Last week was long ago.
We may have celebrated small victories,
given in to conspicuous cravings, or
delighted in a slight break from
plans and procedures
in favour of a lazy day.
Progress is not always
measured by great strides.
Sometimes even a step back is
necessary to remind you
of what is ahead.
Yesterday was all it was
so today can be what it is.
01/30/2024 j.g.l.
Not everything is what it was or where it was, when you last paid attention.
Places, people, predicaments altered by time and grace, take on new meanings as they grow older.
A poem started long ago, misplaced in a wrinkled notebook, reads differently now or needs a little more thought. The page holds so many corrections. Perhaps there were reasons it was abandoned (besides utter carelessness or contempt).
Even the moon looks different than it has before. It, like you, has changed. Like you, it prefers the darkness and does not always wish to be seen. Like that poem.
The intentions of a month ago, or sooner, are different now.
Intentions are like that. The perspective of your reality will allow further thought when faced with an ever-changing environment.
Life is like that. Pay attention.
01/29/2024 j.g.l.
Truth be told.01/28/2024 j.g.l.
You can call me brother. You can
tell me stories, lay out your troubles,
express opinion (or question mine)
and share a bit of your wonderfully
complicated life with me.
In doing so I would only expect
that you extend the same courtesy.
I too have thoughts and many, or
most (or some) will be contradictory
to yours. That’s only right. For while
we all eat, sleep, breath and shit, we
do so differently.
We are all different (and that is one
thing well worth talking about) and
while we may feel some of the same
pressures or obligations, there is so
much more going on.
So while I am open to hearing your
politics, poetry, personal convictions
or preoccupations, I am interested
in — and more inclined towards —
dialogue that might provide a greater
understanding of each other and this
curious world we continue trying
to figure out.
Let’s talk, and let’s listen.
© 2017 j.g. lewis
The perspective is not always clear,
your perception is not always accurate.
You remain unsure
about all that is ahead of you.
A daunting task, overwhelming
to say the least. Focus on where you
want to be and who you really are.
Your vision will become clear, eventually.
Clarity is rarely what
you think it should be; or want it to be,
arriving when you least expect.
01/26/2024 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.