Hi readers:
Welcome to day 22 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I wrote this one a few weeks ago, after one of my Thursday shopping outings.
As a blind person, I obviously can’t recognise people by sight, but if it’s someone that I know well, I can usually recognise them by voice. Sometimes it’s awkward, because some people don’t tell me who they are when they greet me and I have no idea who it was. I like it when people tell me who they are, then I’m sure I know who I’m talking to and, if it is someone I know, I can make conversation more easily.
I realise that sighted people have the same sort of problem. One of my friends doesn’t always remember people’s names, so she sometimes calls out the wrong one. It doesn’t bother her though, she just laughs it off, she’s not as painfully shy as I am.
So, I was thinking about hearing voices and meeting people while out shopping, and I wrote this poem.
Here is today’s poem:
I heard a voice I knew today,
And I was glad to hear it,
Because the person who took me shopping
Was someone that I know.
I heard another familiar voice
As I was getting out of the car,
One that I heard often years ago …
Who helped out at the disability group.
She told me who she was
Though I already knew it,
And the hand that reached out to help me
Was a hand that had guided me before.
I heard another familiar voice
As I was walking back to the car.
She called out to me and I replied,
But she didn’t hear my response.
She didn’t need to say her name,
I see this person twice a week,
The voices of friends are remembered,
And easier to recall.
I heard another voice, of someone
I didn’t recognise
She greeted me and stopped to chat
With the helper who was with me.
This person whose voice I didn’t know
She put her arm around me
So I’m guessing it was someone
Whom I had spoken to before.
Sometimes people call out to me
When they see me out and about.
Often I recognise the voice,
And I’m able to call a greeting.
Other times I have no idea
Who was talking to me.
So I just say "hello" and move on,
Wondering who on earth it was.
But I shouldn’t feel too bad
If I can’t recognise someone by voice,
For my friend, Miriam, who is able to see
Often can’t recall a person’s name.
it’s nice to meet people and greet them
As we go about our day,
And it’s lovely to hear a familiar voice
And receive the greeting of a friend.
song of the day:
I chose this song because the title of it fits my theme and because someone in my writing email group mentioned that they enjoyed the song by John Farnham that I had picked for one of my earlier posts. This is perhaps his biggest hit.
You’re the voice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbkOZTSvrHs
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 21 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
A few days ago, when I was in the shower , I was thinking about tangled relationships. Something occurred to me which actually stopped me in my tracks. This poem came out of that realisation.
The characters in this poem are fictional. I was thinking of them as person A and person B, but I thought that might get confusing, so I gave them names. Anna and Blanche are sisters who were once very close, but have been estranged for some time. Anna wants to rebuild the bridge, but a hurt from the past is holding her back. Blanche doesn’t understand why Anna acts the way she does.
Here is today’s poem:
"Many years ago," said Anna, "
"You said something to me
Which had a negative effect
On me and on my life".
"This is what you said,
And that is how I felt.
I want you to know, so you can
Understand where I’m coming from".
But Blanche was indignant.
"What are you talking about?
I never said that to you,
You’re making it all up".
It could be that Blanche didn’t remember
The conversation from long ago,
Even though the words that were spoken
Had such a huge impact on Anna.
Or perhaps Anna misunderstood
what Blanche had intended to say,
And the words that were meant as good advice
Caused a lot of pain instead.
But Anna kept the hurtful words
Fresh in her heart through the years.
Because they came from someone trusted,
She believed them to be true.
But when Anna tried to explain,
To be open about her feelings,
Blanche didn’t have a clue
What Anna was talking about.
So, both of them went away
Unsatisfied from their conversation.
Anna thought Blanche uncaring, while
Blanche thought Anna was being silly.
Should Blanche have listened with an open mind
To what Anna had to say?
Should Anna have tried to forget about
The hurtful thing that was said?
But words can dig into a heart like knives;
They can hit someone like a blow
And shake the hearer to the core, and yet,
The speaker may not know harm was done.
So the gap is ever widening
Between these sisters who once were close.
Separate people with different personalities
Who interpret things in different ways.
Anna, who is a sensitive soul,
Takes things too much to heart,
While Blanche, a down-to-earth person,
Is sharp tongued, but well meaning.
Perhaps it will take someone else,
An impartial friend or counsellor
To start untangling the knotted mess
Of this troubled relationship.
But Anna and Blanche must be willing
To hear each other with open minds,
And to try and see the things that happened
From the other person’s perspective.
song of the day:
I chose a song about sisters. I don’t know if it ever came out in America, but it was on the radio over here in the late 90’s.
Sister:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fqMHnszhxE&list=RD0fqMHnszhxE&start_radio=1
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 20 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I got the idea for this poem from a writing prompt about broken family relationships. I don’t remember where I got the prompt from.
I wrote this from the perspective of a woman who had a falling out with a member of her family. She wants to heal the breach, but on the other hand, she’s not sure if she wants to or would be able to heal it.
This poem could be about any kind of relationship that might get tangled up … siblings, child and parent, cousins, or even the best of friends who lost their way. When hurtful words are said, damage is done that may take a long time, even a lifetime, to heal.
Here is today’s poem:
She loves him , but she pushes away.
He is dear to her, but she keeps aloof.
She wants to draw closer … but she doesn’t,
Something always seems to hold her back.
She thinks of visiting him, but then,
A mass of conflicting emotions rises up,
And it’s easier to keep her distance from him
Than it is to deal with it all.
They hurt each other, years ago,
Things said, things intended,
And she accepts her fair share of the blame,
But only her share, not all of it.
She forgave him from her heart,
But somehow, she can’t forget.
She wants to talk it over with him
But she fears that he won’t listen to her.
She wonders if she is better off
Just leaving things as they are,
Rather than stirring them up again
And possibly making it worse.
She wishes to understand and to change
The way her emotions react around him.
If only they could get to know each other
As if they had never met before!
For he can’t know how much she cares
If she doesn’t reach out to him,
And the relationship cannot be mended
Unless they are both willing to try.
Why is it that those we love the most
Are the ones we hurt most deeply?
It’s easy to say "just let go of the past" …
But it’s much, much harder to do!
song of the day:
I couldn’t think of any song that would go with this, so I chose one about another sort of mixed-up relationship.
I hate you then I love you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otAu5twqDpk
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 19 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I wrote the first 4 stanzas of this a couple of months ago when I had writer’s block and was searching through writing prompts, hoping to spark some inspiration. The prompt was to write about a piece of furniture.
I looked at the poem yesterday and wasn’t really happy with it, so I didn’t post it. This morning I re-read it and decided to add some more to it.
Here is today’s poem:
I needed to buy a sofa
When I moved in here last year.
I found one second hand,
And I loved it from the first.
It’s a two-seater sofa,
And where I usually sit
Is the cushion on the right,
Closer to the coffee table.
On the other cushion
I place one of my reborn babies,
Snuggled into a blanket
And always close to hand.
My sofa is my thinking place,
Where most of my writing is done,
It’s a comfortable spot for relaxation …
To read, or listen to music.
In the summer, the cooler breezes
Blow through the open window
So I sit there, the main door open,
Longing for a breath of air.
When it’s colder, I have a body scarf
Which I wrap myself in
And hopefully soon, I’ll have the gas
Heater working in that room.
But the fondest memory I have
of the sofa in the living room,
Was when my friends Maria and Joe came
To spend Christmas with me last year.
Somehow we managed it,
Three people on the two seater,
And sitting there with them
Felt like coming home.
While our Christmas dinner was cooking,
We opened our presents, then
Listened to Christmas songs and chatted
As the happy hours passed by.
song of the day:
I couldn’t find or think of a good song about sofas, so I chose a song about another piece of furniture which I also have.
Sitting alone on an old rocking chair:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KT1c6wAbDE&list=RD-KT1c6wAbDE&start_radio=1
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 18 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I realised I hadn’t posted the poem for day 18 yet. It should have been posted on Saturday and now it is very early Monday morning. That poem has been sitting here waiting for me to post it. It is looking at me reproachfully, asking, "how could you forget about meeee?"
So I’m going to make it happy and post it now. I’ll post today’s poem, the one for day 19, this afternoon.
Getting serious now, enough of my silly middle-of-the-night mood. Talking of moods, since I’ve had my change of life, I’ve found that I am more moody than I used to be.
The day I wrote this poem, a couple of weeks ago, I was what I call "down in the grumps". It’s a combination of depression and grumpiness which really isn’t any fun and is very hard to shift. I was in a similar mood on Saturday, though it was 85% depression and 15% grumps.
Thankfully, I found a way of lifting that kind of mood, and that is what I wrote about in this poem.
Here is today’s poem:
I was in a rotten mood
Just the other day;
It was there when I woke up
And it wouldn’t go away.
I was in a call with a group of friends
Which I enjoy usually,
I didn’t want to share my rotten bad mood,
So I kept it all inside me.
I heard the very best news
That I could want to hear,
But even this happiness did not make
the bad mood disappear.
I told God, "I feel miserable,
"I don’t know what to do!
"I can’t shift this by myself,
"I need some help from you".
And then, after time had passed,
My friend turned some music on:
Some good old country gospel music,
And soon we were singing along.
And strangely, surprisingly,
My grey skies began to clear,
And as the music kept on playing,
My rotten mood disappeared.
We sang "softly and tenderly",
and "One day at a time",
Just a little talk with Jesus",
And I was feeling fine.
music is a good mood lifter,
But songs about the Lord
Remind me of his love for me
And my hope and peace are restored.
song of the day:
Just a little talk with Jesus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNeECbSdOkg
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 17 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
My sleep schedule is strange … I admit it. I sleep for a few hours, then I’m awake for a few hours during the night, then I go back to sleep in the early morning hours. I gave up years ago on trying to sleep the night through.
As a result of my crazy sleep schedule, I am often awake at weird times … like a quarter after midnight, for example.
Here is today’s poem:
It’s a quarter after midnight
And I am wide awake,
Sitting up in bed,
My note taker on my lap.
Pillows are behind my back
And blankets pulled up around me,
One of my favourite water bottles
Is on the chest of drawers beside me.
There’s not a sound to be heard,
Except my fingers on keys,
The neighbourhood noises
Are all quiet now.
Why is it that my thoughts are active
When most people are soundly sleeping?
Why do anxiety and depression
Visit me during the night hours?
So, I sit here writing,
Because it focuses my mind
And all these feelings can pour out into
My open diary file.
Or I can shape and mould them
Into a poem, like this,
Or write them out as prayers
To God, who never slumbers or sleeps.
Some of my best writing is done
During the night hours,
So a quarter after midnight may
Be just the right time for me.
song of the day:
The night song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBraI_mU1O4
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 16 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I had trouble getting this one out today. The poem had been written, but the last stanza wasn’t right, it didn’t pop. I re-wrote it several times and this is about as good as it’s going to get.
Today’s poem is linked with the poem I wrote for day 12. Because it’s been a few days since then, here’s the blurb:
These are children’s poems about a little girl and her puppy. I’d love to write it out as a story, but I’m not so great writing stories and anyway it’s probably been done before.
Here’s the scene. The little girl is talking to her puppy, wondering what it might be like if she became a puppy too. The puppy has similar thoughts, wondering what it might be like to be human, though of course, she can’t talk to her human friend about it. After thinking it through for a while, each of them decides that things are probably better off as they are. The moral of the story is that it’s nice to think about being someone else, but it’s better to be who you are.
This poem is from the puppy’s perspective.
Here is today’s poem:
Oh, what fun it would be,
If I could be a girl,, not a puppy;
With lots of lovely things to wear,
And bows and pretty clips for my hair.
I’d sleep in a nice bed like you,
Though my dog bed is comfy too.
My mum would tuck me in and kiss me,
and maybe read a bedtime story.
I could go to school with you,
And oh, the fun things we could do!
With our friends we could talk and play,
And I could learn new things every day!
When we got home we could play in the yard,
Running on two legs would not be hard.
Then Mum would call us in to eat,
Having dinner with you would be such a treat!
All the yummy human food
Which looks so nice and smells so good!
There’s so much I would like to try
That’s not good for dogs, I don’t know why.
To be a human just like you
Would be a lot of fun, that’s true,
But, lying here upon your knee,
I’m glad to be who I am … your puppy.
song of the day:
I had trouble finding a song that I really liked, then I found this one and I think it’s cute.
Little people puppy song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNn5wUh557A
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 15 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
When you lose someone you love, in time that wound heals. It never fades, because there is an empty place which they have left behind, but in time, we feel the loss less keenly. If you are like me, though, there is one day in the year when the memories of the one you have lost take centre stage in your mind, bringing the pain of that loss with them.
I had one of those days recently. Writing this poem helped.
Here is today’s poem:
On this day I remember you,
And the start of our happiness,
Those brilliant, blissful hours
Painted with bright colours in my mind.
On this day I remember how
Our happiness burst forth, like a song;
A duet that we sang joyfully,
Two melodies entwined.
On this day I remember love
At it’s highest and brightest,
Like fireworks, lighting up the sky,
Like Church bells gladly peeling.
On this day I remember
The 5 years that were ours,
The conversation, the quiet moments
And the laughter that we shared.
On this day I remember
That I found in you
The love, acceptance and completeness
I had searched so long for.
On this day I thank the Lord
For giving us each other
And the time that we had
Which was over far too soon.
On this day I remember
That, though time heals all wounds,
yet the pain of losing a loved one
Never truly fades away.
On this day I remember you
And miss you with such longing …
though years have passed since you departed
to the heavenly home.
song of the day:
How does a moment last forever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsKKuCUYUMU
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 14of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I was working on the poem for day 21, when I realised I haven’t posted today’s yet. This is going to be a busy morning. I have a house inspection, and a friend of mine from Church is very kindly coming to help me with the head lice problem. I may actually be able to go out again soon, yay!
anyway, since I wrote about my morning routine yesterday, I thought I would write about my night routine today. This is a reverse etheree, going from a line of 10 syllables, down to a line of 1.
Here is today’s poem:
First, I sing a "good night" song to Jesus,
To thank him for the day that has been,
I make for myself a small snack
Bread and butter … something sweet,
Then I prepare for bed
And, after night prayer,
I snuggle down,
Then I read
Until
Sleep.
song of the day:
I absolutely love this, and it is sung by another of my favourite singers.
An evening hymn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvWUa4L-fcw
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
Hi readers:
Welcome to day 13 of my April A to Z blog challenge posts. To find out more about the challenge, go here:
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
How do you start your day? Well, this is how I start mine.
Here is today’s poem. it’s an Etheree:
I
wake up
And sit up.
I have a stretch
And get out of bed.
Still feeling half asleep,
I go first to the bathroom
Then, in the living room, I sit
On the sofa with my note taker
To start my morning prayer and bible time.
song of the day:
There are a lot of good "morning" songs, but since I picked a song from Oliver Twist the other day, I thought I would do that again and this song is one of my favourites from that musical. I remember learning this one when we did it at school, and how I loved the way all the parts worked together. I listened to a few versions of it and then I stumbled on this one, which has a couple of my favourite singers in it.
Who will buy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkCe7daxcY
Love from,
Rishie and the Virtual Family.
A Heart Full Of Song 