What I Didn't Know! - Spiritual Journey & Poetry Friday

Interestingly enough this month's Spiritual Journey hosted by Ruth Hersey, invites our community of writers to ponder a theme, I Don't Know. As Ruth states this is not a prompt so I mulled over this for a couple of weeks. There are so many I don't knows in my life right now so where do I start?

What I Didn't Know
I thought I would find glimmery moments
when springtime entered. The time was right
 for nature to offer buds eager to burst out.
Instead, the unexpected happened.
A slowdown began after outpatient surgery.
ICU became my launching pad for
repair surgery, pneumonia, and recovery.
A transfer to the med floor added another layer of stress.
Who likes a liquid diet and a disquieted stomach?
I did not know that my room would be a room of silence,
isolated from the outside world where
May buds were flourishing.
I spent hours pondering and questioning the whys.
Then two more infections became a reality.
 Each day seemed endless,
a never ending pool of medical issues,
called a clutter effect by one of the surgeons. 
What began as an easy, out-patient surgery
turned into a rollercoaster ride of evening nightmares.
I didn't know that a door opening could bring
staff with smiling faces and support.
While there are still times of fear and distress,
there're moments of thanksgiving and appreciation.
Hallelujah!
draft©CVarsalona, 2024

In the above worry journal poem, I wrote in an attentive melancholy way as mentioned in the wabi-sabi aesthetic that finds beauty in things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. 

I also learned that a wabi-sabi lifestyle

prizes maturity, depth, and wisdom over the vitality of youth.

https://positivepsychology.com/wabi-sabi-lifestyle/

Now is the time to speak of gratitude. Join me as I listen to the sweet sound

of Brandon Lake's voice as he sings his

song of Gratitude.

Please find more sweet thoughts and poetic goodness

at both Ruth Hersey's blog

for 

and Robyn Hood Black who has returned from her summer hiatus

at Life on the Deckle Edge to host the Poetry Friday Roundup.

Last week, was my first attempt at creating a wabi-sabi poem

with the Poetry Sisters and #PoetryPals.

Celebrate Life-Seeking Wabi-Sabi

As I transfer from a hospital-bound stage to recovery mode, I write this blog as a celebration of life. I look back at the beginning of May when I started writing short pieces that were threads of a worry journal. I thought this would help me chase away the anxieties swelling inside.

As isolated days continued, my brain was consistently on speed dial. Health worries spilled over into stressful moments. I started realizing that anxiety limited my ability to enjoy the moments of life that lay in front of me. 

After I read Tricia Stohr-Hunt's Poetry Friday blog post on wabi-sabi, I researched the topic and found a meaningful quote to inspire me. Beth Kempton, a Japanologist and author of  Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life, writes:

Be grateful for even the tiniest of miracles because they add up to this thing called life. 

Tricia Stohr-Hunt along with her Poetry Sisters invited Poetry Friends (hashtag #PoetryPals) to join their June writing challenge with the topic of wabi-sabi. I was impressed by the array of poems flowing with different formats and content. I wrote my first tritina poem, a modern poetic form with three tercets, three end-words in an ABC, CAB, BCA, and a single final line, envoi, with all three end words.

Seeking Wabi-Sabi

turquoise waters soothe restless thoughts
waves gently meet a school of fish searching for their space
uninterrupted by thick seaweed-two sides of beauty

landscapes unfold to share moments of grace and beauty
color-coded clouds shift across a sky of prepared thoughts
I pause to view nature's perspective and ponder her ideas for each space 
 
instantly nature shifts her weather from a calm to a temperamental space
thunder, lightning and torrential rain encourage people to find beauty
in imperfections and appreciate the transience of nature's thoughts

Will humans see the value of a celebrating each moment in nature's space of revolving thoughts and beauty?
@CVarsalona, 2024, draft

Happy Poetry Friday!

Stay tuned for a a couple more book reviews and a peek inside the
Poetry Parade Gallery of Artistic Expressions at my padlet for now..