Friday, October 23, 2009

enough



















Perhaps

it is enough

that the sun

streaks silver

as it crosses

leaden skies,

enough

that trembling leaves

let go their bonds

and sail

before they fall.


Sometimes,

I think

perhaps

it is enough

that the heart

expands

over and over

of its own accord

before it finds

its rest.

30 comments:

  1. Very nice poem. While the picture makes for a different visual connection, somehow it seems to fit in well with the verse.

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  2. beautiful images. simply beautiful. have a great night.

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  3. What a sensation of peace and acceptance this brings me. So opposite to my usual state of being. :)

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  4. Perhaps I love this beautiful image you have conveyed Karen.

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  5. Anil - Thank you. I thought the mood of the picture's subject fit the mood of the poem, and I love Waterhouse's women!

    Michelle - Thank you. Autumnal musings.

    Rachel - How nice to hear that my words have brought peace. You deserve a little rest after your recent endeavors!

    Mark - Thank you. I'm glad you understand.

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  6. The tranquility is almost palpable.

    (Thanks for following, by the way.)

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  7. I'm just echoing what everyone else said, and saying, totally beautiful, thank you for sharing this.

    And yeah, sometimes it is. :)

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  8. Beautiful, Karen. And yes..."perhaps it is enough"

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  9. Like the image of the leaves setting sail.

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  10. Yes, the sailing leaves are beautiful--the whole is an image of acceptance.

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  11. I am not a mushy kid. But this left me watery eyed.

    This most beautifully put by you Karen, and I want to agree to it. But I can't find acceptance, not now, for I just came back from home and my grandma is very down on health. We are all very scared.

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  12. I think this is the most perfectly realised of your pieces. I've been to many passover celebrations and this reminds me of the hebrew song "Deyenu," which has fifteen verses celebrating the sufficiency of God's gifts. "If He had brought us out from Egypt,
    and had not carried out judgments against them - it would have been enough!" And on and on through the list of blessings.
    It's the recognition of sufficiency, the resting content with what has been given that strikes me in both cases. Really lovely.

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  13. Kat - Learning to accept does bring tranquility, finally. It's the learning to accept that is the hard part.

    joseph - *Nodding my head.* It is. Sometimes.

    Liz - I know you know.

    Gordon - Thanks. I see the freedom of that letting go as a deep sort of bravery.

    John - Thank you, John.

    Aniket - Hello! I've wondered where you've been, and now I know that your journey has not been a happy one. Learning to accept is so very difficult. I think it's a lesson learned with time. I hope your grandmother will be okay. I'm sending good thoughts your way.

    mairi - I do not know the song, but I often think we've been given much more than we ever deserved. I said, "we", and I do think this of humankind, too, but I really mean, "I". I must sometimes remind myself that sufficiency is enough. Thank you for the comment and for introducing me to "Denyenu".

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  14. The words of deeply felt sentiments in your poem, a great write, Karen.

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  15. Sometimes I like that if we use the word "enough," it's not enough.

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  16. Oh, yes. This is so very beautiful. As always, I love the multiple meanings I find in your work, Karen. Sometimes it is enough to just "be." To be satisfied with the beauty of life. But then the last stanza also makes me think of finding rest in the heart of another person. How I love "...the heart/expands/over and over/of its own accord/before it finds/its rest." Wonderful!

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  17. YES, Dear Karen, all is its own completion, its own resolve, its own purpose fulfilled - and as your last lines so poignantly reminds us - life is lived and the eternal is ever known. Beautifully portrayed!

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  18. George - Nice to hear from you again, and thanks.

    Jason - So right. The lady doth protest too much?

    Julie - I love reading your comments. You always hone in on my thoughts or my point. You know, I had thought and thought those last lines, so much that I became convinced I must have read or heard them somewhere. I searched my favorite poets and poems and Googled the phrase to make sure I hadn't inhaled them from someone else. To my relief, all I could find was the physical actions of the heart, which makes sense, too, and lends another aspect altogether. Thanks for your close reading, my dear friend.

    Rose Marie - Thank you, Rose Marie! It's nice to hear from you again.

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  19. All we need is enough.There's never enough!This is a lovely poem though!

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  20. you can never have enough, but perhaps you have 'enough' comments to post more brilliance? ;)

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  21. TFE - Ah! I love bribery - especially when it works! ;-) TFE x 2 = ENOUGH!!!

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  22. I read a book two weeks ago that briefly touches on this idea. It said something to the effect that Americans are the most unhappy people in the world because they are never satisfied with what they have. The Dutch, on the other hand, are the happiest because they have the lowest expectations. It was mentioned to a Dutch citizen that Americans would all move to his country once they heard this news. To that, the Dutch citizen replied, "Well, they will probably be disappointed."

    your poem is amazing

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  23. It's hard to know when it's enough... We always have aspirations for something that we perceive as better, bigger, more beautiful... Yet, there is all that even in the small scales. Difficult to recognize, but there...
    Karen, again your beautiful words show the essence. Beautiful poem, tinged with sadness...

    Karen, most of the time I have technical difficulties posting a comment on your blog. It's frustrating - because of that I'm always among the last to praise your wonderful poetry. I'm so sorry! :-)

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  24. sorry I come to this so late...just wanted to tell you how lovely your words came to me in the quiet of my room. K

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  25. Jana - Hi! I've wondered if school has totally overwhelmed you. I love the anecdote about the Dutch. Low expectations! Ha! Thanks for your comment. I've missed your postings.

    Vesper - I'm so sorry you have problems posting comments here. I always look forward to hearing from you! Blogger is a strange little creature. He's eaten one of my posts and won't let me put it back, and I'm fighting and fighting with him, myself!

    You are right about our aspirations. We need to be satisfied. Sufficient. We (I) need to remember to be grateful for sufficiency. Thank you for your hard-to-post comments.

    Kaye - I'm always happy to hear from you. Early. Late. Anytime! Glad this one resonated.

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  26. wonderful read.
    enjoy this one very much

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  27. utopianfragments - Thank you for visiting and commenting.

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  28. You're on a comet yourself, as you told me this morning: "that trembling leaves/let go their bonds/and sail/before they fall" gave me chills. You got it all going in this one, imagery, universal ideas, personal zinger at the end. That line about the leaves shows a huge maturity of thought. Glad I came by today.

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  29. Karen - floating away on your words, definitely enough.)

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  30. Chris - I'm glad you came by, too. Thanks, my friend. I love giving chills!

    Sarah - Thanks, dear! Happy Halloween!

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