A yellow peony takes me
Flying through time
Back to another garden
Another day
In the hot sun
Footsore
Sweating
Hearing water trickle
From a waterwheel
Wanting to plunge into the river
Wanting shade
Wanting water
Wanting my mother.
At least I found shade.
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Memories aren’t always cheerful. Sometimes they hurt. Have you ever had an X-ray guided cortisone shot? I had one in my shoulder today, and I’m the girl on fire. So in honor of my shoulder, and its temper tantrum, I watched Hunger Games. At least I’m not in danger of being eaten by wild dogs. Hope your weekend is wonderful. And this post is also my contribution to Poetry Friday, hosted this week at Buffy’s Blog.
46 thoughts on “Flying Carpet”
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Friendly Fairy Tales 
take care! sometimes the only way to forget our terrible pain is to remember those in whose shoes we will never like to walk in! there are always a handful, are not there? no matter how hellish our own pain is!
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True, others have worse pain.
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Pain is a powerful voice, but it often inspires beauty, as it does here. Hope you feel better soon, Brenda.
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Thanks, Michelle! I am already better than that night.
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ooh, i know your pain, had one in my foot once. focus on the beautiful yellow peony, focus, focus, ouch, focus, ouch….
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I’m improving. Ice helps a lot. Sleeping is still rough.
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I’ve never seen a yellow peony!
Hope your shoulder’s feeling better (and your heart, too)!
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Thanks! My shoulder is not on fire! Yeah!
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Hope you are feeling better soon. Being in constant pain is terrible. I do hope the shot helps. The can work, it’s kind of iffy…sometimes yes, sometimes no. Be well my friend. Lovely poem.
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I’m still recovering from the pain of the shot itself. I read an article that suggests this was the right course of treatment. It seemed savage at the time, and the night afterwards was horrible. But if it makes the condition clear up without years of pain, it’ll be worth it. Fingers crossed.
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Yikes, that shoulder sounds painful! Love all the details in your peony poem.
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Thanks, Buffy. The shoulder will improve. I see an arm/shoulder expert in physical therapy in a few weeks.
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Pain and beauty often different sides of the same coin. Bittersweet memories. Thanks for tapping into your core to write this poignant poem.
Hope your shoulder feels better soon. Sorry about the painful shot, too. Fingers crossed it ultimately brings relief.
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Fingers crossed here, too. Jury’s still out. 🙂
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I hope the shot brings relief. It’s always amazing to me the kinds of things that can inspire beautiful words. Take care.
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Pain is primal. It takes us to our basic core.
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This is lovely 🙂
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Thanks!
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Hi Brenda I hope you are feeling better I have heard those injections are very painful. The poem is beautiful.
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Thanks, Willow. My arm is less aggrieved this morning, but I am thoroughly questioning my sanity in agreeing to it. Until I remember how much pain my shoulder was in. And how much range of motion I’d lost.
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I am glad that you are improving Brenda I know how painful it can be. xxx
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I stopped lifting my weights when I hurt my neck and I seized up. So lowering. XOXO
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Hope it all improves very soon.
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Me, too, thanks!
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I love the poem very much. That shot sounds very painful! I hope you are taking care of yourself and resting. I have never had a shot like that, but my mother almost had one, but she declined. She preferred to wait it out, the pain I mean. But it took months! The hunger games is too scary for me to watch, but I have seen the fire-dress on adds. Take it easy Brenda and get lots of rest! 🙂 ❤ Lots of Love and big hugs to you! ❤
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Suzanne Collins wrote a splendid dark story about the triumph of the human spirit. Sometimes a little darkness helps the light seem more bright and meaningful. I’m resting. Well, not really. But I plan to. 🙂 XOXO
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Ouch. I considered a cortisone injection for my shoulder but, fortunately, I didn’t really need it in the end. ( The end being after 9 months of pain!) Hope your shoulder improves. What aches we endure in life; in body, soul and mind. 😦
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Hmm, I think this may be my last ever. The two in my spine didn’t help, and so far this one is like swatting a fly on my arm with an UZI.
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So did your problems start with your back, too?
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They came first certainly. I fell a few months ago, and my shoulders have been bothering me since. My right recovered, but my left just gets worse and I’ve been losing my range of motion. I’d like to work with it until it’s back to normal. We’ll see. I’m not convinced these shots really help. The ones in my spine didn’t.
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My back went first, then my shoulders. My back required surgery but my shoulders healed with time, only I still don’t have a full range of motion. But the pain has gone, and that is the greatest relief. Along the way, sports massage helped as did a wonderful feather mattress topper and a memory foam pillow. These conditions are hard-going. Hugs.
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Having both shoulders in pain is the pits. After I fell, both my shoulders hurt. That was lots worse that having one iffy one. Massage helps, but the effects only last a few days. It’s my neck I’m worried about. I feel like this is partially my neck. I’m going to see a neck, shoulder/arm specialist in a few weeks for physical therapy. I would love to get my full range of motion back, but I suppose I’d settle for a lack of pain. Everything has been hard since my third child. Much as I love her, my body did not bounce back well. Probably my age, over 41 when I had her.
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Hope the specialist helps. If it’s any consolation ( it was to me, just a little) the shoulder problems, or frozen shoulder, are the curse of middle aged women. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/22187776/ns/health-health_care/t/painful-frozen-shoulder-puzzles-doctors/#.VXJV1VJema You may know that already and yours may not be frozen shoulder. Most likely your neck is affected too. I had terrible trouble turning my head in the car. Courage, my friend. You will get through this. 🙂
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That was a good article. Thanks. I fit pretty tidily into that. That is what my diagnosis was, and it has been a couple months. I fell, and one shoulder got better and the other worse.
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Then that sounds positive if you are in the early stages. 🙂
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I hope so. Still can’t straighten my arm, but at least the pain from the shot is fading.
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Lovely and bittersweet Brenda!
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Thanks, Cindy. That’s how I’m feeling. Hard to believe this shot in my shoulder will eventually help me.
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Reblogged this on Yoshiko and commented:
The beauty memories.
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Beautiful description. Memories can be sad yet beautiful. I miss my grandparents.
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I miss mine, too. They are still in our hearts.
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What a delightful memory!! I just learned tonight that peony is pivoine…I never knew the English translation. My grandmother had many around her house by the river.
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They are beautiful, with their huge open blooms. They don’t hold anything back, like roses do. 🙂
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They are a lot like a children:)
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LOL True, maybe that’s why they took me back there.
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