September 17, 2011

finding words...


sometimes
the words that others have found
fit perfectly in your mouth 
and 
not sharing them would be such a disgrace
~

Maybe the camera crew is at someone else’s house,
a spotlight haloing over another’s fleshy story.
Maybe the mailman is delivering the good news
to your neighbor, or a different city entirely,
and you come home to a rash of catalogues,
the second notice for a doctor’s bill, a plea
from the do-gooders for whatever you can spare.
Maybe you haven’t cleaned your kitchen floor in weeks,
forgotten to nourish the front garden, spilled too much
coffee in your car, weaving through traffic.
Maybe you are 10 pounds heavier than last year.
Maybe your skin is betraying your age.
Maybe winter is ravaging your heart.
Maybe you are afraid, or lonely, or furious, or wanting out
of every commitment you entered with such vigor and trust.
Maybe you’ve bitten your nails down to the quick,
chosen your meals badly, ignored the advice of those
who know you best. Maybe you are stubborn as a toddler.
Maybe you are clumsy or foolish or hasty or reckless.
Maybe you haven’t read all the books you’re supposed to.
Maybe your handwriting is still illegible after all these years.
Maybe you spent too much on a pair of shoes you didn’t need.
Maybe you left the window open and the rain ruined the cake.
Maybe you’ve destroyed everything you’ve ever wanted to save.
Still.
If anything, believe in your own strange loveliness.
How your body, even as it stumbles, angles for light.
The way you hold a dandelion with such yearning and tenderness,
the whole world stops spinning.

by maya stein
{found on tara's blog}

21 comments:

  1. (heave deep sigh)
    ....how perfectly gorgeous
    and snuggly
    and exactly the right temperature
    are these words.
    huge thanks for the
    wonderful share,
    Jennifer
    (beeeeautiful photo)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Perfection... so glad you shared, we do need to revel in our own loveliness, strange as it may be :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. "your own strange loveliness"
    thank you Beth, Maya and Tara
    that's how these important things are supposed to work, always sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my, took my breath away with it's truth and beauty, thanks for sharing that today. Just what I needed this weekend..
    Lizzie
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. "with such yearning and tenderness" - such beauty in those words. Thank you for them.
    Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So beautiful...I love this. It took a ton of pressure off today! Thank you:D

    ReplyDelete
  7. We can't be happy until we can come to terms with ourselves. Until we can come to accept the fact that everything we have done that do not meet our expectations are not failures but stepping stones to some greater self-discoveries.

    That's a beautiful picture you shared. Simplicity that pleases the eyes. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, lovely--and true. How often do we forget to revel in our own "strange loveliness"? Do we even notice it, in our busy-ness? Thanks so much for sharing this. (I like your photo, too!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I absolutely loved this. You're so right, the perfect words for imperfect people :)... and thanks for the links to Tara and Maya, what wonderful places to discover...
    xx oo

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is so beautiful. Altho I've read it over at Tara's blog..am loving re-reading it here. Thank-you for sharing the words and the wisdom!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your photo tells the story of the simple and truthful, the real. I often find this in "blog world", in the words of friends I have found. Love your header. Debi

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks, beth. I needed this this morning. Kath

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great find, Beth. This is really uplifting and if only I could keep it handy in my brain when I start feeling down.

    ReplyDelete
  14. beautiful, and oh so true. I agree with TechnoBabe about remembering it.
    have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  15. beautiful words
    and your image is outstanding as well!
    Nice thoughts for the day Beth.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beth -

    Thank you SO much for sharing my poem with your readers. It means the world to me to have my words fan out like this, and to be received with such grace and generosity.

    in deep, deep gratitude,

    Maya

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so glad you shared. Hope you have a beautiful day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, that Maya. One of my favourite poets. I get lost in her words...time mysteriously slips away.

    ReplyDelete

**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth