I have a lot of truly inspiring women in my circles.
I don’t know if I’m just crazy-lucky, or if brilliant, generous, funny, creative, inspiring women really are a dime a dozen, but for now I won’t question, just appreciate.
Appreciation, in fact, is the name of the game today — thanks to Jote Khalsa, the wonder-mistress behind the blog bless her heart. Jote had this idea to close out the year with 30 days of Gratitude, and she asked folks if they’d like to play along. Now, I am truly abysmal at baseball and frisbie, but gratitude? I’m in!
But, alas, you say, there are only 29 days left in the year!
Yes, I say. That’s the thing about me. I tend to run a little late. But honestly. 29 days is still a lot of gratitude and Jote won’t mind.
So, without further ado, today I’m grateful for poetry.
I’m grateful for its beauty and for what it offers the mind.
I’m grateful for what it evokes and for what it confirms.
I’m grateful for the way it can startle and the way it can comfort.
I’m grateful.
And I’m pretty sure Anne Sexton was grateful for it, too, even though it wasn’t able to save her in the end.
I mean really, what’s mother-broth for all the people but poetry?
Poetry.
Yellow
When they turn the sun
on again, I’ll plant children
under it, I’ll light up my soul
with a match and let it sing, I’ll
take my mother and soap her up, I’ll
take my bones and polish them, I’ll
vacuum up my stale hair, I’ll
pay all my neighbours bad debts, I’ll
write a poem called Yellow and put
my lips down to drink it up, I’ll
feed myself spoonfuls of heat and
everyone will be home playing with
their wings and the planet will
shudder with all those smiles and
there will be no poison anywhere, no plague
in the sky and there will be mother-broth
for all the people, and we will
never die, not one of us, we’ll go on
won’t we?
Anne Sexton
(It goes without saying that I’m always thankful for Poetry Friday and, on this day especially, our lovely hostess Tricia at Miss Rumphius. Go read allllll the poetry she’s rounding up today. The world is rapidly becoming a more beautiful place…)
Maybe
I read a study one time that said that in a classroom of thirty kids with wide ranges in IQ test, the gifted children naturally gravitated to each other. Maybe it’s also true that exceptional women tend to gravitate to each other? I certainly think you are an amazing, exceptional, generous, loving, kind, smart and creative woman–is it really such a leap that you would be surrounded by women with similar qualities? I don’t think that’s a leap at all, actually!
Re: Maybe
OK, well:
1. Right back at you, Barb. I mean, seriously. You host your own warm and welcoming and funny and empathic gathering place for just the same kind of women at your blog everyday. You really do. And it is so inspiring.
And 2. You are one of the people I know who seems to know and exude gratitude all the time. So thanks for that. Truly.
Lovely!
I really could read that poem 1,000 times. Y’know?
Anne Sexton was a goddess. My favorite.
Yes. Yes she was.
These words warmed my heart and made me feel as though the sun is shining inside my office.
Many wishes for a happy holiday season!
And to you, too!
Thanks for reminding me to be grateful for poetry and amazing Anne Sexton and yellow and mother-broth and spoonfuls of heat and you. Savor your 29 days!
Grateful for you, too, Jeannine. And yellow and mother-broth and all that…
I’ll light up my soul
with a match and let it sing
Oh! Lovely.
Since I’m a bit late on ending the year with focused gratitude, maybe I’ll start the next one that way. Then again, why wait. Silly me. The time for gratitude is right now, every now we’re given!