Forgiveness sets you free, so they say, but this is easier said than done. We all know that some things can be impossible to forgive.

Still, forgiveness releases us. While a person who forgives anything may seem a tad generous, accomplishing it breaks open the shackles of hatred and anger. It takes a lot of unnecessary energy to be angry.

We have come to the part of the year when forgiveness becomes a precious gift for the person we are forgiving and ourselves. Let’s extend the olive branch for us.

The olive branch extended

Unwraps vines from hands and feet

All released, broken cords amended

Branch of olives from hands so giving

May seem at once too kind

When crows grasp, a misgiving

To bring branch forward, hands will ache

With all-encompassing pain

Knowing the wounded soul at stake

Branch of steel breaks apart

Shackles that resent

Made of copper, resilient, hard

Release from bonds of steel, relief

No tears of wrathfulness

Shudders of grief

Pardon from the branch of olives

Unties the vines of hate that bind

Soothes the soul as a gift

Gift given so all may live.

Silence is golden. I value it extremely, but as this post shows, I find it hard to keep.

So saying, I have only one alternative – to extol the value of it. Inspiration is one.

Silence is respect, gives one clarity, and ironically, actually enhances communication because one actually thinks through what one has to say.

Silence enhances one’s well-being. Fingers to the lips, all.

Fingers touch soft to the lips

Arched and reverent, now

Stopping words from falling, tactless slip

Seals them with a bow

Nimble fingers kind

Their touch so tender

Pressed yet mild

That we remember

What words to say

To touch new souls

The lines to pray

Not be too bold

Nimble fingers, ever kind

Their touch gentle, ever mild. 

The perfect storm. We hope to live through them, especially those that we create, deliberately or otherwise.  

Yes, I’m referring to anger. We give in to frustration at work nearly every day. Our children’s annoying misbehavior riles us. The thoughtless words of a spouse nettle us. 
How do we control those tantrums? Recognizing signs and triggers helps. So does taking a stress relief break. Count to ten and of course, take a deep breath. 
This abecedarian shares what we can do when the storm of anger brews. 

A storm we create when we are fraught
Because rule of our emotions is naught
Curb the lightning bolts we wrought
Do not hold sway over our thoughts
Evermore can be the cost

Find the source of the storm
Get the reason why it has brewed
Hold one’s breath and count to ten
If the thunderstorm begins to set in

Jumping  jacks indoors when it starts
Kickboxing is another art
Let your tense muscles loosen
Meditate when the storm starts brewing

Only when the storm has stopped
Put the upturned flag forth
Quiet down and take a timeout
Rest when there’s a storm without

Seek refuge in the comfort of friends
Talk of how to bring it to an end
Umbrella of hope they may share
Voice of reason, source of care

When the storm no longer goes on
Xylophone plays a celebratory song
You can celebrate its end
Zoom to the park once more with friends. 

The only certainty in life is change, as the old saying goes. I don’t deal with it too well, and I suppose many people would echo my sentiment.

The problem with old sayings is that they’re often right. We can’t control change, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence and other, sometimes not-so-positive, events overwhelming the world. What do we do? We can only deal with it.

I’ve learned that some determination to stay adaptable helps. Awareness that things cannot remain the same is a must in this day and age. Constant awareness of one’s circumstances helps, as is the willingness to learn and grow.

Enjoy these free verses. The cherry blossom is a hallmark of change and is apt to use as a symbol at this time as it is the Lunar New Year. A lucky year of the Dragon to all….and may love and success come your way.

Pink 

Blossoms

Bloom only

As sands of time

Shift

Love

The petals

That open 

And close

With quickness

But never stop

Cherish

How green stems

Shoot up

And 

Flowers 

Always

Bloom. 

One struggle teachers go through is to get an academically weak student to perform in exams. Like them, I am no stranger to diamonds in the rough. It’s no straightforward process, and I imagine my colleagues nodding without difficulty. 

But how do we do this when the coal refuses to be formed? How do we deal with the insurmountable?

Breaking it down helps. Being prepared to adapt to new environments and situations does as well. Remember that you’ve overcome obstacles before, and that the difficulty, like everything else, is transient. 

A diamond forms in time. Stay positive, folks. 

Black coal, mountainous and tough

Dark, mysterious, unrefined

In chunks, diamonds in the rough

To become crystalline diamonds in time

Small coal chunks, when moved

To places vast and new

Their form so improves

Sharpened, bright and true

Diamonds have been formed before

Though coal be black and crude

When treated, crystalline and pure

Shiny, precious, new

The form of black coal lasts,

But for a certain time

The diamonds form, sharp and fast

Churning from their mine

Diamonds sparkle bright and true

Are always there, though they be few. 

“Judge not, lest ye be judged.” So reads a well-known phrase from Matthew Chapter 7, Vs 1. It is a stark reminder to be mindful of being, for want of a better word, judgemental.

There’s good reason not to be. We’re subject to the judgement of friends and family members, and their constant assessment is gritty, to say the least. So we’ve to lead by example and not swing the mallet too quickly.

How do we extend an open hand and hopefully get one offered to us in return? We empathize, practice acceptance, and remain as open-minded as possible. Enjoy these free verses.

Open hand

Puts hearts in a line

Draws them

Together as one

Open hand

Opens the door

To fields green

And new

Open hand

Pulls same door closed

To all flowers

Being roses

And

Wraps itself

Around

One and all.

Today’s post rings poignantly.

Crossroads. I dislike navigating them, and my guess is that so do you. They can be overwhelming because one simply doesn’t know which path is safest. I’ve recently arrived at one, and the feeling isn’t comfortable.

How do I know that I have come to a crossroads? Your circumstances change. There is a feeling of discomfort and uncertainty, and you know that you have to decide so that you can move forward.

I will move ahead. But how? I have found the need for reflection uncomfortable, though the prospect is. I have had to clarify my options and evaluate them. Finally, I weighed them, and have decided where, and how, to walk.

Enjoy these Senryus. They have the 575 Haiku format, but aren’t about nature….rather, they embrace life’s circumstances.

Roads meet in a cross

Direction so uncertain

Hazy the one to walk

Brief stop at the cross

Unclear, need to see the road

Forge paths ahead

Paths ahead appear’

Seen after long rain has cleared

The eyes locked on the road

Path bumpy, new laid

Legs ache with the walk

But clear skies in front.

Do you take risks? If you do, do you pussyfoot around them or just dive in?

There are advantages to being cautious, of course. Huge ones that are ill-considered often lead one down a rough road.

Then again, there’s the “nothing ventured, nothing gained” philosophy. There’s no life without a little adventure (and some misadventure).

Let the house of cards show us how to take calculated ones.

Small house

Rugs wrap around feet

Warm, calm and free

Warm rug

Lulls one to sleep

Never awakes

Small step

Out the door

Starts a journey

On a magical road

Less travelled

Signs

Though tiny

Call the traveller

Who should trust,

Read

Learn

And walk.

All of us are regular people trying to do our best to make the world a better place in our small capacities. And, being the nice people whom we are, we find it hard to reject others when they make requests. 

Airline personnel always remind us to secure life jackets for ourselves before doing the same for the other members of our families. 

There’s good reason for that – if we don’t survive ourselves, we can’t expect others to do so. Sometimes, saying ‘no’ and looking after our own needs first benefits everyone more than we think. 

Enjoy these butterfly cinquains. 

Bent arms

So hard to cross

Opens our tired forms

Outstretching our worn hands

To all

Crossed arms

Some practice to fold and unfold

The need to cross certain

For sake of all

Fold firm

Firm arms

Stretch to set space

Arms mark the area

Where all can move around

Crossed in

Steady

Arms crossed yet know

When the long limbs should meet

And when the slim joints should let go

Movement. 

Life is to us what Pete Sampras or Vanessa/Serena are to tennis.It throws curve balls when we least expect it, and leaves us with broken pieces.

Picking up those pieces is easier said than done. Accepting untoward circumstances is didactic instruction.Seeking support from friends or family is tough when they are not readily available. A little self- reflection is necessary, but difficult to do when things go awry.

The Japanese art of Kintsugi involves mending broken items with gold or silver lacquer. It is the quintessential art of making the best of things. 

We can do the same with life’s shattered pottery by setting realistic goals for ourselves. A little forgiveness, either of ourselves or others, goes a long way. 

And taking some time to build healthy coping mechanisms doesn’t hurt either. Enjoy this Abedacerian. 

A mish mash of broken pots

Battered ware we should do without

Cared for not, left to rot

Dumped in a box or left about

Ever lifeless, soon forgot

Fount of silver mend in time

Gold coverings make anew

Hardened, tough, like casks of wine

In old box that we once threw

Jumbled, out of sorts and mind

Knead with the liquid silver of forgiveness

Love these broken pieces with liquid gold 

Mend with the support of togetherness

Nurse with the charms of advice so old

Or nourish with the fruit of their closeness

Patience it takes to mend these wares

Quell the urge to fix them fast

Rusted many of them are

Submission to fate, odd, but they last

Throw away those that cannot fare

Under these pots, fix gold base of growth

Verify their stability with silver sides

Wait, though these mends be slow

Xult when small progress is nigh

Yonder is the fixed, beauteous pot

Zoned in platinum chamber, not forgot.