Boundaries
we come to know, and believe.
Tried, tested, often failed.

How can we reach out if we don’t know
how far we have gone from stranger
to acquaintance. Or lovers.
Former to later.

Boundaries seemed not to matter.
Overwhelmed, still and again,
self-doubt and denial I am unable to confess
even to myself.

And you.

We may long for the same things
in different places
Boundaries undefined.

We may never know who we are
and still we see.

Beyond this naked ambiguity, we clutch our breath,
gobsmacked at the power or potential
of what could happen.

Love, acceptance,
expressed, received.

It is not logic that takes us
where we want to go, but
emotion that pulls us along.

We see in others
what we want to see.

We look past boundaries
when this sense of unknowing
is all that you know.

 

© 2018 j.g. lewis

What if today were simply today?

What if the residue of all those yesterdays had been washed (or sandblasted)
away and you were able to manage the equilibrium you often desire, but so
infrequently find. Balance takes time.

What if today you just did what you needed to do (or more) without the
struggle that routinely interferes with the best-laid plans?

Intention and progress are two different things. Only one will truly get results.
Think about it.

Intention is only thought.

Initiative involves effort.

There are a great number of yesterdays to account for, each one a step along
the path you have been creating.

This is a personal journey for each (and every one) of us.

Similarities are possible.

You should always determine your own route.

You are the one who chooses your destination, no matter how many people
can(or will) influence your direction.

It is always a decision.

At times, the instructions provided might be invaluable, yet (in so many ways)
they may have stopped you from making the choices that would have greatly
influenced your outcome.

Faults (or fluctuations) are easier to recognize in hindsight.

Do not look back on all those yesterdays. Be content with today.

Tomorrow may (or may not) offer new opportunities.

What if?

© 2021 j.g. lewis

 

yesterday
       today
was
      tomorrow
             I had so much to do
      things I had put off
   consciously or
unconsciously              it mattered not
         I was determined to get them
Done
   one (or all of them)
by
   one
done             today
when it was tomorrow
           it seemed easier
           it seemed manageable
           it seemed as if there would
be time
           when today
                        was tomorrow
yet as tomorrow came,
            as it always does
            as yesterday lost hold of
the hours and
its way
and tomorrow just happened
        anyway
it seemed
                                  as if
           time had passed me by
                                  as if a day;
                       today or any day
slipped off the calendar
falling like a rose petal or
            disgraced politician
into the basket of days misspent
or wasted
days which promised more
                     but delivered less
tomorrows do that
they never quite live up to
today
                   and all too often
                           become a yesterday

© 2014 j.g.lewis

 

Hello September,
such a surprise to see you before me,

not even a rumour of your impending arrival.

           So unlike the ninth month

to simply arrive unannounced,
as your usually-reliable predecessor will often
drop subtle hints;

the chill at night, even a warning of frost at times.
We often stop and admire those early sunsets with
that melancholic mood you feel
                   when the end is near.

August seemed to drag its heels, this year,

as summer instead gave us this unrelenting heat
by day, and all those sweaty nights. Night after
night, days without rain. No reminders
                      of what time it was.

One month seemed to become larger than intended,

flowing right into the next.

September usually stands alone.
Now it arrives without a rest,

and I just notice.

 

© 2021 j.g. lewis

 

We probably don’t need to be reminded,
every day, people in this world, in this life,
are hurting. Even yourself.
You can feel it, some days more than others.
Most times you are able to
get past the doubt and delusion
for a little while. Most times. It comes back.
You know. You don’t need to be reminded,
but you are. Often.
A scrap of paper, a certain date, a song
from a passing car, can easily evoke
feelings of anger, of discontent,
of a pain greater than discomfort. It’s there,
in the pit of your being. Cracks flow
deep beyond the surface. It is ugly,
and unwanted. A true hurt. A scar slices deep
into the marrow of your existence.
Fractures and faults. You know hurting,
or inching your way through the pain,
can make you stronger. You are not sure
how. Or when.
You do not know why. You know it hurts,
and you hate to be reminded.
How strong do you need to be?
How do you find empathy?
How is it you can see
circumstances have changed over the years,
but not the cause of the pain.
All that remains is the hurt.

©2017 j.g. lewis