Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Choices

 

i close the door

& walk out of the building

& wait 


this can be a beginning

or an ending

or maybe a middle muddled situation

or a detour 


my feet & lungs are anxious

to know of my decision

there are many choices

but by now,


i write my story on sands

and journal my walks on origami paper

these are not set on stones

but built on windy re-takes and mid-

night revisions 


for every decision - this is 

which comes with one big exhale of relief

there is hundred fold sharpness of - this is not

but here is tricky part

you learn to live with this over time

-the fullness & emptiness of it-


& if you are lucky,

you will have your 2nd or 10th time around

the time carousel

and this time, you can make <another> choice-

-witness the first sunrise or sunset

with the eyes of a child



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub:   Poetics : Choice by guest host, Christopher Reilley.   Join us when the pub doors open at 3 pm EST.

17 comments:

  1. I can really feel the anxiousness of each choice, and each choice takes you through a new path with endless new beginnings with no way to untangle the trees of decisions to return to where you started... love that beginning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Breathtaking, Grace, truly. I love the concept of journaling on origami paper. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the way the hesitation of the opening stanza develops into an internal conversation, then a physical reaction, building up to that wonderful stanza:

    ‘i write my story on sands
    and journal my walks on origami paper
    these are not set on stones
    but built on windy re-takes and mid-
    night revisions.

    A wonderful way to describe a poet’s choices.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The first stanza sets the stage for a mood of intrigue.
    Very interesting poem

    Muchđź’–love

    ReplyDelete
  5. I could sense the conflict decision making brings the narrator, and I loved how she overthinks the very act of choice making. Very clever!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is stunning Grace! Your muse was solidly in place on your shoulder for this one. So damned well written, so strong a vision. Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great poem Grace. So many choices seem to change at a moment's notice in our society today.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great ending. I like the idea of another choice opening fresh eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love this one, Grace. I found I was holding my own breath as I read it. Masterful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 'Dream your dreams about what YOU
    want to do in Heaven; dare to ask for
    the impossible and all the gifts YOU
    have ever wanted from Me. Expect Me
    to hear YOU and fulfill your every desire'
    -Jesus •(from 'Lui et Moi' [He and I] by
    Gabrielle Bossi, French writer, translated)•

    ☆ en.gravatar.com/MatteBlk ☆
    God! Bless! You!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I lived in Nebraska growing up, thought that was what the world was like. Then I moved south, settled in Texas. A whole lot different, but it is sooo very hot here in the summers.
    Can't win for losing.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  12. The first three stanzas really got me wondering what happened, and what the choices were. I could feel the agony over having so many choices and not knowing enough to choose. The rest of the poem, the self reflection and the eventual realization, was written so beautifully that it left me in awe.

    ReplyDelete
  13. For me ... your second stanza speaks for humankind ... this is an epic write, Grace.

    ReplyDelete
  14. "but built on windy re-takes and mid-

    night revisions"...how true, Grace and what a gorgeous write!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This piece speaks to me. As I grow older I generally feel less anxious about my choices. I know myself better and have more clarity. Yet any important choice can feel just as you described.
    I really liked this stanza.

    i write my story on sands
    and journal my walks on origami paper
    these are not set on stones
    but built on windy re-takes and mid-
    night revisions

    It speaks to an ongoing commitment to grow with every choice.
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful articulation of the process of choice. I like your advice at the end, of trying to see the world with new eyes each morning.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was hooked by the first stanza of beauty, Grace!

    ReplyDelete

I try my best to reciprocate comments and visits.
I allow anonymous comments if you have difficulty posting them. Thank you & have a good day!!!