Friends Life Care members are an amazing group of individuals with many talents.  In this blog post, we have the opportunity to share poems written by Jim England.  Enjoy!

Gossamer Threads

Gossamer threads begin breaking one by one

Never knowin’ when it started or it’s done

Like a relentless rill carvin’ mountain stone

The closer that you look, the less is shown

 

If you love the fabric, you don’t focus on the tear

If you love the mountain, you overlook the wear

 

Though love is not reality’s blinder

It grinds a lens whose image is kinder

When others diagnose and pigeon hole

Lovers look beyond, they see into the soul

 

If you love the fabric, you don’t focus on the tear

If you love the mountain, you overlook the wear

 

With time rote wedding vows spring to life

As the sacred bond of husband and wife

When dark times stretch deep into the night

Around life’s corner burns a brilliant light

 

If you love the fabric, you don’t focus on the tear

If you love the mountain, you overlook the wear

 

Life’s arc is mutable, ever changing

Old paths close as new ones are emerging

Living means hope and change, not despair

Winnowing life’s mixed bag of what’s fair

 

If you love the fabric, you don’t focus on the tear

If you love the mountain, you overlook the wear

Haiku Lifeview

And here is a collection of “Inward Looking” Haiku from the same poet.

Traveling life’s trail

Priorities ebb and flow…

All are important

 

Halcyon years filled

With strong punctuation marks…

Twilight years, commas !

 

It’s a Time Machine

I look into the mirror,,,

I see my Granddad

 

Then and now compete

Active then and sleepy now

In a Tug of War

 

Log log decitrig…

If only I knew then what

I know now, god-like.

 

Mirrors and selfies

Do not reveal who you are…

Your actions do that!

 

Couples are like teams…

Strong ones support each other

Weak ones support you

 

Couples weave their threads

Into a single life fabric…

Textured and unique

 

We take for granted

Things we think can’t be lost… like

Anniversaries

 

Sights and sounds recalled

Like viewing an ancient film…

Sentient vibes fade

 

Sentient twins fade

Agony and ecstasy…

Live, and feel them pulse

 

Solar eclipses

Disrupt nature’s fine rhythms…

So does dementia

 

Summer Sun won’t clear

Frail thoughts tangled by Winter’s dark…

Deepening despair

 

The Winter wind blows

Sand paintings to memories …

Like poems tickling minds

 

Hoary Winter skies

Blanket enthusiasm’s glow…

Make sunbeams brighter

 

After mental storms…

Sweet sleep and clarity come

Brightening the day

 

Winter wind blows cold…

Old lovers lightly touch hands

Sparks become a glow

 

Pitocin moments

Pierce through turbid mental clouds

Glimpses of love’s light

 

Day breaks with bright hope

That amazes, stalls or fades…

Sunset brings the grind

 

Plates collide, earth quakes

During not knowing ending…

Then sweet calm shows pain

 

Ground Hog Day topics

An endless bizarre mind maze…

My life’s not normal

 

I’m like a blown egg…

The shell looks perfectly fine

The inside is gone

 

Why do I remain sane?

Buffeted by the bizarre…

My brain anchor holds

 

Brain storms roil the mind…

Memory is the sea anchor

Stabilizing it

 

Life’s travails push down

My mood sinks only so deep…

My brain has a buoy

 

I don’t over-think

The what ifs are too scary…

I’m in the present

 

I’ll never again

Do many things…No worries,

At least I did them.

 

Work hard to dive deep…

See simplicity clearly

Through complexity

 

Glimpsing her work clothes…

Sparks a sweet reverie storm

Of times never more

 

Joy just being close,

Providing support… despite

Independence lost

 

Poetry & Music

The author, Jim England, suggests that you read this poem to the instrumental soundtrack “Virginia” — the Charlie Wooten Zaba Duo version.  This is available via Spotify (and you can register for free if you don’t already have access).  You will also assuredly enjoy reading it without the background tune for its poignant words and meaning.

“Version 4”

When the Sun disappears

And the darkness will reign

I will hold her to me

To shield her from her mind

To shield her from

To shield her so safe from

The tempest that’s brewing deep within her mind

When the Sun disappears

And the darkness will reign

I will hold her to me

To shield her from her mind

To shield her from

To shield her so safe from

The tempest that’s brewing deep within her mind

 

Then slowly with a little time

The storm will start to subside

Gently ushering in a softer, brighter day

That glows with a beam ever so faintly at first

Then dawning with the joys of sunnier days

 

Her smile lights up the room for me

Her toes start tapping so rhythmically

As the music man plays

Whatever song that he wants to

Then the room brightens all around usm m

Putting somber thought behind us

We dream together of a place

That both of us can swiftly run to

We are like kids that are transported

To a place safe and warm that surrounds us

A nest soft and warm built around us

Far from life’s dark threatening storms

Tight in each other’s arms we’re clinging

Dreaming about ancient church bells ringing

For a wedding that happened so many, many years ago

 

Her smile lights up the room for me

Her toes start tapping so rhythmically

As the music man plays

Whatever song that he wants to

Then the room brightens all around us

Putting somber thought behind us

We dream together of a place

That we can all  run to

We are like kids that are transported

To a place safe and warm that surrounds us

A nest soft and warm built around us

Far from life’s dark threatening storms

Tight in each other’s arms we’re clinging

Dreaming about ancient church bells ringing

For a wedding that happened so many, many years ago

Poems by Jim England.  Thank you from Friends Life Care and the readers of the eMeetinghouse blog.

Music: “Virginia” Charlie Wooton – Zaba Duo version (Spotify)

Source – images:

Love thread: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/fae84860-a6a3-457a-a942-b7f5bd93b0d9/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Trail: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/9f3da9a5-19a5-479d-932a-98ed68d2ea8e/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Exclamation point: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/d26c1c41-8ef6-423a-9c7a-55f4697e5f30/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Mirror image:  https://www.twenty20.com/photos/b3cdb237-2ec5-42a5-801d-ef1f0f66d97b/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Tug of War:  https://www.twenty20.com/photos/8cf0644d-2cf3-4b23-873c-6795dc197b42/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Heavens: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/d35ed1d8-2b69-4c6b-b80f-d2f7b7475d54/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Selfie: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/de56a18b-4f25-4bf3-919b-5d632429e7a9/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Film: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/272aa7d0-49f7-4fe0-9fc6-21534cdb646f/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Fabric: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/6656842e-d17b-4229-804d-b5c43f2c2cd4/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Hourglass:  https://www.twenty20.com/photos/6b87f0f7-ae13-47a0-a2c7-3757ca9561b6/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Daisy: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/761ddc1f-8f19-4df8-8d1d-67b485f6576d/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Eclipse: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/a3269372-6f45-424d-a99c-46b17f0cdb13/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Winter: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/dda836e5-7ebf-4105-b94a-1883fc454502/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Sand: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/d58fe29d-63b2-4b74-9ec8-a228a968a117/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Storm: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/2f7569f5-ce70-49b0-9c9b-1eeb7ea2f3f4/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Couple: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/541e55bc-180a-4065-9086-ac2b0005fd72/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Sky: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/1e47c154-5a03-4776-be8a-06c8cc5fc700/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Hands: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/d2306a98-b4e1-4ff5-8b9a-74dea3829b65/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Heart: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/ecf61ac4-5a76-4394-9981-c9e9db8633e1/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Sunset: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/c306155b-8c49-51b0-8f63-3ae02498a9aa/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Quake: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/989082ec-9ada-49a1-bcf1-1f53c5d4ce19/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Maze: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/4acf6de6-cad9-48d1-b806-060a2ea7204c/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Egg: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/5dab896a-883c-44f3-a761-3b9d24a9d652/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Brain: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/5cfa2ef0-e8db-4d21-90ad-d65b10211fbf/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Anchor:https://www.twenty20.com/photos/7cca960a-d919-4082-9fa5-2e614ba26ebc/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Buoy: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/eee55785-9182-4861-9d40-9d498c119372/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Scary: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/eb74b8ec-d49a-4565-95eb-5ab2c7c1f2c6/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Peace: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/e71a4d84-a671-4e47-92a2-cfc3566080fd/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Dive: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/9ebad678-319f-41d5-b168-448486a2f633/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Shoes:  https://www.twenty20.com/photos/a5a99288-704e-4ed0-aebd-974948035dde/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Joy: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/ab16a1b2-d348-4092-b881-a6ce37d941d5/?utm_t20_channel=bl

Weddingbell: https://www.twenty20.com/photos/cc941810-33b9-4835-b054-be7435c7a6c5/?utm_t20_channel=bl