Thursday, October 22, 2020

Poetry Friday - Knowing Others

       Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup hosts Poetry Friday today. with yummy cider and apple cider donuts plus a poem that makes one yearn for autumn and write poems! Thanks, Jama!

      Thinking of this particular autumn into winter, the need to pay attention to others and their "inside" from the "outside" as well as I can. Many needs have emerged during these weeks and months of the pandemic. I believe my need to be especially perceptive of others who may be hiding their feelings. I've resurrected an old poem I wrote when I was then thinking of my middle school students who are often reluctant to tell what's really going on. It fits everyone, don't you think?
             I'm hosting next week for #PoetryFriday, no matter what, we'll do some Halloween celebrating! Please, VOTE! 


             What Can You Know?

 

Inside, at 60 beats a minute, 

my heart stays resting,

accumulating layers

of life on the outside.

These layers, like tree rings,

remain hidden inside,

show only a peek to the outside

of the sometimes sweet

and occasionally bitter

when we add a pinch of salt

and then a lot of sugar.

Now inside, my heart is racing

but you might not know

until I tell you, on the outside.

                                 Linda Baie ©




photo credit: adam_moralee age rings via photopin (license)

28 comments:

  1. Yes, your poem is a great fit for these times, Linda. "These layers,,,show only a peek to the outside." Within this world of conflicted thoughts, some people do not share the inside out. Last lines of your poem are most effective. Perhaps, our masks help us hid inside thoughts. (Tonight's debate actually allowed us to see the inside a little more clearly.)

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  2. Thank you for sharing your insightful poem, Linda. A good reminder that we don't truly know what is going on with people, so we should always err on the side of compassion and forgiveness. In today's world emotions run deep on everything. So much at stake.
    Looking forward to your hosting duties next week - go my Halloween poem cued up. :)

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  3. Love this poem....what's seen is only a little bit of what's going on inside. The idea of heart resting, layers of life, bitter, sweet...wonderful descriptions of an emotional core. Well done. And, I have voted! Woot! I'm looking forward to some change in leadership at many levels.

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  4. Yes, so much hidden... reminds me of Naomi Shihab Nye's "no one sees the fuel that feeds you." xo

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  5. Oh, the tree rings...love this, Linda!

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  6. Tree rings = wonderful metaphor. Thanks for sharing this insightful poem; we should all be attentive and mindful of what others may be experiencing internally.

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  7. Love this poem. We only see what's on the surface, but to really know, we must go much deeper.

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  8. I love that you are so sensitive to what others feel especially these days. It is hard to know and while I reach out a bit I probably could do more. Poetry is a balm though I think. And those Middle Schoolers....oh if we could cushion them in loving kindness so they would not feel so awkward or alone, help them to be strong and proud and resilient. Hugs to you.
    Janet Clare F.

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  9. I like this idea of the inside and outside for expressing your feelings in a poem. The metaphor of tree rings is effective. Thanks for giving me a heads up about Halloween poetry. I'm finding myself so distracted these days that it's good to have a focus.

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  10. This is the very essence of human nature Linda. We reveal ourselves good and bad across time. Your words cause me as a reader to pause and think. The analogy of the tree rings is so apt. I am further reminded of onions and how the peeling back of layers reveals our sometimes hidden selves. You have provoked my thoughts. I will be placing your poem in my notebook to ponder it some more.

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  11. Most of us are struggling in one way or another right now. Linda, I love your poem. It is so true that we don't always know what is really going on inside someone. I hope middle school teachers will share your poem with their students.

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  12. Your poem made me think about my neighbors who I don't see much these days and what I can do to reach out more. Take good care of yourself, Linda.

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  13. This is beautiful, Linda. And it speaks to one of the things I'm really struggling with this year: showing more of my tree rings, my inside, to others. Learning to speak up and not be part of a silent majority, assuming others care about the same things I do. It's hard. And--already voted!

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  14. Thanks to everyone who came to share your own thoughts about sharing with others and trying to understand others' feelings, too. I appreciate each one, hoping that our "trying" will work!

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  15. Linda, I love resurrecting old writings. I also love tree symbolism. Your poem reminds me of a story in an old, old hand-me-down book I had as a child, about a young tree that survived many things, including a forest fire. I can't recall the part about why it was cut down but I do remember that the rings stood for years and that every event was "written" into them, as the story of the tree's life. And we never know, from the outside, what another's story is. Mindfulness is so needed, yes. I love your photo as well!

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  16. The resting heart rate, the tree rings, the changes that are about to happen. Thanks. Looking forward to next Friday. And I voted.

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  17. What a nice play between ourselves inside and outside, and your comparison to tree rings and layers of life, nice image too, thanks Linda!

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  18. It's SO important to remember that others are carrying much inside where we can't see it. Great reminder to not assume.

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  19. True, true, Mary Lee--AND I think that one of the silver linings of this time is an increased willingness/ability/unavoidability of saying exactly what's going on inside. There is vulnerability and honesty and defiant ownership of experience aplenty, even just on TikTok. We are all turning inside out.

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  20. Thanks much to Fran, Jone, Michelle, Mary Lee, & Heidi. It's lovely to hear your perspective about this challenge today, the 'hidden' from people who need our support. Best wishes to you all!

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  21. You might not know unless I tell you, very true! We have a lot of ways of telling each other, and plenty of ways of misunderstanding. Thanks for helping us understand xo

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    1. Thanks, Tabatha. just thinking we must try harder to "see"!

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  22. A very insightful poem, Linda. Those tree ring layers protect us, but it is the heart that echoes loudest if we allow others to hear it.

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    1. Nicely said, Michelle. You know I agree! Thank you!

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  23. Oh, the layers and rings. What a gift you are, Linda. Thank you for this!

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    1. You're welcome, Karen. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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  24. There is so much going on that gets our hearts racing. Thank you for this wise reminder that we are all carrying a heavy load right now.

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