Tag Archives: .poetry

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 8, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , ,   

Guide

Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

I breathe in
And out,
Wondering
What it’s all about

I consider all that
Was taught to me
In all that very stormy weather

Stick your chest out,
Head down, be brave,
Don’t let them see you pout,

Or cry as needed,
You’d be depleted, and
Called names, so

Suck it up,
Move forward, and
Don’t worry about the
Healing that’s needed,

Tape it up, and
Go again, keep the motion
That’s kept everything in commotion

Yes, it’s true, you’ve
Run right over one of the
Very best parts of you,

No, not on purpose,
You were so little, you
Knew not what you were doing

That well then quieted
For oh so many years,
While you continued to live
In your head, and, at times, yes,
Even felt quite dead

To the world, and all
Of it’s joy and beauty,
For in those days, your sight
Only encompassed

The harshness and the pity

Yet, a new day has dawned,
And little by little, that inner voice,
Has grown stronger, bolder, and, yes,

Even louder, and your vision
Has returned with a thunderous
Zeal, which often feels just like
When you were so very little,

A connection deep within,
Made concrete so long ago,
Then disappeared for decades
Of pain and suffering,

Only to show itself again,
In later life,

To once again guide you,
And provide you
With all the
Best

That’s already inside you

#poetry, #intuition, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 7, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 2/7/21: 2 Writing Reflections, Next Week, and Movies

Photo by fotografierende on Unsplash

Alright, we’ve now entered February and are approaching the 1-year anniversary of the pandemic outbreak here locally. Phew. Hard to believe, and, yet, not. Why?

Well, in some ways this past year has gone by really quickly, and, in others, not so much. Time is an interesting construct. One I will not go into right now, promise, though if you are interested in more of my thinking on time, please take a look at, The Social Construction Series Part 5: The Social Construction of Time.

I also wrote a poem on time once.

I digress. How about those reflections? Okay, here we go.

2 Writing Reflections

Photo by Faye Cornish on Unsplash

Hope

Alright, the hope elfje poem was a response to Sadje’s weekly WDYS prompt, and I loved writing it. There are times when I write a poem, and all the words just flow out of me and onto the page. There are other times, where it flows out of me, and then I sit with the poem a while, and make minor, and sometimes major adjustments.

The hope poem was of the latter variety. I originally conceived of this poem as a poem about fright. Yet, as I played with the words in my mind, and looked at them on my whiteboard, it occured to me that the poem was really about hope.

That, at times, we all feel like the darkness is enveloping us, and then when we are least expecting it, a ray of light, or hope, shines upon us. Beautifully fun.

Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash

Shy

Well, what do I say about the poem shy. Hm. First, I wrote this poem two months ago probably, and just left it. I would occasionally go back to it, read and reread it, and then still leave it for another day.

Well, this past week, I read it again, made a couple minor changes, and thought, let’s post this this week. And, so that’s exactly what happened.

I was shy growing up, and was called shy and sensitive a lot. In the early 1980’s being shy and sensitive as a young boy was, well, difficult. And, I know for many young boys and girls this is still the case today in the US.

In the United States there is a fixation on being unemotional, which is, as we all know, quite toxic and unhealthy. Emotional balance and stability is needed and necessary, yet, when we shut our emotions away, we are ultimately harming ourselves and those around us.

Anyway, the poem shy was about me stepping into the light of my shyness and sensitivity. For me, they go together.

One of my blogger friends asked if the poem was about being shy or being introverted. And, well, I am actually quite extroverted, yet also have a very important introverted part of my life. A paradox? No, not at all.

Shyness, sensitivity, extroversion, and introversion, all live on a continuum, or spectrum. And, they can actually change over time and between contexts.

Writing the poem shy was a blast.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

Next Week

Looking ahead, I see more poems, and an article on time and energy, which is almost complete. And, then one, I think, on patience, something that I struggled with for a very long time.

In the coming weeks, I will also be working on the Leadership From Within Series. The posts in this new series will be shorter, and will be about the many things I’ve encountered the past 4 years in my role at the community college. Will be fun.

I will also be trying out some new poem forms, such as the Hexastich. Should be a lot of fun. And, movies? Alright, let’s take a look at a couple I’ve watched over the past two months.

Movies

I’ve always enjoyed movies, and though I don’t watch as many today, I still love to curl up with a blanket and take in a good movie.

Here are a couple I’ve watched recently.

I give all of these movies at least a 7 out of 10, with the Legend of Bagger Vance being my favorite.

Alright, that’s all for this week.

I wish you well in all that you do, and hope you have a wonderful week.

#poetry, #blog, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #leadership, #movies, #poems, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 6, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , , ,   

Elfje #2

Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash

Green
The lake
During the day
Reflected mirror of me
Shimmering

#poetry, #elfje, #life, #love, #mirror, #nature, #poem, #poems, #reflection

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 5, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , , , union   

Tanka #3

Photo by Maya GM on Unsplash, and Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

Blades of grass splinter,
A raven flies overhead.
Not separate. One.
I reflect upon the scene,
Pulled forward by that knowing.

#poetry, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #reflection, #tanka, #union

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 4, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , shy,   

Shy

Photo by Fransiskus Filbert Mangundap on Unsplash

They always called me
shy, and
I always wondered
why?

Time spent at home
was such a treat,
I never really
gave it much thought, or
attentions’ discrete.

I simply, waved goodbye
and merely moved on.

Upon reflection,
however,
it’s clear
that
I

Was simply tired
from all their stares,
and
comparative airs.

All the while
I was living
without
a

Measure,
except
the

knowledge of your
pleasurable existence.

And, my love
and devotion
to a time
of promotion,

and single-minded
attention, which
for sure,
did

not come until
much later.

For the platitudes
of life do
easily

carry us away
though we
never

intend to stray;

it happens at times.

And when we
notice?

We can find our
way back
to that
which

was never gone,

only ever
momentarily passed on.

And, yes,
it’s quite intentional
even when
it feels
like

it’s not, and
we’ve been begotten.

Don’t be downtrodden,
for you are
part of the
light,

which always burns bright

even when,
maybe, especially
when,
you lead a shy life.

#poetry, #intention, #introspection, #life, #love, #poem, #shy, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 3, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , , , sanddunes   

Haiku #6

Photo by Cozies Tone on Unsplash

Vast sand dunes at sea,
Such a juxtaposition.
Underneath? The same.

Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash

#poetry, #earth, #haiku, #life, #love, #ocean, #poem, #poems, #sanddunes

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 2, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , fright, lightanddark, , , wdys#67   

Hope

Image credit: Tim Hüfner @ Unsplash

Grey
The Bars
Darkness all-consuming,
Yet light creeps through
Hope

In response to the WDYS #67 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #elfje, #fright, #lightanddark, #poem, #poems, #wdys67

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on February 1, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , ,   

Pain

Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash

Comes
In many forms, and
Begins
When you are born,

To this world
Of misery,
And jubilation, yes,

They do coexist,
And are stable

A match made in
Heaven, they say

Though it’s quite
Possible, some are
Astray, lost beyond the

Dunes of hope

Yet,
They too
Will find their way
Back to a joyous heart

Before they
Depart this plane

And watch the pain
Melt away

Know though,
You may stay
On this plane, and
Find a release

From your birthright
Of pain

And, yes,
It does
Take days to
Conceive of the

Proper place
To set down
Your burden

Yet,
Also know
There are places
Found for such excursions

Within

So, take the
Time needed, and
Dive deep toward
Your center

Where your pain is
Like a lost treasure,
Residing, and,
Maybe too, hiding,

Awaiting an
Uncovering

A freeing
Among the rest, so
Don’t be beset,
Go into your pain,
And let it rain

Until

The day
Comes to say
All is as it should be,

And wave goodbye
to it all

Letting go,
Of the pain
You’ve been carrying
With forestalled
Anticipation, and
Clever precipitation,

Be as it may,
Your pain, my dear, will
Eventually go away

#poetry, #heart, #joy, #life, #love, #pain, #poem, #poems

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on January 31, 2021
Tags: .poetry, beatles, blackbird, , , , , , , , , , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 1/31/21: On My 2 Favorite Posts This Week and Music

Photo by Calista Tee on Unsplash

The end of January. Wow. It’s been almost a year since the pandemic broke out here locally. What a year. And, within 2.5 months of starting to work at home, my first blog post was published. Since then, I’ve created 295 posts, began following so many amazing blogs and inspiring people, and have now over 450 followers. Awesome, and so much fun.

Alright, let’s get to the writing part.

My 2 Favorite Posts This Week

I want to do something different this week, and for a few weeks. Instead of simply recapping all that I wrote, I’m going to choose my favorite 2 or 3 posts each week and provide some of the inspiration, thinking, and reflecting that went into the post. Ready? Good. Here we go.

Here are the two I’m choosing this week.

  1. Reminiscence
  2. Tanka #2

Reminiscence

The reminiscence poem was created as a multi-reflection on my marriage, my childhood, and having two beautiful boys. All three reflections combined in unique ways to create a poem about pain and joy, and recollections about simpler times.

One of the things I love the most about writing poetry, outside of the sheer exuberance I get when an idea flows through me, is looking back, reflecting, and putting on paper some joyous, and yes, sometimes painful life events.

Tanka #2

Tanka #2 was created as a reflection on my meditation practice, and the chasing we sometimes do as humans, trying to get to the next thing, and then the next. Reflecting on meditation and then the concept of chasing after things is a paradox, just like all of life.

The last two lines are a reflection upon creating the future from the present moment, with the knowing that already living inside of me, all of us, are the past, present, and future. As, they are one.

Alright, that’s my reflection on the reflections that inspired the two poems above. That was fun. Let’s now turn to one of my other favorite topics, music.

Photo by John Matychuk on Unsplash

Music

I’ve posted about my love for music before, though it’s been a while. I grew up in a household where music was always present. Whether that was through the TV and MTV, my dad playing his guitar, or sisters, mom, or myself playing the radio, cassettes, or an 8-track.

Yes, I did just reference the radio, cassette tapes, and 8-tracks in the same sentence. I did grow up in the late 70’s and 80’s though.

In this entry on music, I want to do two things. Show you the guitar I bought today, and embed a youtube of one of my favorite songs.

Alright, first, here is a pic of the guitar I bought today. As I mentioned, my dad played the guitar. Though I tinkered with the guitar as a child, youth, and young adult, it’s been years, and I am excited to take some lessons and begin to play.

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

Pretty, yes? Yes, I think so too.

Alright, now here is one of my favorite songs. I am present to it, because my oldest son played it on the guitars we looked at on Saturday. Was so beautiful.

Here you go.

YouTube

I just adore this song. Always have, and always will.

Alright, friends, that’s all for this week.

Remember, to keep breathing and take time for yourself. It’s important.

Have a great week.

#poetry, #beatles, #blackbird, #blog, #bloggersdiary, #blogging, #diary, #introspection, #intuition, #music, #poem, #reflection, #tanka, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on January 30, 2021
Tags: .poetry, , , , , , , ,   

Elfje #1

Photo by Trevor McKinnon on Unsplash

Blue
The ocean
During the night
Glistening in the light
Stars

In the event you don’t know, this poem is called an Elfje. As you know, I started writing both haikus and tanka’s recently, and am excited about venturing into another poetry medium with the Elfje.

According to the Elfje rules, the fourth sentence is supposed to be about yourself in relation to the person or object. Though I did not follow that rule in this poem, I wanted to share it anyway, as I liked the way it turned out.

Alright, that’s all for now. Have a lovely Sunday, everyone.

#poetry, #elfje, #life, #love, #nature, #ocean, #poem, #poems, #stars