Life is full of wonder, delight and inspiration. And, sometimes they come from the unlikeliest of places! On the seven hour bus ride from Toronto I listened to this interview with a divorce lawyer whose voice really irritated me. I almost turned it off, but then he began to talk about his volunteer experience in palliative care and I continued to listen. I’m so glad I did because he said some of the most profound things on love and life, and I was taking notes on my phone. The result is the poem in front of you.
I hope it will inspire you to soften a little into life and love. (And if it does, please share your thoughts in the comment section below, as I’d love to hear them!)
Writing this poem has certainly helped taking a load off my mind, and heart. And on that note, I want to thank all the beautiful souls who have written to me in private, or in the comment section of my last post and offered their vulnerable and inspiring thoughts/ experiences on parenting. Thank you for helping me feel less alone.
But for now, here is a poem about softening, and riding different kind of waves.
Soften
I heard a divorce lawyer say
in an interview yesterday
& took notes. Love
is not permanently gifted to you
but is on loan to you, so
soften. Yield, he said.
Stop resisting the inevitable
which is death of course –
the only thing that is guaranteed;
that, and pain. But then again
we might just get lucky
& squeeze a couple of smiles
into this drudgery
that is life, if we learn to surf
the unpredictable waves
threatening to drown us
& harden us
into closing our hearts
to the tiniest amount
of love, because it hurts
to love, no doubt, but if we are to die
one day, then why the hell not
give it all, generously, right now
I say, and think of how you left me
on the corner of the street
when you wanted to stay
& I decided to let you go
& walked away in the cold,
Hawksley Workman singing
in my ear, reminding me
of my own delicate heart
that had been messed with
too many times, but hey, I say
what if we leave our luggage
at the door & allow ourselves
to extend each other
some kindness, because love
is a big word, I know, so let’s forget
about love & just surf
& with a bit of luck
before death strikes
us at the next inopportune moment
on the street corner
(it could happen) we can hold each other
for a moment & feel something
akin to love & isn’t it beautiful, I say
& hey, why do we always have to complicate
everything
instead of just allowing
the waves to wash over us
& soften a little into this thing called
life – on loan to us
& for the time being we could make
bearable, just by standing
together
on the street corner.
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And as always, I love to hear from you! How do you surf the unpredictable waves of love-life? With ease, or difficulty?
Imola, I think quite possibly you are a natural-born poet. This was lovely, a delight to read.
Wonderful