Life is simple.
In my canoe.
Strokes in the water propel me forward.
I chart my course around the cove.
Stress melts away.
The paddle bites into the tawny depths.
Shafts of light illuminate the newborn waves.
Wind and wave push back.
I tack into the breeze.
Muscles turn to the task at hand.
Shoulder and forearm,
Biceps and back.
Familiar work, instinctive in time.
Left, right.
Alternating sides of the hull.
A ribbon of water streams off the blade.
A beaver dives into the cove.
We glide together toward the bridge.
He and I know the way.
Measured distance preserves the spell.
An army of turtles drop into the lake,
Escape their only defense.
Each on their own, a ballet in the water.
A slow elongated dive, glinting in
The reflected light.
Silence in my own little world.
Water, wind, muscle, motion.
Form and function as one.
Panorama of a sunset,
Purple, lilac, amber and gold.
Clouds and pine outline the sky.
Ripples on the water shimmer with the failing light.
The trill of the loon, haunting and pure.
Goldfinch, oriole, grackle join the chorus,
Bullfrog and cricket too.
Heron and osprey soar overhead.
A halo of blackflies silhouetted on the sky.
A fly kisses the surface.
Your name on the wind.
My thoughts only of sharing this with you.
Moments captured, a lifetime in seconds.
On shore again.
Canoe in its place.
Life is simpler, still
After a paddle on Swains.
All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 18,700+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Family Secrets
Little and big secrets
silence, unsharing
from shame, for protection
blank spots
in the telling
of our story
Carved off areas
sometimes casually shared
As if we knew, forgetting the secret
the missing words
names crossed from address books
pain pushed down
Missing memories
scraps of childhood
undiscussed.
silence, unsharing
from shame, for protection
blank spots
in the telling
of our story
Carved off areas
sometimes casually shared
As if we knew, forgetting the secret
the missing words
names crossed from address books
pain pushed down
Missing memories
scraps of childhood
undiscussed.
=============
=============
edited September 13, 2018
Family Secrets – Revised – v5
edited November 12, 2017
Family Secrets – Revised – v4
edited November
12, 2017
behind a mask –
v2
November 11,
2017
behind a mask
the
allegations in the news about
Alabama Senate
candidate Roy Moore
and a flood of
memories and feelings
&
edited November 12, 2017
the smell of the smoke – 2 – v4
edited
June 6, 2015
the
smell of the smoke – 2 – v3
(merging
edits to original and version 2)
edited
May 29, 2015
the
scorch of fire – v2
edited
May 23, 2015
the
scorch of the fire
edited
May 22, 2015
the
smell of the smoke – 2 – v2
May
21, 2015
the
smell of the smoke - 2
May
19, 2015 and May 20, 2015
Focus
on the Family
radio
broadcasts
Helping Your
Husband Overcome Childhood Sexual Abuse (Part 1 of 2)
see transcript:
Helping Your
Husband Overcome Childhood Sexual Abuse (Part 2 of 2)
With Guests Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe
The piece that caught my attention was the statements about God placing
hands on the side of the boy’s heart while being sexually abused.
Unlike the story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3:1-30, where Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego had no smell of smoke on them, victims of sexual abuse do
have the smell of the smoke of that evil upon them, even as God was with them
in the fire.
&
edited November 12, 2017
an unwanted touch – v2
August 20,
2014
an unwanted
touch
Devozine for
August 18, 2014 to August 24, 2014
“+sexual struggles”
&
Habakkuk 3:1
(GNT)
devotion:
“Sexual Abuse”
national abuse
hotline
1-800-656-4673
devotion by
Kerri Voegeli
for August 19,
2014
read August
19, 2014
&
edited November 12, 2017
I can understand their anger – v2
November 18,
2011
I can
understand their anger
&
edited November 12, 2017
A box around these memories – v2
November 18,
2011
A box around
these memories
&
edited November 12, 2017
A Walled-off Place – v2
November 18,
2011
A Walled-off
Place
&
edited November 12, 2017
Under the Veil of Silence – v3
November 18,
2011
Under the Veil
of Silence – v2
November 18,
2011
Under the Veil
of Silence
&
edited November 12, 2017
Open the Sealed Records – v2
November 18,
2011
Open the
Sealed Records
&
edited November 12, 2017
On that Altar of Football – v2
November 18,
2011
On that Altar
of Football
&
November 12, 2017
When we worship
false God – v2
November 18,
2011
We worship
false Gods
&
edited November
12, 2017
At the trough of
their power – v2
November 18,
2011
At the trough
of their power
Sandusky
sexual abuse scandal
and
re-victimizing the children
in hearing his
defense and seeing him
on the
sidelines of the Penn State football games
over and over
again
and the same
for all adult victims of sexual abuse
hearing these
words and these images
and failure of
Penn State to release all documents
regarding the
scandal
&
edited November
12, 2017
For me, a
stranger – v2
November 18,
2011
For me, a
stranger
&
edited November 12, 2017
Family Secrets – Revised – v4
edited
January 10, 2016
Family
Secrets – Revised – v3
(merging
edits to original and version 2)
edited
September 2, 2015
Family
Secrets – Revised – v2
6/17/2004
Family
Secrets - Revised
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted
by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are
reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 47,870 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
God, Spirit,
Christ, faith, love, child abuse, assault, sex, power, touch, memory, secret,
shame, sexual abuse, Roy Moore, Sandusky, law, children, justice, abuse,
#God #faith
#love #grace #childabuse #sexual #assault #sex #power #touch #memory #history
#mask #hidden #shame #sexualabuse #RoyMoore #Sandusky #law #PennState #children
#justice #abuse #family #grooming #poetry #MeToo #secret #hidden #silence
#fear #poem
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