Today’s passage from A Year with Rilke speaks about feelings being set free. How light ones move upward, while heavy ones bow, sway. The last line resonated in its message of the world around us being enough. Moments before, in my back garden, a light breeze makes itself known:
January 2, 2014
Morning comes
at the tickle end
of a cat’s whisker.
In my garden, 
ghost breath
tickles wind chimes,
bird feeder, a lantern.
Everything dances.
–CAS
So, today is Jan. 1 2014. This past fall, I picked up a copy of A Year with Rilke, a daily reader from the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke, translation by Joanna Macy & Anita Barrows.
Since, like many of my writer friends, my pile of books still unread is threatening to topple over, I set this one aside to begin on January 1st. The first entry is about beginnings. And today, I begin the Mindful Writing Challenge for 2014. http://www.writingourwayhome.com/small-stones/mindful-writing-challenge-jan-14/#whereshare
January 1, 2014
blue sky V (Photo credit: jmtimages)
The year begins
on a bright note of sky.
Who can regret the chill air
when there is such a blue?
CAS 01/01/14
The last of my small stones for January. Couldn’t quite manage the one per day the Mindful Writing Challenge called for, so I’ve had to write a bit more several times.
This week has included a dental consult, two days of trying to make a program work from an external drive, followed by an order for the darned upgrade, and then wonderfully warm weather but no blue skies or sun. Isn’t it funny how Ottawa winters work? A choice of pretty deep freeze days, or depressing warm and wet ones.
Winterlude Skating at Dows Lage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Winterlude, Ottawa’s wonderful winter festival starts soon. Looks like we may be having another year of Waterlude. That is not good for the ice sculptures, the snow sculptures or
for skaters looking forward to trying out their blades on Ottawa’s canal rink.
Ice sculpture museum carved out of snow at the annual Winterlude (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Visit to the Dentist
One tooth no longer welcome
in my jaw, its root, shattered,
lies under a bridge. The tooth,
dormant since Christmas flares
again, anxious and inflamed.
Complicated, they say. Sedation.
Bring a friend.
CS Jan. 28, 2013
Computer Glitches
These necessary machines
now drive our lives, create
havoc when they refuse to
do things our way. Installation
not as planned, files here, files
there, and somewhere the hidden
key. Some days nothing works,
it won’t print, it won’t save,
it won’t open, it won’t send.
Spend hours fixing something
to save us minutes when (sometimes)
it works.
CS Jan. 29, 2013
Guaranteed Delivery
Order by six, delivery guaranteed
next day. Could download software,
but want security from owning the disk.
In case of glitches. Wait all day.
All evening. Shoulda done the download.
CS Jan. 30, 2013
Rain and Grey Clouds
Winter cries for its own passing,
sends rain and covers herself
with grey cloud. Last week’s white
has melted to dirty grey heaps, puddles
everywhere as thermometers rise
above freezing. Young men sport pants
rolled to the knee, runners with shoelaces
undone and flapping. Teen girls leave coats
behind, walk about with bare arms
and goosebumps.
CS Jan. 31, 2013
A final picture of an ice sculpture at night, from Winterlude.
Ice sculpture of a train, lit at night. Taken at Winterlude. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lunch at a Country Farm
Cold winter days call for hot soup
but beets are not on my list, still
polite behaviour requires I try,
surprised when that musty earthy taste
does not assault my tongue. This borscht
a spicy hot pink, perfect with raisin biscuits
and followed by a warm and fragrant
apple tart, redolent of cinnamon and spice.
Dog spit on my cheek optional.
English: Ukrainian borshch Українська: Український борщ Русский: Украинский борщ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
CS Jan 25, 2013
Car Windows at 100 kph
Cold air on car windows begins
to fog as we reach the highway
I accelerate, take her up to 110 kph
and soon the side windows steam and fog
I brought a passenger this time, to fiddle
with vents and heat controls, bring back
blessed visibility and ability to change lanes
and take the corners, actually see what
lies ahead.
CS Jan. 26, 2013
I’m So Ready
to hear Sutton Sammy or Wiarton Willie
or Fred from Val d’Espoir, Quebec
predict how many more weeks of winter.
Just a few days before the furry rodents
make their annual appearance, and all
the superstitious people pronounce
how many weeks of winter left to come.
(Wiarton Willie Statue Wiarton Ontario Canada – Photo By Shari Chambers http://www.newmediadesigns.biz) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Just open a calendar.
On February 2nd, you can see March 20th
is the first day of spring. Same number of weeks
whether the weather is sunny or not on every
Groundhog’s special Day.
CS Jan 27, 2013
For women living with heart disease
prep for quillfyre updates
reflections & writing prompts for living with serious or life-threatening illnesses
"I am offering this poem to you, since I have nothing else to give." ~Jimmy Santiago Baca
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