Tuesday 19 July 2016

Subtle happy





The afternoons are slow, nothing to do
between the end of morning and four o’clock
a kite swings a dead rat on the hot tin of the roof
or it’s a vulture, a swifter winged hawk
and it circles slow, breaking the normal cycles
the sun loses the wind in his sails by and by
no matter how slow the hawk chooses to fly


a lone eyelash falls, lured somewhere off the lid
and someone plucks it off and places it on my fist
now shut your eyes and blow hard and make a wish
but I can’t think of anything however hard I try
however tight I squeeze my closed eyes
nothing left to wish for, no secrets yet to hide
– a subtle sort of happy that can make one cry.






No writing it as it comes this week, a slightly older poem I wrote as I was thinking of my school holidays  a long, long time ago, as we waited for the offspring's school to close a few weeks earlier.  Home leave is always intense, and I have got by on other years by scheduling and planning ahead.  This year something inside the brain rebelled at that, so... no advance posts.  And it is about to get 'intenser and intenser' as Alice might have said.  Not only did I not schedule my holiday posts, but I have committed to an online creative writing course, which fits neatly into the home leave dates like they were made for each other! What was I thinking of?? But now that I've signed up, I can't leave well alone either, so this whole vacation is going to be one long juggling act performed by someone who is a committed single-tasker.  Well that's just an euphemism, half-tasker is more like the truth!! We shall see....

Hope you are having a great summer/season of fun and relaxation wherever you are. 






24 comments:

  1. Hi Nila - it's way too hot here ... or will shortly be ... and many will be waiting for the slightly cooler evening air to come along. Summer has arrived with a vengeance for a day or two!

    It's always better to be busy ... so enjoy the course, enjoy being at home - taking you and the family where you feel like during the holidays ... and perhaps relaxing somewhat ... bringing us some more soaring prey birds as they live their day ...

    Cheers and enjoy -Hilary

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    1. Busy is way better than having nothing to do :) although the merits of total idleness are not to be sneered at too...wishing you a mild and pleasant summer settling down.

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  2. This almost made me cry, with a subtle knowing feeling kind of happiness.

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    1. Ah the nicest kind of tears is over words only

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  3. Nothing left to wish for? No secrets to hide?
    Nothing subtle about that happiness. Bliss.
    Enjoy your juggling time. I suspect you will find that you can dance with many more balls in the air than you knew.

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    1. Yup, nothing left to wish for is the beginning of teenage nirvana just before all the angst set in and ruined everything :) Let's hope I can keep the balls in the air...

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  4. That poem was of someone at the end of all hope.
    May you half-task twice as good this week and keep up!

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    1. Half task twice as good is one task done so thanks for your wishes!

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  5. You sound like the happiest person in the world (pl refer Harry Potter, mirror of erised)! That is wonderful. An online course, huh? You'll pull it off great! Cheers :)

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    1. Never happier than when I'm tucking into mangoes and writing task together :)

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  6. no pressure. Enjoy your class, keep blogland happy with older poems, and contemplate that lash wish. Subtle happy - deep concept.

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    1. Yup, none. Laid back lazy + hectic busy bursts make for great vacations

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  7. Oh, you are my kind of person. If I think less is more then why do I bite off more than I can chew.

    The poem is wonderful.

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    1. Good to know I am not the only one...biting off more than I can chew, I mean..

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  8. I've only been reading your posts since this year's A-Z Challenge, so I hadn't seen this before. Seems a little depressed, but I still liked it!

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    1. Glad you liked it. It's not depressed, though it may sound a bit like that...it's like contentment without bells and whistles

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  9. Nice drift of imagination. Appreciate this.

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  10. I love watching eyelashes fall! The passing of time. Yes, I totally see you! Hope your summer holiday is awesome. It's winter Down Here, but is already beginning to feel like summer. No holidays on my radar at the moment!

    Enjoy!

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    1. The passing of time, absolutely! I could do with some winter-ish weather here - it's not so hot, but terribly sultry.

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  11. Hoping you are having great Summer Holidays. Great lines.

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    1. Thank you, I am indeed. Hope you are having a lovely summer where you are too.

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  12. Hope you have lots of fun with the writing course! Enjoy your summer. Sometimes it's best not to plan and let the world go by at a leisurely pace. If things don't get done - they don't get done :)

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    1. Yup, that's exactly right! :) You have a great summer too!

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