Poetry Corner: Problem Solving Peacefully

POETRY CORNER

– 11/22/18

Hosted by Kathabela Wilson

At this time of year we look back and forward at the same time. The problems of the year accumulate and we anticipate relaxation and warmth of togetherness. Richard Grahn gives us the keynote, “Clemency.” His memories of his grandma, who I think was a brilliant peacemaker, give us all hope and comfort. Each of the poems highlight a different approach to solving accumulated difficulties, I think you will be inspired, as each unusual point of departure is an opening to mindfulness, kindness, refreshment. Each poem is a nugget of insight that has come by experience. We can treasure and use them all as we encounter the holidays and hold one another dear.

~ Kathabela

Ο Ο Ο

Dog pack by Richard Grahn

Richard Grahn

Clemency
Grandma used to have a saying, “this looks like where the bear went through the berries” that she would often recite when she found our room a mess. When we cleaned it up, she would make donuts for us from scratch. The night us kids got into the beer at a family wedding reception, that night on the way home, she blurted out “this car smells like a brewery!” preceded by a swear word she could only bring herself to tersely spell out. The next day, she made us root beer floats. And, that was grandma. Not a castigatory bone in her body.

my heart
in your forgiving hands…
after the storm a rainbow

Ο

they say that life
is a bone

let’s agree
to go home
and chew on it

Ο Ο Ο

Lonely wood haiga. Poem by Ray Caligiuri. Art by Carol Barnett

Ray Caliguiri

kindness
a stone’s throw
away

Ο

a lonely wood walk clearing ahead

Ο Ο Ο

Grandma’s smile by Kathabela Wilson

B.S. Saroja

moving clouds

shed tears
into earth’s womb

while life confines
boundless affinities
hiding in the heart

Ο Ο Ο

Sunset from my window by Ray Caligiuri

Dianne Moritz

kindle kindness
in an indifferent world
bask in the blaze

Ο Ο Ο

Tabla by Kathabela Wilson

Nicholas David Klacsanzky

Monday–
only the tabla resonates
with my anger

Ο Ο Ο

Blanket of kindness by Janice Garey

Janice Garey

received
from the heart
of a gardener
a blanket
of kindness

Ο

Problem Solving Peacefully: Quotes and Credits

Richard Grahn says: “Sometimes we need to see things from another person’s perspective. It’s not enough to have an opinion. Engaging in discourse leads to the percolation of new thoughts and ideas. Letting those ideas in is a challenge. Letting go of our own ideas is even harder. We could all use more practice.” Richard lives in Evanston, Illinois.

Ray Calguiri, who lives in Beaverton, Oregon, a city southwest of Portland, sends this thought…”Meditatiing on overcoming feelings of anger and resentment, I realize that cognitive intervention is needed to be kind to oneself and others. Then even when we are alone, there can be problems, and being with being with art and nature gives the peacefulness that clears our minds and resolves difficulties. *It is late autumn, oncoming winter. Carol Barnatt is a local Pacific Northwest artist who usually does abstract acrylic landscapes. But when I saw a unique piece of hers a couple of years ago, I bought it and it now hangs on my family room wall. I was feeling a little down about the end of summer and the upcoming cold and rain. I gazed at the picture, thinking about how it fit my mood, and visualized a clearing just beyond the last tree line.”

B.S. Saroja has a strong sense of the peaceful solutions found in the heart of nature.

Poet Diana Moritz lives in Southampton, NY. She says: “In these stressful times, it is often difficult for us to focus on the good, yet we must. Random acts of kindness spark faith in others and bring bits of joy to each moment…”

Nicholas David Klacsanzky, a fine musician, poet, and teacher of meditation, lives in the Ukraine. He says: “The main tool we have to resolve problems peacefully is to see them as illusions. Commonly, our worries, obstacles, and arguments are based on conditioned thinking. When we free our minds of chatter, and see reality as it is, most problems get resolved.”

Janice Garey tells us: “I took a photo of a display outside a local plant nursery. I thought the photo looked like some of those scenic type throws! Then I realized that observing a well designed garden where each plant has been placed for optimization of harmony and beauty may be helpful when sorting through complex problems. Let the peacefulness of the garden cover your thought seeds until they germinate into the best way forward.”

Ο Ο Ο

♣ We welcome and encourage your response, especially in the form of a short poem, by leaving a comment below.