Sunday, November 27, 2011

55

yes, that's how old i'm going to be tomorrow.
i will go to see a movie,
herzog's cave of forgotten dreams.
today i had a phone conversation that made me think.
and an email, too.
and while i am celebrating becoming older,
a friend i never knew has said good bye,
leaving stones.
~~~
yesterday i walked in the old meadow and woods, down to the stream.
i found a tick on my sleeve.
back home i checked for more.
i showered and shampooed
remembering that little crab scrabbling up my arm.
it wasn't a deer tick, but it was a tick.
i've never seen one here before
~~~
and that is how life is, changing,
always changing,
the great cave holds mystery, or graffitti?
does it matter?
what matters is that fabric
called life
which can break and be mended,
it may be dark or light or dense or gauze
this making and wearing a life
is essential. it's light
like feathers
like milkweed in the wind
and heavy, a stack of army blankets.
dense, worn, used.









24 comments:

  1. velma, i am about to be 11 years older than
    you. these ten years between our ages are
    very potent, full of so much potential. i
    really think they are the greatest span of
    all. you are in a wonderful passage.

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  2. your post makes me think of my dearest friend margi(I think of her more as a big sister - she's a special wise woman - just one year your senior) She has advanced Lymes disease (it went undiagnosed, thus untreated, in the vital early stages) - she has confounded the medical experts by surviving long past what they thought would be her use-by date....

    I celebrate her life every day

    just as I curse ticks

    horrid little disease carrying mongrels

    (keep an eye on any bites won't you)


    just like my dear margi - I want to be send you birthday greetings for many years to come...

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  3. I've heard amazing things about the cave film... look forward to seeing it. And BIG birthday blessings!

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  4. velma, I just was 9 years younger than you..(afer graces comment!) I can see it coming..feeling freer than I have ever felt..well..many many happy returns is the wish, and I was thinking today that every day, every moment the world is new again. I wish we could walk together on some of the ancient- mended-broken footpaths of this country, I know you would like them, the stones worn by feet treading over the centuries
    and..isn't it too cold for ticks? the kind we have here, horrid didease carrying mongrels, they hide in winter..i think
    also, here at least, if they are walking its ok
    so have a happy one, and I;m looking forward to hearing what the next decade is like..xxx

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  5. velma, i am between you and grace. i looked in the mirror today and saw gray wrapping my head and thought i can't ever remember looking different...non-things have changed...i see the same person i have always seen, and she sees me. a while ago i stopping worrying how others see me, it is how i see myself not "the other" but the me. wishing you many moments of reflections and see how you see always, your sight gives insight. threading one stitch at a time...

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  6. well, i don't remember how i felt at 55, but i know it was better than 45 and even better now at almost 70. wishing you a continuing great journey.

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  7. a special day tomorrow for you, make it last and last.

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  8. To celebrate your presence in the world, I salute you Velma. I appreciate your presence in my world, via blog. You enrich my experience of being on the planet.

    hApPy bIrtHdAy!

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  9. Very Happy Birthday, Velma.
    55.
    A beautiful number.
    Looks full of magic and promise.

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  10. Wishing you a very special 55th birthday Velma.

    I send to you a few wise words given to me some time ago.. "Enjoy each step and keep your eyes and mind open"..I pass this gift to you... I know that you'll use it wisely.

    With love from across the pond ~ Julie x

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  11. V-happy birthday; may there be many more filled with laughter, love and creativity. As you say life is such a moving feast - image of milkweed swaying and criss-crossing in the breeze is a good expression of the journey. Go well. B

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  12. ronnie, the tick was not a deer tick-thank god. no lyme. but there could have been one i didn't see-yuck!.
    valerianna, i can't wai tto see it!
    manya, this is a lovely wish, and maybe someday. the ticks don't disappear until we have very very cold and snow.
    henrietta, i like to think the way we experience all the ages is like an accordian book structure.
    deanna, wow-good job, and thanks
    kaite, thanks
    leslie, thank you, you say it so beautifully
    lynn, yes, it's a good age
    julie, thank you
    barry, laughter love creativity. i like that!
    thank you everyone!

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  13. May your day be a joyful one, Velma -- and may your year ahead be blessed. I have lived 4 more years than you have...and the aging thing does get easier to accept, but it never fails to surprise!

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  14. Happy Birthday Velma !
    every year is only better .
    62 next week . age can be so freeing .
    xxoo

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  15. Velma, happy days always. It's the threads that are truly important - thick and thin, smooth and textured, brightly coloured and natural, plant, animal and manmade - and the threads that run through our lives that make us who we are.

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  16. Poetic and reflective, Velma. Happy birthday!

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  17. margaret, i am SO ok with aging. except the bits that aren't working too well!
    joanne, my birthday sister, almost!
    kathy, another sag!
    jean, threads, threads, threads, yes!
    faisal, a time to reflect--and you another sag!

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  18. let this be the beginning of your true new year--out with the old, everything you've endured! it has been rocky but you have been strong. so, more rocks ahead, but the good ones.

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  19. Happy Birthday, Velma, my fellow sagittarian! I turned 53 yesterday, the 27th. I wish you a year filled with blessings of love, peace, hope, and joy.

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  20. Last Monday, my number was 1 less than yours. May the upcoming year bring you everything you need.

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  21. yes, bonnie, i do remember that! yay!
    jan, another sag! or just barely?

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