Open Your Eyes Its Time That We Start Again Ooo Ooo Ooo Lyrics
Choices We Make with Gayle Sands
Welcome to Day 17 of Verselove. We are so happy you are here, however you choose to be present. If you know what to do, carry on; if you are not sure, begin by reading the inspiration and mentor poem, then scroll to the comment section to post your poem. Please respond to at least three other poets in celebration of words, phrases, ideas, and craft that speak to you. Click here for more information on the Verselove. Share a highlight from your experiences thus far here.
Gayle retired unwillingly from the classroom as Covid entered the world after 27 years as a Middle School English teacher in central Maryland. Her students either "couldn't read or didn't behave"–and if both were true, they ended up in her classroom (where she loved them–mostly). She currently supervises student teachers for McDaniel College. Gayle has four cats, two ill-behaved dogs, and more books than she needs. She recently became a grandmother and is buying even more books to be ready for bedtime stories.
Inspiration
"Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention…"–Paul Anka
"Tears and loss and broken dreams
May find your heart at dusk"
–Carl Sandburg
Life is about choices, small and large, intended and unintended, well-thought-out and impulsive. What choices make you sit back and wonder "if only"? I had a conversation with my grandmother years ago, about one of her "if onlies". (Sadly, I never saw her dance, although she possessed a joy for life and wonderful laugh. I bet she was a great dancer.)
Process
Consider something that you (or someone else) had a passion for that is no longer part of your/their life. Consider:
- What was it that made it so special? What do you/they miss about it?
- Did it change the trajectory of a life?
- Go back to that choice, that moment, and recreate the experience.
- Reflect on where that choice led. It may be a positive result, or something that is longed for today.
- Think about the "what-ifs" in life, and explore what you–or they– have gained…or lost.
The form is up to you.
Check out the links below for inspiration.
Links to Poems about Choice:
- Lost, One Soul: http://lostonesoul.blogspot.com/2005/04/lost-one-soul.html
- "Sadie and Maud": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43311/sadie-and-maud
- "Dreams in the Dusk" http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/carl_sandburg/poems/1228.html
- "I Worried" https://apoemaday.tumblr.com/post/175408809725/i-worried
- (and just for fun–"Should I Stay or Should I Go"); https://youtu.be/yW8mF2be0I0
Gayle's Poem
Dancing the Reel (for Frances at 103)
Gayle Sands
I asked her…
"What was the happiest time of your life?
What do you remember best?"
She sighed,
and the years slipped away.
"Oh, my…I suppose I should say
It was when I married your grandfather.
But there was this boy…his name was Fred…and we danced.
Oh, how we danced!
I was just a skinny little 16 year old girl…not a serious thought in my head.
My sister called me a dancing fool.
I'd wait for him on the porch…could hear him coming,
and I'd watch from the hill.
We'd climb in his buggy and find the right barn—
they advertised them in the paper, you know.
And we would go dancing.
We would dance, and dance and dance…
Fred wasn't good for marrying, really.
He couldn't hold a job.
But oh, how Fred could dance.
Your grandfather never did learn,
though I know he tried…
but after a while,
I just stopped dancing…"
She settled back into her 103 years.
Rocking in her chair.
Dancing with her memories.
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That's okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming.
Also, in the spirit of reciprocity, please respond to at least three other poets today.
Source: https://www.ethicalela.com/choices-we-make/
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