Libraries are full of books about how to make the most of life. I’ve read the ideas in this month’s poem in several of them. But it took a lot of living and longing for me to grasp those ideas and still more longing to write them down.
Life and I are like a horse and its rider
journeying across all types of terrain
through every kind of weather,
and our partnership works well unless
I’m so intent on where I want to go that
I don’t see where I am, because that’s when
I get impatient and anxious and start shouting
“Should” inside myself.
Life can hear me silently yelling “Should” over and over
but Life doesn’t do anything differently, so then
I get mad and think I want a new mount
because Life just won’t do what I want;
it takes time for me to remember what
it took me decades to learn:
Life doesn’t know what “Should” means.
But when I focus on where I am,
I feel Life’s energy supporting me;
Life may bring me gently to what’s needed next
or I may find new ways to get where I want to go
or where I want to go may change altogether,
especially when Life carries me to places I hadn’t thought of —
and all the while I only need whisper
the word Life knows: “Let’s”
Ah, YEs! Hard to get the “me” out of the picture, but so peaceful when one lets go and at oeace where Life takes you.
Doris
I like it! Enjoyable as usual. WriteOne again. I J
That is really, really beautiful! Many thanks for providing me something to ponder this morning. :-0
Yes, why does it take so long to “get it?”
Hi, Carol. Perhaps it’s because we’re still children inside and we want what we want when we want it. Or maybe it’s because we’re proud and stubborn adults who think we know best. I would say both of those have applied — and still do apply at times — to me.
You poem definitely fits the times I’ve been living. I’ve been asking for lessons on how to ride the crazy horse I was given. (especially this one sister) I occasionally am bucked off of my horse. Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed the poem. I really liked thinking of my life as riding a horse.
A beautiful description of “letting go…”
Reading your poem motivates me. I’m looking forward to more inspiring words from you.