The Things We Carry
In a Shaker Friends’ Meeting
The things we carry . . .
time,
bags of cement,
estranged family members, loved ones who bring sorrow,
we carry . . .
we carry . . .
jokes,
humor, salve to lighten the load,
hugs, to dissipate the numbing pain,
thoughts like squirrels racing in our heads . . . sometimes they take a nap,
and trees who want to stop us . . . and hold us in a healing embrace,
we carry . . .
hurdles
excess baggage ~ rocks, back breaking boulders on the steepest climb,
forgiveness releases all transgressions, lightens the burden, sets victim and perpetrator free
i am a dancer in the dance
’round and ’round the self criticism prance
i am the witness, the observer, the one who knows she knows
i don’t have to carry any thing
in fact, i can be carried . . .
3 thoughts on "The Things We Carry"
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I especially like the listing of the many things carried into the friends meeting that you reference in this poem —it blows the roof off! Thank you for sharing!
I love thinking of the roof being blown off and then Buddha in the garden reassuring now come now . . . now come now . . . all hands on deck!!!!
Love:
The things we carry . . .
time,
bags of cement,
estranged family members, loved ones who bring sorrow,
we carry . . .
we carry . . .
jokes,
humor, salve to lighten the load,
hugs, to dissipate the numbing pain,