Linking with the Sunday Muse for Muse # 91
The image is a bottle tree and Shay tells us that in old southern tradition, hanging bottles from a tree is intended to catch or confuse negative spirits. Thank you Shay for a fascinating prompt!! I may have gone off track a bit with mine, but my intentions were good. :-)
People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross. ~Author Unknown
People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross. ~Author Unknown
I tried to gather leaves with a broom my father handed me
to sweep our outside patio on a windy day in 1973
I swept and swept in all directions
trying to contain all those leaves
but the wind held more power to coax them
than my 10-year-old hands
holding a broom could ever do
Looking back now
I see how I have done this in other areas of my life
trying to control something
that was out of my hands
holding the broom sweeping on a windy day
only to see all my worries scatter before me
like leaves in the wind
Sometimes you just have to let go of the broom
unless you are planning on riding it!
Note: Yes, I think my
Dad had a good sense of humor, or he was trying to keep me out of trouble.
I always ride mine! Love this poem and I think it is right on the money for the prompt. Sometimes we get caught up in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole and finally we realize that we can just let the varmints have their holes and we can walk away to better things.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Shay...that makes my day, and yes I think you are right. Letting go, sometimes is a lesson we learn the hard and slow way. :-)
DeleteI like your philosophy. I agree that sometime you just have to get rid of that broom! It can spread worries (or other miseries outside of our control) around rather than getting rid of them. Good to rid yourself of the broom and move on!
ReplyDeleteYes that darn broom causes too much work that gets undone. Glad to see you here Mary!
DeleteAnd now we discover that we should leave the leaves below the trees, to birth butterflies. I always did that, when i had a yard and a tree and a rake. Sigh. I still miss that little trailer. Loved your poem, Carrie. I would love to have a bottle tree now.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry. Yes we keep leaves nestled around our tree where I live now.
DeleteI adore memory poems and this one sinks into the soul.
ReplyDeleteAwww thank you Margaret!
DeleteWow! Aha...Love the idea the final line gives :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it Sumana and glad to see you here!
DeleteLeaves and wind were born to dance together, as your words do here. And I agree, brooms are better for riding on than sweeping up the unsweepable. This made me smile, and also think about what it was to be a child. Enjoyed it much.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Joy! I am glad I made you smile! 😊🌻
DeleteOne of your best. I love this poem for so many reasons. Sigh. Giving up control is humbling. I like this memory poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much dear Toni. I felt the same way about yours.
DeleteYes, there are times you need to fly your broom because there is too much wind for gathering. Love it!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right and thank you Susie. So glad you joined us this week!
Delete"Looking back now
ReplyDeleteI see how I have done this in other areas of my life
trying to control something
that was out of my hands"
A perfect analogy--what nature does and what we try to do without calling on our relationship with the supernatural. I've often wished that learning a lesson once would do it for all time, but again and again I have to learn.
I am there with you Susan. Many lessons I have learned have taken many times to get through to me. 😁
DeleteIt is a hard lesson to learn, that you cannot control everything. Just letting go a little bit, can ease those feelings.
DeleteSounds like good advice Sara. Thanks for stopping by. 😊
DeleteOff track suits you well, Ms. Carrie!!!
ReplyDelete