KNOWING FULFILLMENT: Poem 45 from #AnotherNewBeginning

45

Knowing Fulfillment

 

Taffita of ice blue; white embroidered

swirls, boat neck collar. Outer trappings

tell the world. Today, her day, brings

Fulfillment 

In church, younger cousins nod, envious

until their turn arrives; Older relatives

offer knowing smiles while

melting wax mingles with the fragrance

of simple wooden pews infused with

years of trailing incense. 

Will she remain faithful,

renounce, surrender

in belief and obedience? 

Strength conferred

by gnarled hands laid on.

Confirmation

of a good life ahead.

 

Dressed to represent a bride of Christ, a baptized child receives the Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation.

When a child is born in the Catholic faith, Baptism is the first sacrament received. Baptism is the one sacrament that all Christian denominations share in common. In the Catholic Church, infants are baptized to welcome them into the Catholic faith and to free them from the original sin they were born with.

From the dawn of Christian history, Baptism and Confirmation have been very closely associated. Confirmation is defined as the sacrament of spiritual strengthening. More concretely, Confirmation strengthens the supernatural life we receive in Baptism. Confirmation increases our sanctifying grace in every way, but mainly in deepening our capacity to remain spiritually alive. It gives us the power of resistance, the ability to resist dangers, and the strength to become more Christ-like until the dawn of eternity.

The above poem, Knowing Fulfillment, describes my remembrance of a day set aside to celebrate the strengthening of my belief in Jesus Christ. For me, as a young girl, it also meant wearing a beautiful new dress hand-crafted by my artistic mother, a fancy cake designed in the shape of a bible, and relatives gathered in love.
 

Poems #36 and #37 THOUGHTS ABOUT DESTINY

Two beautiful sherbet-colored hibiscus
'Strength to Live' and 'Molding Destiny'

    

Following are two prose poems from my Renshi-style poetry collection, Strength to Live and Molding Destiny (the latter one probably my favorite of all 70 poems). Both reflect my thoughts about destiny and how a person must take control of their own life.

 

     These poems were originally posted during the April A to Z Blog Challenge. Immediately following the poems is an excerpt from my final post of the challenge Zealous Thoughts About Destiny.

 

 

 

 

36

Strength to Live 

Desire, Strength, Commitment

three separate paths

toward achieving success* 

Each path demands dedication

a lifetime of living

no distractions along the way 

Time is so short, even

dreaming must have purpose

when each day brings new challenges 

Hurdles appear insurmountable

as age takes its toll, leaving

destiny to mold and shape itself.

 

*The true meaning of success is in the minds’ eye of the beholder.

 

 

37

Molding Destiny

 

A fallacy,
both the molding

and the destiny
 

The master plan

includes free will,

without restriction
 

No ending

is pre-arranged

by calendar month:
 

Play here

Marry over there

Die on schedule
 

Rather: follow

what your heart

beats in time.

 

Z is for ZEALOUS THOUGHTS ABOUT DESTINY

 

Although posting 26 times in one month has its drawbacks, the fun of feeling so productive is another reason I find such joy in writing on a daily basis. I have chosen my path, one filled with simple pleasures. In this, I have made my own destiny.

 

May you always have control of your destiny.

 

 

 

Keep looking up, and reach for the sky!

 

 

 

 

Z is for ZEALOUS THOUGHTS ABOUT DESTINY #AtoZChallenge

For this year's challenge, my theme is The Fun in Writing. Each of my 26 posts for April is aimed at
illustrating fun parts of an author's day. A writer doesn't only write.
Creating a story or an essay requires research, revision, editing, and lots and lots of coffee and chocolate.



Z is for ZEALOUS THOUGHTS ABOUT DESTINY

Thank you to all my fellow A to Z'ers for sharing this month of April, offering your thoughts for me to read and reading the thoughts I put forth. A special thank you to the people who planned and executed this year's April A to Z Challenge. The amount of work involved is immeasurable.

 

Although posting 26 times in one month has its drawbacks, the fun of feeling so productive is another reason I find such joy in writing on a daily basis. I have chosen my path, one filled with simple pleasures. In this, I have made my own destiny.

 

May you always have control of your destiny.

 

 

 

Keep looking up, and reach for the sky!

 

 

Following are two prose poems from my Renshi-style poetry collection.

Both reflect my thoughts about destiny and how a person must take control of their own life.

 

 

36

Strength to Live 

Desire, Strength, Commitment

three separate paths

toward achieving success* 

Each path demands dedication

a lifetime of living

no distractions along the way 

Time is so short, even

dreaming must have purpose

when each day brings new challenges 

Hurdles appear insurmountable

as age takes its toll, leaving

destiny to mold and shape itself.

 

*The true meaning of success is in the minds’ eye of the beholder.

 

37

Molding Destiny

 

A fallacy,
both the molding

and the destiny
 

The master plan

includes free will,

without restriction
 

No ending

is pre-arranged

by calendar month:
 

Play here

Marry over there

Die on schedule
 

Rather: follow

what your heart

beats in time.

 

*****  *****

 

May your zest for life never diminish in power or enthusiasm.

 

 

 

SOURCE OF PLEASURE: A flowing river . . .

11

Source of Pleasure

A flowing river

gains strength

from the depths. 

Placid or rippling,

a lake’s life-forms

maintain its balance. 

Ecosystems flourish,

Becoming a source of pleasure

for those who thrive

on fresh water. 

Depletion is not an option for

Nature’s one true elixir.

 

 

 

None of the photographs that accompany these poems were chosen until after the poems were written. If I had any image in mind when I wrote this particular poem, it would have been the one enclosed here. I took the photograph during my vacation in Alaska, and it is my favorite from the entire trip. I have no idea which river this is, but it flows somewhere on the outer rim of Anchorage. 

Originally, I used the picture for the cover of my next novel. The main plot of the story involves a river’s rapids. Ultimately, though, this scene appeared “too busy” for a book cover. Interesting to me is that, as I continue to look at the picture, the “busy-ness” is also what I find calming. 

I can hear the water rushing over hidden rocks, feel the breeze that contributes to the rippling motion of its surface, smell the scent of pine needles in the air, see the sun glaring off the snow along the banks, and imagine the taste of wild berries. 

The fresh-water supply of the USA is largely found in the Great Lakes. I grew up in a small town that extents seven miles into Lake Michigan. To a child, with the lake stretching beyond the horizon on all sides save the beach side, it was no smaller than the world’s oceans combined. It was easy to take fresh water for granted. 

Only now are we becoming aware that it is time to reconsider the abuse of nature’s one true elixir.