Restless in winter, inside,
because of ice, afraid to fall.
I imagine myself skating,
pirouettes, dancing turns,
arabesques, supple,
like the cattails, bending,
undaunted by icy feet.
But instead I bring tea
to my green armchair
and imagine it’s a
treehouse in Peru,
with monkeys chattering
and Paddington Bear clapping
as I imagine myself a child,
unafraid to fall, skating.
Copyright 2017 Brenda Davis Harsham
Notes: Inspired once again by Mary Oliver, to give voice to the inner me.
An excerpt from Whelks, p. 38 of The Truro Bear and Other Adventures, Beacon Press, Copyright 2008, by Mary Oliver:
All my life
I have been restless —
I have felt there is something
more wonderful than gloss —
than wholeness —
than staying at home.
I have not been sure what it is.
Happy Poetry Friday and thanks to Keri at Keri Recommends for hosting. Feel free to join the weekly poetry party.
Have magical adventures, even if they are strictly imagination only!
Reblogged this on ' Ace Friends News ' and commented:
Great post as always Brenda your a ⭐️ love the photo … Ian 😊👍
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Thanks, Ian!
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Your restlessness (and Mary Oliver) has inspired a lovely poem, Brenda!
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Thanks, Bridget.
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Your photography is stunning!
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How nice of you to say. It’s not exactly a stunning time of year here. But I try. 🙂
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Very whimsical, Brenda. I enjoyed it 🙂
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Thanks, Penny.
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I imagine myself as a child while reading this, as well, Brenda!
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I’m glad it spoke to your inner child. Happy MLK Day!
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I can relate to this! Thanks for visiting The Glasgow Gallivanter.
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My pleasure. I remember Scotland fondly.
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Your poem qualifies as National Hot Tea Month celebration, Brenda!
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Yay! Now that’s a month I can get behind. 🙂
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I love the photo, as always! This poem resonates with me as I often find myself restless in winter. Have a great week, Brenda!
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Thanks, Kiesha, and you, too. Glad the poem resonated with you. 🙂
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beautifully alive
in the dead
of winter 🙂
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Thank you!
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Good reminder to dance and skate be bold until our bodies stop us and we only have our imaginations.
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I’d like to take up figure skating, but my body would not cooperate. Aren’t we lucky that our imaginations have less limits? Thanks for stopping by!
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Vowww..nice photography and blog.
thanks for sharing
let me share some recent work on this photography blog
amazing HD Wallpaper
Nature Wallpaper
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Your site has beautiful photos.
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I’m so glad we have our imaginations to comfort us when the outside world is too cold, too much, or in my case much of the year too HOT! 🙂 I am also confident that I’m much more graceful in my imagination than in real life.
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LOL In my imagination, I can climb Everest, and come back home the same, with no oxygen tanks needed. If only…. 🙂
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Your green chair sounds like a wonderful launchpad of imagination and wonder for you… and safe too. Enjoy!
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I’m sitting in it now, smiling, and imagining myself on a rocketship. Thanks to you. 🙂
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So charming and delightful.
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Thanks, Dorna. Blessings.
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All my life
restless
listening for the sound
of your voice
in a poem.
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Wow, thank you! All my life, waiting to connect, with you.
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I loved the descriptions of how you let your imagination wander. Skating is something I never mastered, much to my regret.
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I mastered the admiring of professional figure skaters. 🙂 The more I fell, the more I admired those who mostly didn’t fall.
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I love this! Your poem is packed with images that make me imagine the possibilities–twirling on the ice and sipping tea in Peru. Thank you for sharing the Mary Oliver inspiration, too.
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The older I get, the more surprised I am that my inner restless doesn’t fade. I still feel it inside, like a fountain of youth. 🙂
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Oh, you make me remember when I was eight and I would “practice” skating jumps in the hallway of my grandparents house as the adults talked on and on and on. And, there was a green armchair there too. ha! Beautiful imagery and flight of fancy. I want to join you in that clubhouse to read some of Mary Oliver’s words. I gave myself the gift of her latest book for Christmas….and I haven’t opened it yet. Have a great week!
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Linda, for Christmas, I took out three volumes of poetry from the library. Two Mary Oliver and one Herman Melville. I want to do that once a month. What a treat it would be. 🙂 I hope you enjoy her words, when you have time to read it. Happy Friday!
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here’s to magical adventures. and you and mary. )
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Yes, let’s hope we still have many more ahead of us. 🙂
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Some favorites of mine are “undaunted” (terrific word!) and your cattail image. Hooray for vibrant imaginations!
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Thanks, Tabatha. I wish I were as supple as a child again, but at least my imagination is still pliable. 🙂
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You’ve made me wonder if I still would get on that creek, Brenda. A long time ago My husband & I lived on a lake, where we skated with those big kites that pulled us along. Yes, we fell a lot. Today would I do it. I was a good skater, but. . . The armchair is nice and cozy. I llove examining POVs and this is a good one!
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Wow, kite-skating. You wild and crazy person! I’ve never even heard of that. I’m glad you like my shifting POV. I’m always doing that, trying to focus my POV and finding myself straight back where I started. 😉
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I love the imaginative thoughts of the narrator in this poem, Brenda. Restless is a great word to use to explore your world from inside out.
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Thanks, Carol.
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In Sapporo, Japan, they don’t bother salting or shoveling the sidewalka, so they become slippery death-traps all winter long. As I staggered along, terrified, I watched as children gleefully and fearlessly ran, slid, skated and fell on their way to school. They simply brushed the snow of their (undoubtedly sore) bottoms and carried on, as their mates teased them! Oh, to be young, foolish and free again! 😉
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Terrifying sidewalk description! Oh, to be 20 again!
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WINTER SEAL WARNING: ORT-ORT-ORT-ORT!!!!!
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
THINE “INNER ME”…IS TRULY SET FREE BY THE LOVE OF LIFE!
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Love sets us free. I like that idea. Much better than the ball and chain image. 🙂
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Love does indeed set us free. counter to what the world would have us believe! 🙂
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I agree with you. So many people seem weighed down by it, but I feel supported and freed. 🙂
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Think of a train track —two rails…two people…and blessed be the ties that bind!!! 😀
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Perhaps it’s the gypsy, the Marco Polo, the Isadora Duncan, the Rudolph Valentino or the magic in your soul? You are very adorable, my friend!
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Valentino’s in my soul and he wants to get out! LOL
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Aha!!!!!!!
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When we fall as children, we get back up. We also heal more quickly and don’t have any responsibilities. Sadly, those things make a difference. Love the poem and love the cozy chair and tea. Sigh. There’s always something more, don’t you think?
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Yes, it’s a journey, with many stops. 🙂
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Oh, I love this!…as I sit in my purple chair, tea in hand. 🙂 Lovely!
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My green chair nods hello to your purple chair. 😀
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😀
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I think they may be dancing while we are sleeping. 😉
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