“Don’t brag about your ancestors; give your descendants something to be proud of.” This was the sage advice on the back of a tram ticket when I began some tentative digging around in our family story. Genealogy was expensive and laborious back then, considered a bit of an oddity, an eccentricity. To build a paperContinue reading “The Shoulders On Which We Stand”
Category Archives: Personal
When not enough is too much
“Write of Rain!” urges the Bloganuary MuseIt’s not a theme I’d ordinarily choose‘Tis a tender topic within the land I dwell‘Cos there’s either too much or it’s parched as hell. O’Brien’s Hanrahan watched the changing skies“We’ll all be rooned!” were his constant criesWhether far too much or not quite enoughThat fickle rain had them doin’Continue reading “When not enough is too much”
Why do you write? – a Sonnet
Tonight I vowed to pen a sonnetRegardless of the question askedI suppose I laid a hope upon itA writing talent to be unmasked “Why do you write?” arrives the questionWhat stirs my need to be verbose?How am I stirred each scribing session?Be it rhyme or be it prose? There is a voice deep withinThat clamoursContinue reading “Why do you write? – a Sonnet”
An Ode to Joy
Bloganuary asks “What Brings You Joy in Life?” Joy is a habit to be cultivated, in spite of its foreboding nature. I recently explored this phenomenon of reluctance to embrace joy and its fleeting nature due to the defence mechanism we employ to soften disappointment when it passes. It is also an aspect of yesterday’sContinue reading “An Ode to Joy”
Lost Treasure – closer than you think!
We only need to open our eyes and pay attention. Bloganuary asks “What is a treasure that’s been lost?” Well, it’s all around us. You’ve opened your eyes now, but you still have to go searching. Some will find clues in quantum physics – that realm of discovery that allows for random, invisible, and transcendentContinue reading “Lost Treasure – closer than you think!”
Try to Remember – a Sequel
My earliest memory “tomato-throwing” episode last night must have prompted some dreamwork while I slept. I awoke this morning with the questions, “Why is this my earliest memory?” and “Is this a metaphor for something deeper?” So I ponder how “chucking tomatoes from behind a fence” is a picture for a basic life stance. IContinue reading “Try to Remember – a Sequel”
Try to Remember
Bloganuary today asks us to recall our earliest memory. This is a tough one because it is challenging to unravel the faculties with which I recall my early days. My cognitive function can regale you with stories of others’ memories of my first years. Some old Brownie snapshots have captured one or two images ofContinue reading “Try to Remember”
An Ode to Courage
Bloganuary, to which I have sold my soul for a month, asks today’s audacious question, “How are you brave?” In keeping with my primary goal of messing around with some words, let me offer a limerick: Image by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay One day a pilgrim did wonderIf writing poetry would just be a blunderSo heContinue reading “An Ode to Courage”
Let’s try a Sonnet
When one feels the urge to writeYet thoughts refuse to formAnd sense retires in spite,One takes such as the normAnd lifts the pen in hopeOf catching what flies byWhile making wide one’s scopeAnd snaring what is nigh. And so a poem is bornRaw and gasping for airLying lost and forlornSeeking to avoid despairBut now it’sContinue reading “Let’s try a Sonnet”
A 2022 Tanka
Last day of old yearDawns with tired resignationHolding her dry breath –Desiring the calendar to turn a shiny new page. Image by NoName_13 from PixabayA tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poem – the first two lines describe an experience; the third is a kind of pivot that leads into the last two linesContinue reading “A 2022 Tanka”
Wondering Pilgrim 