ship. (A n excessive metaphor perhaps and the ship isn't going to sink, but I suspect most if not all of you know exactly what I mean.  

I, for one, have had that sinking feeling for some months. So far, so good in so far as I eventually manage to rise above it and talk myself into a more hopeful, positive mindset; never an easy journey whether short or long and even the shorter time it takes can seem l-o-n-g anyway. I have to keep giving myself little pep talks, remind myself that there are plenty of people out there a lot worse off than me, not least the critically ill, rough sleepers and those for whom the current stress, confusion and fear  stress is exacerbating  what were already trying circumstances before anyone had even heard of the Covid-19 coronavirus and its subsequent mutations.

So, what can we do to alleviate stress? Good question, no easy answers. Each of us in our own way, though, can find answers in where we have found them in the past; relax and enjoy favourite music, television, radio programmes... whatever it takes to help us relax. Chatting to family and friends on the phone is always a good idea, especially if  sharing a laugh or a good chuckle; not for nothing do they say that laughter is the best medicine... for most ills, including stress. Favourite, well-worn, familiar paths are always the best; the chances are we we risk being more stressed out than ever if we try something new.  As my mother used to say, "You need to want to take up a challenge because you know it will make you feel good, not because anyone else thinks so...."

Stress is an illness, too few of us are prepared to admit to; it needs treating, sometimes medically, sometimes it can be enough to let mind-body-spirit find its own relief; firstly, though, we need to stop being in denial and get real. Yes, yes, I know... yet again, easier said than done...

When Mind tells us to play safe, we need to listen; when body tells us to relax, we need to listen; when the spirit that knows us only too well, tells us to think positively, considerately and responsibly...yea, we need to listen. Oh, and yes, I do try to 'practice what I preach, but - like all of you - I am only human, so won't always succeed. 😉

I can't say that politicians are my favourite species of person, but I guess they are caught between a rock and a hard place, wanting to do be seen to be doing  their best by the electorate while having to keep the economy on as even a keel as possible, especially given the kind of global crisis in which we all find ourselves tight now. At the same time, it doesn't help when the elite in society - including politicians - give the impression that they believe in one set of rules for the likes of you and me and another for themselves; few things gall mind-body-spirit more than hypocrisy...

Enough of my ramblings. It just remains for me to say thanks again for dropping by, stay safe, keep well, continue to nurture a positive-thinking mindset, remember we are all in the same proverbial boat and we will NOT let it sink us...well, not if mind-body-spirit has anything to say on the matter.

Take care everyone and I'll be back with a poem as soon as I get a glimmer of inspiration...😉

Hugs,

Roger

Nature Study

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today’s poem has been slightly but significantly revised from the original version that appears in my collection, Love and Human Remains, Assembly Books, 2001

Now, a reader writes in to sat yesterday’s poem was “... a typical over-reaction to the amount of media attention given to fluke weather conditions this year...”

I usually respect intelligent points of view that conflict with my own, but this is hardly an intelligent response to a global crisis... well, is it?

NATURE STUDY

Brightness, falling from the sky
like summer rain, makes the flowers grow,
and the world shine
like rainbow trout on a school kid’s line
at a local stream,
who should be playing in a football team,
but his dad beat him
black and blue, with ma laid out
on the kitchen floor, and he’s not ready yet
to even take a shower

Brightness, falling from the sky
like acid rain, making the trees cry, as leaves
die like fishes everywhere
and other species, carefully laid out
under glass for science
and future generations to reason,
(or agree to differ)
how killing off a species smacks of depravation,
but biology, that’s education

Shadows, much like corpses
on the ground where skylarks once flew,
now a forgotten sound
at a spot where revelations in the clay
suggest a once-busy stream
in a world that aspired to give progress
a good run for its money,
no hint of humanity neatly laid out
under corporate glass for its endangered species
to argue rhetoric and excuses

High time humankind held Progress to its word,
encouraging a kinder, safer world...?...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2001; rev. 2021