Thursday, June 6, 2019

Connections

"We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep."
-William James

While alone last night, I heard a thunderous sky bellowing, rains pounding but did not lament. I knew that the earth was being replenished. When I woke this morning, a glorious spring day filled my window with sunshine. I felt comforted that the rains accomplished their task and earth was replenished. By mid-afternoon, my roses were blooming in beautiful shades of pink while the last of plump peonies made their debut, replacing droopy ones. My garden was alive with different shades of green. I wanted to capture the glory of springtime in a digital form of muted hues and so I created an artistic representation of my garden filled with greenery. 

As I searched for poetic words to accompany the digital, I came across a 21st Century poetic form, Hay(na)ku, invented by Eileen R. Tabios, so I played around with ideas. Clearly, I need to work at this form but below is an early Hay(na)ku attempt.



It is with a spirit of conscious connectedness that I compose my thoughts tonight for the week was one of connecting and collaborating.  This afternoon after my garden tour,  I sat down to connect with my Spiritual Journey first Thursday group hosted by Ramona Behnke. Her topic, connections, was an easy fit for my week of conscious connections, and so I composed a follow-up to my SJ1stT post. 

Just what is a connection? Brene Brown defines it "as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, hear, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they drive sustenance and strength from the relationship."

I am one 
traveler on
a journey called life-
one tiny part of a universe
of thoughts and spoken words,
drawing strength from communities
filled with positive energy and caring spirits.
With gratitude, I respond by capturing nature's
beauty filled with the colors of earth's splendors. 
I connect with the earth, life, and wonder of all that lies within. 
©CV, 2019

I, like others, may lead separate lives but are "connected in the deep" when we become part of a collegial community. It is a privilege to be a member of the Poetry Friday family of friends. Tonight, my artist-poet friend, Michelle Kogan is hosting Poetry Friday here.



REMINDER: Deadline for #digitalinspirations of any artistic format for my upcoming #SpringSplendorGallery are due by June 13th. 

12 comments:

  1. Love reading your thoughts on connections. And the Brene Brown definition is going in my writer's notebook. Love these lines from your poem:
    "drawing strength from communities
    filled with positive energy and caring spirits."
    Thanks for the work you do to connect us each season in a celebration of nature. I love that the art and photos come from all over the world.

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  2. Hello Carol: Thank you for your post! I am a Brene Brown reader and fan also! We discover connections all the time! Thank you for being a good connection for me, and for your beautiful digital art.

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  3. The connections feel important to me always, Carol. Thanks for all, and that "green"!

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    1. We connect with those we are close to and those whom we just meet. I feel a closeness to you, Linda, in our love for the beach, grandmotherhood, peace, and reading. May our love of poetry keeps us always in tune with each other. Have a wonderful beach holiday.

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  4. I like the idea of conscious connections!

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    1. I am happy that my yoga teacher mentioned that we need to consciously pay attention to our breath to slow things down while on the mat and then remember to do so off the mat. That word, conscious, was imprinted on my mind.

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  5. I like your Hay(na)ku poem Carol, thanks for introducing it to me, and I love all the green in it and growing there! Yay for journeys and connectivity too.

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    1. I plan on playing with that format, Michelle ,so if you do send me the link to your post.

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  6. tribute...the earth feels your love and respect. There is connection.

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  7. I love all the connections in your post. There are so many ways to connect with others near and far and with this world we live in.

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    1. Thank you, Kay. Connections are important to me. That is why I like to keep in touch with your happenings and poetry in Indiana. Have a great week.

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