Poets Salon: Pockets of Peace

POETS SALON

– 4/03/19

Hosted by Kathabela Wilson

I have long imagined my autobiography to be made of these moments strung together, the hidden architecture of a life. If I could ever tell the story, it would be this way…

pockets of peace
in the fabric of my life
a thread

~ Kathabela

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Haiku and Teas (Photo – Susan Bonk Plumridge)

Susan Bonk Plumridge

winter melting
we walk downtown together
him for swim & me…

haiku & tea
blend together
into a rich life

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mystery story
fiction placed in time
a broken sister

Grief needs processing. It is a movement toward peace. For me, grief after the death of my younger sister entailed writing fiction. And so was born Death of a Sister, my only novel (a novel of few words—I am, after all, a haiku poet).

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Angelic clouds by Natalia Kuznetsova

Natalia Kuznetsova

When I was still a kid, my grandma died after a long illness. It was my first personal loss and the first funeral I attended. To say I was frightened would be an understatement. My dad saw it, took me aside, hugged me and said: “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Look up! You see these beautiful white clouds? They are angels, in fact. And they are taking your grandma to the skies where she will find peace at last, and pray for us all and for you, her beloved girl. From now on she is your guardian angel.” I don’t remember what followed but it did help. Since then, in moments of stress, when I see snow-white clouds I recall this story with a smile. I hope my angels (and now quite a few of them up there) watch over me and that peace will eventually descend upon my heart.

angelic clouds
over the old graveyard…
eternal peace

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Pebbles (Photo – Marilyn Ashbaugh)

Marilyn Ashbaugh

Finding peace is a ginko walk. It is not so much a doing as an undoing; a gentle release of the reins of grasping and need. Never easy. A few pebbles in my shoe remind me to attend to their removal. Yet these same pebbles, made smooth in the river’s flow, provide solace when rubbed between fingers or held in the hand.

ginko walk
a few pebbles
in my shoe

mala beads
a little smoother
with each prayer

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Dancer (Photo – Kathabela Wilson)

Gerry Jacobson

In This Body

Returning to dance class after an absence I explore my body on a cool wooden floor. How firm, how supple are these muscles, clenched in action. My movement is so angular, and the floor is so hard, unyielding. Feeling the dance softly. How I’ve loved this body, its perfection. How well it’s served me, this lifetime.

summer evening
slowly moving
joy surging
there is nothing but the dance …
swirling curves of inner light

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Stones worn smooth (Photo – Marilyn Ashbaugh)

Pockets of Peace: Quotes and Credits

Susan Bonk Plumridge lives in London, Canada, where she can wander often in the woods pondering whatever presents itself to be pondered. After an interlude of not writing, she began writing again October 31 (one week after borrowing a stack of sixteen haiku books from the library), and is now writing haiku almost every day. She always adds this motto to her emails: ‘flourishing is an option.”

Marilyn Ashbaugh, poet and nature photographer, resides near the shores of Lake Michigan in the village of Edwardsburg, Michigan, USA.

Natalia Kuznesova says: “I was born and have lived all my life in Moscow which I love and think is the most beautiful city. But like all mega cities, it has its problems: crowds, traffic jams, stressful life rhythm. You need quiet and peace to see things in the right light. The best way to find it for me is to flee whenever possible to the country, go hiking, mushroom picking in summertime, or just sit on the veranda with people you love and chat quietly, watch clouds or at night sunsets and stars up in the clear sky which you no longer see in the city…and with peace in your heart and mind return to the hubbub which strangely enough you start missing. Peace is a fragile thing in this life, isn’t it?”

Gerry Jacobson lives and dances in Canberra, Australia.

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