Sometimes growth isn’t about new beginnings and fresh starts.
Sometimes it’s about perseverance through tough times,
when stagnation would be so much easier;
giving up easier still.
Sometimes growth comes with refusing to wilt.
The Daily Post weekly photo challenge: Growth
All that glitters is not gold.
Sometimes what sparkles is priceless!
The Daily Post daily prompt: Sparkle
You look so young
smiling nervously for the camera
quite handsome in your new uniform
A farm boy called to fight in a war
a world away from the Oklahoma crossroads
where you grew up
You told us about the time
you got shot in the arm
You said the nurse was really nice and
the needle didn’t hurt too much
We laughed at your joke
but knew you escaped heavy combat
only by a twist of fate
and a revised timetable
You came home and raised a family and
taught us to appreciate life
No lectures; you taught by example
We learned civics and civility and
truthfulness and trustworthiness
We learned to honor the honorable
and to try… try… not to judge
I’m not the most stalwart patriot
but I cry at parades
when the flag bearers pass by
in their crisp uniforms
and I hold my hand over my heart
in respect for the flag, and I
remember that some fathers or mothers,
sisters or brothers, sons or daughters
didn’t come home
and I vow to raise my family, and
teach them civics and civility and
truthfulness and trustworthiness
… and honor
I am reposting this important photo because the original post cut off the message of the photographer, Justin Hofman. Please read his comments below.
This photo was posted by photographer Justin Hofman on Instagram, with permission to share.
Justin writes:
“It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it. What started as an opportunity to photograph a cute little sea horse turned into one of frustration and sadness as the incoming tide brought with it countless pieces of trash and sewage. This sea horse drifts long with the trash day in and day out as it rides the currents that flow along the Indonesian archipelago.
“It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it.”
~ Justin Hofman, photographer
“This photo serves as an allegory for the current and future state of our oceans. What sort of future are we creating? How can your actions shape our planet?
“Thanks to @eyosexpeditions for getting me there and to @nhm_wpy and @sea_legacy for getting this photo in front of as many eyes as possible. Go to @sea_legacy to see how you can make a difference. ”
This photo was posted by photographer Justin Hofman on Instagram, with permission to share.
Justin writes:
“It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it. What started as an opportunity to photograph a cute little sea horse turned into one of frustration and sadness as the incoming tide brought with it countless pieces of trash and sewage. This sea horse drifts long with the trash day in and day out as it rides the currents that flow along the Indonesian archipelago.
“It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it.”
~ Justin Hofman, photographer
“This photo serves as an allegory for the current and future state of our oceans. What sort of future are we creating? How can your actions shape our planet?
“Thanks to @eyosexpeditions for getting me there and to @nhm_wpy and @sea_legacy for getting this photo in front of as many eyes as possible. Go to @sea_legacy to see how you can make a difference. ”
Photo by Peggy Lemmer. All rights reserved by the photographer.
You’re not his bride.
He’s not your groom.
You’ll never tango;
that dance takes two.
Beware the rose
clenched tight in your teeth.
It still carries thorns
the groom slyly bequeathed.
You claim vindication
to the near-empty church,
saying it’s you who has left
the groom in the lurch.
The groomsmen drift off,
gifts must be returned,
future in-laws sent home
by the bride sadly spurned.
The bridesmaids, too,
dressed up all the same
try in vain to save face
in the scorned bride’s name.
But they hike up their dresses
another wedding to seek
before the guests notice
how the bride’s bouquet reeks.
As break dancers take
to the reception hall floor,
the tango strains follow
diplomacy out the door.
Wedding crashers line up
awaiting a feast.
They’ll not go home hungry;
they will feed off the beast.
And so your romance
with clandestine ties
is unraveling now
before everyone’s eyes.
The moral is simple
for all those misled:
know with whom you are sleeping
before climbing in bed.
“He’s not my bride, and I’m also not his bride or groom”
~ Russian President Vladimir Putin, in regards to Donald Trump. (9/5/2017)
“It takes two to tango. It seems to me, our U.S. counterparts for now are performing solo breakdance moves.”
~ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (9/1/2017)
no rhyme or reason
seek the cadence of your heart
all else falls in place
The Daily Post daily one-word prompt: Rhyme
It’s a peaceful Sunday morning. Rain is drizzling outside after too long of a dry spell. The air smells fresher, the flowers are standing straighter…
and three people were killed yesterday and many more injured as a result of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Oh, yeah, I forgot my precautionary statement:
WARNING! I’m writing about controversial topics today. Those who don’t want to read about my concerns, fears, anger, righteousness or whatever else might come up, please feel free to pass on today’s post.
No judgment. I’d likely pass on reading many people’s opinions, too, especially if they didn’t mirror my own. And I’d much rather read (and write!) about the nice relaxed Sunday morning I’m spending with a strong cup of cold brew, contented pets napping on the sofa, and a cool breeze coming in through the open windows. But I’m writing about divisiveness and responsibility instead.
I’m not a person of color, a military veteran, physically disabled, or of a minority race. I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m not wealthy. I’m not poor. I vote, but it isn’t really anybody’s business as to whom I vote for. That is, after all, why voting is confidential in the United States.
I’m a middle class, straight, white ‘merican. Privileged to the hilt. Some might think I don’t “get it” when it comes to the horrible discrimination and bigotry engulfing the world today. That’s okay, though, because
IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!
“It” is about the current state of affairs in the USA, in the world, in Charlottesville, VA and in the town I call home. “It” is about violence, prejudice, hatred and all the –phobias. It’s about freedom… of religion, of speech, of political ideology; the right to tote guns around if one so desires, and the right to walk down a street with a reasonable expectation that one won’t be gunned down.
“It” is about morality, human decency, equality, compassion, working in unity for the betterment of all.
The more I think about “it,” the more I realize
It’s ALL about me.
And it’s all about you. It’s about your neighbor and your fellow citizens and the immigrant family down the street, and the citizens and families in other countries that might be wondering when and from which direction the nuclear bombs will soon be coming.
I have all the answers to all these issues, and so do you. Most likely they’re not the same answers, maybe not even by a long shot. But we must look for answers, discuss “it,” and search for common ground, common decency, and common sense in addressing “it.” Because you and I – no matter how we are sliced and diced in societal definitions and identities – are the only ones who can find and lead the way through these self-created mires.
Today I will do something – something with love and rationality and peaceful intention; something towards stopping violence and hate. I ask that you do something likewise.
Today, as I sit in my cozy home enjoying the privileges of freedoms and presumed safety that I so often take for granted, I will remember with gratitude those who have made and continue to make them possible.
Today I will honor those killed in defending human kindness, and I will mourn the fact that such defense is even necessary.
Tomorrow I will write about the cooling breeze and the freshness of the cleansing rain. And I will repeat today’s commitments. Because that is the only way humanity can be redeemed.
What Rhymes with Stanza? 