Qualifying questions, remedial response.
Knowledge of situations often haunt.
What we know or have been told.
We tell ourselves we just don’t know.
Answers formed by thoughts untold.
Rumour and misinformation often sold.
Conspiracy theories tend to rule the day.
Bare truth and logic will get in the way.
04/22/2024 j.g.l.
Current Thoughts
Open your mouth, let words
bypass lips. Converse consciously
to brethren or bystanders.
Reach out to
close friends gone amiss.
Be not afraid, not now, of
articulating current thoughts and
accomplishments of which
you are proud, and even your sins
(for we have all owned a few)
might seem far less tragic
from an altered point of view.
Give fresh voice
to insecurities and anxieties hidden
within your self, speak highly of
those dusty dreams
languishing on a shelf.
Past sullen moments cast a
lengthy shadow, short-term
expectations tend to dull down
long-term possibilities.
Talk freely around all you want,
or hope, or desire to be.
Each intention will resonate
with those who wholly believe.
Understanding takes effort.
© 2024 j.g. lewis
April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day
a day to celebrate poetry by selecting a poem,
carrying it in your pocket, and sharing with the
friends and strangers who cross your path.
Share a poem wherever the day takes you, as you
would share a smile, a gesture, or your kindness.
Sharing is caring.
April is Poetry Month
take a poem to lunch
Our paths shift, circumstance and
attitude shaping our trajectory.
The company we keep alters both
our outlook and destination.
We are where we are
mainly because of who we are
and whom we are with.
04/16/2024 j.g.l.
I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
How thankful are you?
Do you, each day, express your gratitude to those deserving of acknowledgement?
I know I don’t, certainly not often enough, and I have so much to be thankful for. We all do. Yet, how many of us practice an attitude of gratitude?
There are so many things to be thankful for, and even more people.
I was reminded very early this morning as I listened to a podcast. It was too dark to get up and too warm under my covers, so I selected the most recent TED Radio Hour episode entitled The Gratitude Chain.
In the podcast, lifestyle experimental journalist A.J. Jacobs talks about his latest book Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, in which he thanks everybody involved in making his morning cup of coffee; from the barista to the workers who harvested the beans.
Coffee is a subject near and dear to my heart, especially morning coffee (the best kind), so I settled in for a good listen.
Jacobs has a reputation for deeply exploring a concept when he writes, perhaps most widely known for his 2007 book The Year of Living Dangerously: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.
Interesting about this particular extended TED talk was that Jacobs included in podcasts that inspired him, those he was most thankful for, during the writing of the book.
I could write so much more on this topic, and the overall benefits of gratitude, but would encourage you to listen to this work.
I’m thankful I did.
I was again reminded that we don’t express our personal gratitude enough to those who care, those who listen, and those who furnish our lives with good food, good company and conversation and, yes, good coffee.
Thank you.
02/22/2021 j.g.l.
I’m like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.