gratitude at rest

You have the whole cycle of life here... from the birth of being and learning slowly from childlike stance, to ride a bike, then to do things in tandem with a partner... you can pedal fast or slow to make the world go as slow or fast as you like... but when it comes to the point where you cannot pedal much or not all... you can stop, look and take a moment to reflect on what has happened in your cycle... and be thankful of all things around you. You have put this brilliantly in the first section of the poem. The second part has the native indian in me searching for a white wolf... howling to the winds, glaring at the evergreen trees that never seem to fade! Very good write if you could link part 1 with part two with no pause this would be outstanding! Dale :)

Yes we see it all in another perspective, as when in the midst of all that goes on life is so hurried and muddled and makes its difficult to find the time to contemplate such thoughts, out of the blue comes this unexpected gratitude like a sudden streak of light from the sun, and it warms the heart making it whole again after all the trials and troubles of the years past. I love your white buffalo and the eagle soaring, that is what gratitude experienced gives one the whole breadth and height of the universe in one fell swoop; the buffalo representing the solid and the eagle the liquidity of flight, one feels still in the centre of the two poles of existence like the centred quality of balance in life. The unfamiliar made familiar. My sister you can always come with beatiful thoughts and soothe all ills, brighten all feelings, love all moments positive. You are a special person to be sure. Ann.

dear Kailashana you amaze us with your words, it has a slight native american feel at the end of this poem that i love. allways a treat you're quite prolific i don't write every single dayi wish i could, though i'm always thinking what might be could to put in a poem. your work is lovely i look forward to reading more. Love JohnX

A triumphal epiphany.The realisation upon reflection. A stepping back to a broader perspective.Though it ain't over till it's over, and what lies ahead? A very thought provoking poem.B

Im older now i used to believe that I was more wrong then I saw the world or the world saw me and its not as certian what do I want and how can I make that happen i am capable to attain something if only poetry here and even then Im not certian not really fulfillment I like the taste of that so I chase it some days its just a coffee alone in a crowded place or a muse with beautiful minds

Gratitude,is something overlooked sometimes till its too late ... mostly till its too late ... love the ending its got punch ... love and hugs Jayne x x x

I forgot to congratulate you on spotlight lol Love ya Jayne x x x

GRATITUDE may be coontrolled by our ATTITUDE as a result of our ALTITUDE reached in life but we should never forget life is a circle of LATITUDES .The people we meet on our way to the top are the same people we meet on our way down.It pays to say thank you before it becomes impossible to do so.

Lovely poem Anna, really beautiful. I loved when the heart’s blindfolds and the eyes’ fears come undone, little by little, as the little stone that is I is polished and smoothed by the birthing waters of being, a constant renewal and wearing away… then the native american use. Brilliant vicki ; )

My Grandfather John Tempest Harvey always carried stones in his pockets and polished them with his hands as he walked, they became so beautiful, not machine glossy but hand glossy, loved by his big hands and becoming little poems of his and the stones history combined. "and the dragonfly rests near the lotus, blossoming…." Such suchness, such hovering moments, such a bloom the lotus. Makes me think of :- Describing the Lily:- "The hands of Spring have built, on the summit of its stalk, the castles with battlements of silver, whose defenders grouped round their prince, hold swords of gold." .........Aloofness and its air of stillness and expectancy.... says Gerald Brennan in his book  "Literature of Spain" quoting Garcia Gomez.

a well worded soothing poem. shan

this is a great flowing write and I agree with Dales comment. But how true you are. You are an amazing writer with so much insight. Well done. Love Lyz. XX

Your reflection, wisdom is so appealing in this Anna. That was a great read for me. I loved the last two stanzas, where the white buffalo appears and the eagle soars in the wasteland of life itself, a hummingbird of memory appears and disappears and the dragonfly rests near the lotus, blossoming…. it just floated off my tongue and practicaly sang itself! Awesome, Julie D.D.

Gratitude, real gratitude comes later in life, I think, after the hormonal imbalance of impetuous youth, after the chaos of householder’s duties and the making of one’s living, gratitude arrives unannounced, enters in moments of recognition and simplicity when the heart’s blindfolds and the eyes’ fears come undone, little by little, as the little stone that is I is polished and smoothed by the birthing waters of being, a constant renewal and wearing away… gratitude comes when least expected… when hope is given up and life is exactly what is… sans regret, sans rancor… as much as i like the ending to this poem, for me, "sans regret, sans rancor..." felt like the natural ending. "where the white buffalo appears and the eagle soars in the wasteland of life itself, a hummingbird of memory appears and disappears and the dragonfly rests near the lotus, blossoming…" could be the beginning of another poem altogether. nothing at all wrong with it as is...just my thoughts. another thought i had, was to maybe have the opening 2 lines as a complete sentence...seems a little stronger to me, as a statement in itself. "Gratitude, real gratitude comes later in life I think. After the hormonal imbalance of impetuous youth," etc... again, merely my thoughts. i've read this a number of times since posting, and i've gleaned a little more from it each time. i think there's much truth in your words, and i like how you have expressed your thoughts. under the pen of a lesser writer, a topic such as this could come off sounding as a piece of self-indulgent navel-gazing, but you have written this very intelligently, and poetically. i find this quite beautiful actually, and from the part about being as a little stone polished (maybe 'small' stone, as little is used twice in the prededing line?) to me, it takes on a profound tone...very skilfully and subtly done...brava. i keep coming back to read this...and get something from it every time. cheers pleiades

or 'tiny' stone? definitely my favourite image of the poem - us as the rough being washed and polished and facetted by experience...till we shine like jewels, each with out own individual beauty. I think you must be an exceptionally beautiful jewel... xT