Thursday, June 25, 2020

Poetry on Thursday


The Way It Is 
Lynn Ungar

One morning you might wake up
to realize that the knot in your stomach
has loosened itself and slipped away,
and that the pit of unfilled longing in your heart
has gradually and without your really noticing,
been filled in -- patched like a pothole, not quite
the same as it was, but good enough.

And in that moment it might occur to you
that your life, though not the way
you planned it, and maybe not even entirely
the way you wanted it, is nonetheless --
persistently, abundantly, miraculously --
exactly what it is.

Ungar, Lynn. "The Way It Is." Poetry of Presence, Grayson Books, 2017, p. 31.

You can read more about the author here

I so enjoy Kym's sharing of poetry on Fridays, so I thought maybe I would share some on Thursday. This book has a dedication "to the poets who help us be mindful in a world that has urgent need of presence." I wish you mindfulness, presence, and calm as this week winds down. 

17 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful poem, and so much meaning for so many. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Very nice. Thank you for sharing, and I hope it's also an indication that you are feeling a bit better these days.

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  3. This is perfect for me right now as a follow up to my therapy session today. Thank you.

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  4. You kinda made me cry there! I'm going to have my first week at home since Dan was born next week. (We've always gone on vacation if we took a week rather than stay-cation.) Looking forward to being present, mindful and calm in exactly where I am. xoxo

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  5. This poem is perfection in its way, kinda like my life, perfectly imperfect. Thank you so much for sharing this Bonny. It struck home for me, just like the Latin phrase Amor Fati. Nothing is better than learning to be content in the present.

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  6. OH i love great poetry. We had to memorize William Butler Yeats, Had I the Heavens Embroidered Cloths in highs school. I loved it and still do. Zach and I tried to memorize Casey at the Bat. I think we did at one point!

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  7. Thank you, Bonny. I must admit the knot in my stomach, the one I'd held for weeks, and felt relaxing, has reformed these past few days. Your lovely photo and the beautiful poem loosened it a bit.

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  8. This is perfect! Thank you so much. These words are going in my journal... I need to spend more time reading them, feeling them, and holding them close.

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  9. This is gorgeous - thank you for sharing!! I'm not a "poetry person," but I wish I was. I love it when bloggers share their favorites!

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    1. I never thought I was a poetry person either, but Kym's sharing of poems has begun to change my mind.

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  10. So beautiful, Bonny. :-)
    (And I'm so glad you've found some joy in the Poetry of Presence collection. I purchased my copy just before the pandemic started in earnest, and it's been such a balm.)

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  11. love the second half of the poem! life is full of surprises and you never know what is ahead!!

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  12. Lovely poem. I have that book and am enjoying it - a little at a time.

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  13. You had me at the photo: two of my faves - sunrises, sunsets or both and trees- fully clothed and bare! And the poem was just the piece de resistance. Lovely. Thank you!
    Enjoy the weekend and I look forward to the next installation.
    Cheers~

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  14. Replies
    1. I had to look it up, so I'm probably not. Unitarian Universalist?

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