Triumphs
Now is the time of minor triumphs:
waking to birdsong in the morning,
making it safely to the bathroom,
shaving without cutting my face,
getting in and out of the shower
with neither a slip nor a fall,
drying those parts of the body
that are now so difficult to reach,
especially between my far-off toes,
pulling my shirt over sticky patches
still damp from the shower,
negotiating each leg of my pants,
tugging the pulleys that permit
my socks to glide onto my feet,
forcing my feet into my shoes,
hobbling to the top of the stairs
and lurching down them, left
then right, one step at a time …
There is no question … the simplest things become more and more difficult as you age. Many ‘answers’ are in material tools … stools strewn around the house, a clock to remind me to move each hour, a portable lawn chair that comes and goes with me, a toothbrush in every bathroom, all my writing and drawing implements in reach of my spot on the sofa, no socks! Jane
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That is so beautiful, Jane. It is a poem in itself.
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I loved the piece and enjoyed reading the comments between you and Meg!
Powerful work, Roger!
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Thanks, Tanya. I believe that the dialog we establish is very important. We think we are alone, but we aren’t. We all suffer in different ways. To suffer in solitude is a double suffering. To realize that yes, we share our sufferings is to be stronger and less isolated.
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I do hope the rest of the day goes easier!
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It’s a great day, Meg. I feel like an Olympic Gold Medal Winner after each one of these little achievements: triumphs and mutliple triumphs!
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Well that’s all right then! Excellent!
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As I have said before: I often write from dark places but I live in the light. I read this to Clare and she said “Grim!”
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I suppose I do as well… most of the time!
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There’s something about writing, especially what I call deep writing, that comes from deep within us … we can control it, but it doesn’t always want to be controlled.
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No. And it shouldn’t be – it ends up being the best kind of writing.
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I think the deep writing produces the best metaphors. Then they need placing in a carefully thought out structure. That’s the technique I try to use, anyway.
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Sometimes, for me, it all comes tumbling out and doesn’t need changing. Other times I have individual thoughts jotted on post it notes. They’ll fit in somewhere. 🙂
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The problems usually stem from the restrictions placed (often by school teachers) on our active minds. ‘You mustn’t talk / write / speak like that’. Knowing when to stop is the key to revision.
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I agree. The same with fiction writing, there’s a point you just have to call it finished!
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