I know this nonchalance you speak of,
a kind of half-blaming,
half-devoted
confusion of youth.
Must be a mother-daughter thing
meant to break hearts open
like sorrow or ecstasy;
a mixed plate from Pandora’s kitchen,
perspective being all
as I know now, having had enough time
to reflect.
Instinctively protective, I raised them far
from males in my family posing
the greatest threat to flowering women.
I did not possess the maturity to guard them
from my own crumbling illusions; enmeshed
in the dramatic possessing the uninformed,
struggling for clarity amidst an emotional morass
I could not, at that time,
conceive a way out of.
Do we ever truly realize how lost we are?
I could claim awareness in this moment,
though twenty, thirty years down the road,
will I look back at tracks laid down
in the sands of existence, wondering
at the far-reaching implications
of my own ignorance?
A place for everything and everything in it’s place!
“a mixed plate from Pandora’s kitchen”… “tracks laid down in the sands of existence”…very nice. This is lovely.
My friends call me stevie! Aloha back at ya!
Haha, thanks, Stevie! 🙂
Arrgh in hindsight how often do we look back.. and think if only!..
But we do the best we can with what we have.. And my own Mother daughter relationship was a turbulent affair with my own mother.. I tried harder with my own daughter.. And thankfully that recipe turned out well in the end. But like all soups it bubbled with heat from time to time.. 🙂
Now a days we appreciate that which is on our plates.. and give thanks for what we have received 🙂 <3 Love and Hugs Sue
Aloha, Sue! And yes, we do this hindsight bit, I think, as we observe adult children having to learn through their own mistakes and such. My girls are great people, thankfully. I can’t actually remember what/who prompted this poem, now I’m responding to comments! 😉 Universal sentiments, I suppose, of those who earnestly strive to give their best to others and to the world at large. Hugs back! <3
<3 🙂 Hugs x Sue
I quite agree with you but at the time of raising them we do the best we can, an old cliche I know, but don’t we? Hindsight is always better. Years down the road things always look differently then they did then. I have two daughters and somehow they turned out better than I could have imagined. Thanks!
Oh, yes. Yet reflections never cease, as the dance of humanity continues. Cheers, Renee! 🙂
As ever Bela, you are right there at the pulsing essence of it. How you achieve this in poetic imagery is always a source of admiring curiosity within me.
The title is perfect, as is this line: “enmeshed in the dramatic possessing the uninformed”.
I should need a hundred words to capture what you have there in just seven.
And no, I think we remain oblivious as to the extent of our ignorance, yet the mind has its priorities and seeking out our supposed failings comes way down on the list for most of us – thank goodness! 😉
Lots of love,
Hariod.
Aloha Hariod, and as ever, my deep gratitude for your affirmation of my creative work.
It is funny that in the spoken vernacular, I am a circular talker. I cannot seem to sum up much – except in writing, where I strive for economy. As I am a great admirer of your own writing, I think it’s just a difference in style. I wish sometimes I ‘could’ be more descriptive using more words, but, alas, that talent eludes me 😉
And yes, thankfully we do not dwell upon our own ignorance – I only smile at it in retrospect. I love hanging out with young people sometimes, for they do seem to know everything. The older I get, the more I realize what I do not, perhaps cannot know. We humans are true studies in paradox!
Sending you love from my end of the world to yours <3
H <3
Bela, if I had your talent; your way with words. I once thought I did, when I was young, ten thousand years ago. But, as to our awareness (or lack of) of our own ignorance; I was always keenly aware that I had so much to learn. Even caring for family was a play-it-by-ear, and pretend that I know what I’m doing; you know, “Fake it until you make it”. But, I never really made it, and it amazes me that some thought I knew what I was doing. Everything seemed to turn out okay, more or less, but perhaps more by divine design than by my abilities, such as they were, are, and, perhaps, always will be, lacking; but lacking what? I don’t know. I only know they’re lacking. But, as other commentators stated; we did our best, and that’s all we can do, I guess, at least until we can do better. Again, I envy your talent.
Wow Jean, you do me a great honor with your praise. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
You seem to me such a gentle soul, and if I could, I would hug you so tight that you would feel my appreciation for your unique and spirited Being. I think there is the finest line between divine design and your own abilities, and that division is only an illusion. Perhaps you have contributed far more to this world than you know.
Aloha, Namaste and love <3