It has been a while since my last post. Family illness and life consumed most of my time. I hope to get back into the rhythm of writing poems and painting which are the two things I love the most. I did keep a journal where I jotted my deep thoughts, some short poems, and quips and quotes I come across. Today I want to share a poem I wrote recently.
These two great singers are among my very favorite singers. Listen and read the lyrics. They always bring me peace.
I pray you’ll be our eyes, And watch us where we go And help us to be wise, In times when we don’t know Let this be our prayer, When we lose our way Lead us to a place, Guide us with your grace To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che tu dai (the light that you give) I pray we’ll find your light Nel cuore resterà (In my heart it will remain) And hold it in our hearts A ricordarci che (To remind us that) When stars go out each night L’eterna stella sei (You are the eternal star) Nella mia preghiera (In my prayers) Let this be our prayer Quanta fede c’è (How much faith there is) When shadows fill our day Lead us to a place Guide us with your grace Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Sognamo un mondo senza più violenza (We dream of a world with no more violence) Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza (A world of justice and hope) Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino (Everyone lends a hand to their neighbour) Simbolo di pace e di fraternità (A symbol of peace and fraternity)
La forza che ci dai (The strength you give us) We ask that life be kind È il desiderio che (And the desire that) And watch us from above Ognuno trovi amor (Everyone will find love) We hope each soul will find Intorno e dentro a sè (Around and inside themselves) Another soul to love Let this be our prayer Let this be our prayer Just like every child Just like every child
Need to find a place, Guide us with your grace Give us faith so we’ll be safe E la fede che (And the faith that) Hai acceso in noi (You have ignited within us) Sento che ci salverá (I feel that it will save all of us)
After watching such terrifying images of the destruction caused by the fires on the west coast of the USA, I tried to put myself in the place of the victims and simply start shaking at the thought. It saddened me so much to hear about the number of deaths including a young child. I believe that climate change is the ultimate culprit for these calamities.
I wonder if we will be able to reverse the damage so far. Three states are suffering from the fires and who knows how many people will end up with serious respiratory illnesses in the weeks to come. Louisiana is soon facing yet another possible hurricane. Puerto Rico has to deal with the sand storms that come from the Sahara. You have to see it to believe that so much soot can accumulate within just a few days. The island has also experienced several earthquakes as have so many other places.
We can only hope that science will figure out what needs to be done. We know what we can do to help the situation. During the pandemic shut down, many cities were observing how the environment seemed cleaner. Obviously, there were less cars on the roads and therefore less pollution. It simply makes sense the more we work together the better the results. Sometimes it takes something like a pandemic to help us see reality.
Racial tensions augmented during these last few months. All races came together to stand up for racial justice. I recently reread a copy of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. I had underlined these quotes so many years ago when I first read his work and which still resonates today.
“Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death–ought to decide, indeed, to earn one’s death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life. One is responsible for life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall return.”
“And if the word integration means anything, this is what it means: that we, with love, shall force our brothers to see themselves as they are, to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.”
― James Baldwin
Life only happens once. And for those who believe we reincarnate it still happens one life at a time and within a specific time. I hope and believe that we can make life better for each other when we decide to accept that each of us is deserving of a good life, a healthy existence, a peaceful coexistence. I still hope that we awaken to the essence of our oneness. Are you ready?
I do not want to loose momentum. I want all of us to keep our ears and eyes open. I want us to continue to ask the pertinent and relevant questions. The answers to those questions that matter to us individually and collectively for the good of all. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping informed. Read critically and look for accurate and credible sources. This is just my sincere advice. I speak as an educator, mother, grandmother and simply an American who cares about what happens to our beloved country.
In the meantime, I want to write and paint because these activities help me cope and melt my worries away a little.
You must be logged in to post a comment.