Blog Archives

Where rolling waves bring memories of the place my heart resides...

3/31/2015

It has been a beautiful day here in Dallas, and I have been lucky enough to have the day off. It has brought a welcome hiatus to my work week.
However, I have had spent the day running errands, during which, I found myself feeling homesick for England; in particular, the English coast.
In my broodiness, I found a sweet little poem on Poetrysoup.com, which brought to mind the happy times spent as a child, playing on the beach in Cornwall, remembering my own grandparents, and their endless love for us.
I have paired this poem, (written by Elaine George), with a photograph of my own, taken in Suffolk.
I hope this provides a small, but pleasurable break in the work week for you, my readers.

The Love of a Gentle Man , by Elaine George
http://www.poetrysoup.com/

There is a place where the land bows down

to kiss the misty tide,

where rolling waves bring memories

of the place my heart resides.

There among old fishing shacks

That stretch along the shore,

I find the thing I’m longing for,

in your sweet embrace once more.

We sit together on a weathered log

I carved my initials on,

and as you mend the fishing net,

I sing your favorite song,

“Oh Danny Boy”, falls on the wind

and floats across the bay,

As you smile at me and melt my heart,

with words you do not say.

Beneath a golden sun with fish

and the smell of wild flowers,

a little girl and her Grandpa sit

and while-away the hours

And when the sun dips in the bay,

we put the mended nets away,

and hand-in-hand walk home again,

to end of a perfect day.

1 Comment

"Look well to this day, For it and it alone is life." Thoughts on #gun control, by Womensvoice1

3/28/2015

0 Comments

This week I was followed by a number of self-confessed Right wing tweeters, wielding their right to own guns, and claiming to follow like-minded presidential candidates.

How they found me, and why they decided to follow me, is a mystery, but I respect the opinions of others, as long as they respect mine.

I do not present myself as a political blogger, and indeed I have no intention of turning in that direction. I AM pro peace, and I AM anti-gun in general.

Where I come from, in England, people generally don’t own guns, unless they are for shooting rabbits or pheasants. Hunting rifles are controlled. You apply for a license and there is a background check. The police are not armed in general.

I do not argue the second amendment rights, and anyone can do a Google search, and find that the majority of 2nd amendment quotes are falsely attributed to our Fathers; and they can read the arguments for, and against gun control.

I must confess that if I lived on my own in the middle of the Gaza strip, I might decide to own a gun.
If I lived on my own in outback of Montana, I would own and learn to shoot a gun, to defend myself from predators, both animal and human. But I would apply to own one, and learn how to use it responsibly, and register it accordingly.
I would probably not take it shopping, or to the cinema...., and I certainly do not agree that students should be allowed to carry guns on campus.
The two biggest pro-gun ownership arguments seem to be

Guns are a part of American culture.
Indeed they are, but so are a lot of things, and that tells us nothing about whether they're good or bad, and how we want to treat them.
Slavery was a part of American culture for a couple of hundred years, but eventually we decided it had to go.
I have paid my taxes here for over thirty years, but cannot vote unless I become an American citizen. That is taxation without representation.... Didn't we spill a lot of tea over that?

We don't need more laws; we just need to enforce the laws we have.
The people who say this are the same ones who fight to make sure that existing laws are as weak and ineffectual as possible. Our current gun laws are riddled with loopholes and allow people to amass enormous arsenals of military-style weapons with virtually no restrictions.

But this is a blog about Poetry and Art for Peaceful change.

So in order to address both sides of the argument in a fair way, I have researched and found a Poem, explaining the 2nd Amendment rights, and presenting a pro-gun opinion.
Secondly, I have included a poem illustrating why I hate guns and why I disagree with a free-for -all.
I was surprised by the lack of gun poetry, but I was not inspired to write my own for today’s blog! Too much work on a subject I know little about, and so little time…
My passion is to promote love and tolerance and understanding, not to promote guns.
I do note though, that Maya Angelou, despite her politics, owned her own gun.
But it was not an assault rifle, and it was legal.

The first poem is written by a guy named Luke Easter

It is called The 2nd amendment Rights

There is a move in this country to keep guns out of schools,
And yet our Founding Fathers found it to be a rightful tool,
The Pledge of Allegiance is removed which instilled pride,
We banned the bible but sexuality, students need not hide?

It is true guns are not for the irresponsible as people claim,
But, banning them will not stop the criminals or the insane,
The word of God was forced out & violence replaced grace,
School districts put metal detectors in the good book's place.

If gun control is implemented it will make easier every crime,
Good citizens unarmed then evil is more apt to get out of line,
When the bad guys know the good guys don't have or cannot,
Be armed with like firepower or resistance, what have we got?

Chaos! Much greater than anything now present in the U.S.A.,
Every time crime abounds safety will be to look the other way,
And even then, knowing that no one can lend a hand or assist,
The ability to stand around & do nothing is a much greater risk.

Every mass killing in our safe schools suffered irreparable harm,
Isn't because the kids had guns but our educators weren't armed,
No murders are sneaking in police stations or on a military base,
as they know darn well the likelihood of return fire in their face.

More background checks, no buy it now & take it home with ammo,
The minimum? 'Complete Criminal History' why take the gamble?
Along with a medical investigation re: an applicant's mental history,
when buying a gun gone is the right to doctor-patient confidentiality.

The banning of weapons because they kill would be like banning cars,
Just because people get drunk and get behind the wheel leaving bars,
The motor vehicle is not the problem so therefore, neither is the gun,
But, it is in the hands of the unstable when the most damage is done.

It is not a pretty poem, but it explains the argument well enough.

The second poem I found is short and sad.
It is addresses the anarchy of gun ownership, and the potential for tragedy.
Written by John F McCullagh

The Night that Heaven died

Heaven Sutton was a little girl

of Chicago’s poor west side.

There, turf wars rage

where rival gangs

use bullets to decide.

A child of seven shouldn't

have to fear to walk the streets.

A poor mother shouldn't

have to buy a dress

for her Forever-sleep.

Heaven Sutton was gunned down

by a bullet gone astray.

Now mother’s keep their kids close by

afraid to let them play.

Should lawmen sweep the streets of

guns?

Society must decide.

But on these streets no child is safe

Since the night that Heaven died.
Heaven Sutton, aged 7, was victim number 251 of Chicago's (so called) "tough" anti Gun laws in early 2013

Of course, people will say that I am naive; that I shouldn't confuse the ability to defend, versus acts of violence etc etc.
I get it.. I just don't share the passion for defending the 2nd amendment above all other rights, to the point of extremism.
So, to end today's blog post, I would like to present a beautiful poem written in the fifth century by an Indian poet, Kalidasa
It is about the dream of evolution in life, and the glory of growth.
It's message exalts the splendor of beauty, and a vision of hope for a better tomorrow.

Look Well to This Day
By Kalidasa, Indian Poet, Fifth Century A.D.

Look well to this day,
For it and it alone is life.
In its brief course
Lie all the essence of your existence:

The Glory of Growth
The Satisfaction of Achievement
The Splendor of Beauty

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is but a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Focal Point, by Womensvoice1

0 Comments

#Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul -# Emily Dickinson

3/21/2015

0 Comments

I was very close to my maternal Grandmother. I have vivid and wonderful
childhood memories of her, including sharing guilty pleasures, like picking at the
roast beef in the kitchen after Sunday dinners, and making daisy chain jewelry
on a hot sunny afternoon, while the steam train tooted, and chugged,
"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can", on the tracks over the wall at the top of
the garden.
When my Grandmother died, I was in my mid Thirties, and I missed her terribly.
She had played a very influencial and loving role in my life as a child, and long
into my adult life.
By the time I left England and came to America, she had grown very frail and
was in her late 90's when she passed away. She died not long after my daughter
was born, and was I was not able to share with her my joys of new Motherhood.
While going through a long, and acrimonious divorce, I would often think of her,
and ask for her forgiveness for my percieved guilt; the effect it had on my
daughter Charlotte, and the disruption of my everyday life.
One of the ways I was able to reduce my stress was to have acupuncture.
It was during an acupuncture treatment, when I was left on my own to rest and
meditate, that I saw my Grandmother again.
Her face appeared to me as a bright and beautiful apparition, soft and wrinkled
and glowing, surrounded by a ring of downy white goose feathers. She
appeared in a halo of down and sunlight, streaming through the shades of the
treatment room window. She was smiling, and said,
" Sue, I understand. It's alright. I forgive you. "
She lingered for a while, and then faded. I woke up, or I became aware that I
was awake.
I was not sure that I had been dreaming. I just knew that she had been there,
and felt a tremendous sense of relief and comfort.
After I left the clinic, I walked to my car.
In the afterglow of my relaxation, and my experience, I reached to open the car
door, and dropped my keys.
I bent down to pick them up, and there, next to my keys, was a beautiful, pristine
white feather!
I picked it up, and wiping my tears, secreted it away, like the precious rare gift
that it was.
I have kept my white feather in a box, with other memories of Gran.
Every now and then, when I need to prove it to myself, I take out the precious
feather and remember her face, serene and beautiful.
I share this story with you today, because I often ponder what lies in
store for us after we die.
I do not share the certainty that there is a heaven, or life after death. I think I
might believe in reincarnation, but I have no proof.
However, I do know that somehow, energy and love linger in a meaningful way,
even in some form, and it gives me great comfort to think that my Grandmother did
actually come back to visit me.
As a spitiual person, I believe she did.
I hope that you enjoyed my story, and that it might be meaningful to you.
May you have a wonderful weekend

0 Comments

#Tolerance, the new survival, respect and grace towards your rival

3/14/2015

0 Comments

In pondering the practice of tolerance, and researching how art and poetry has reflected that essential message, I came across a number of quotes .
But first, let me include the definition of Tolerance in the context of this blog episode.
Tolerance.
The ability or willingness to tolerate something; in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.
A fair and permissive attitude toward those whose race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own.
Freedom from bigotry.

Since the birth of Isis and it’s terroristic acts of violence, there has been a surge in hate crimes, and public expression of intolerance towards Muslims in general.

Hatred and intolerance of certain religious beliefs and cultural practices has been part of human history since the beginning of time.

Yet we seem to be, en masse, no further evolved to accept and embrace cultural differences than we were back in medieval times, when people were burned and beheaded because they did not conform to the status quo.

The Dalai Lama says,
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

We are quick to say that “we would not do such a thing”, or that “we do not condone” a certain practice, yet it is THAT THING that teaches us how we should behave.

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
John F. Kennedy

It is also SO important to open ourselves to the true teaching of a religion, not just tar every member of a particular religion with the same brush.

According to Pervez Musharraf, Islam teaches tolerance, not hatred; universal brotherhood, not enmity; peace, and not violence.

But this is not just about religion. In America, it seems to me that there are very few people who can discuss differing politics, without resorting to insults or intolerance of opinion.

Race is another Medusa.

As I was listening to NPR yesterday, there was an interview with an American Rapper from Queens, called Heems,
( Himanshu Kumar Suri,) best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist.

Heems is celebrating his first solo album since his rap group Das Racist disbanded in 2012. He currently has an exhibit at New York’s Aicon Gallery titled “Eat Pray Thug” after his new album of the same name. The show, and his new album deals with race, identity, and culture with a South Asian perspective. He explores racist comments and attitudes, he condemns racial profiling, and he pokes fun at issues that are uncomfortable, like police Violence.

I do not particularly like rap, as my own exposure to it has been while sitting at traffic lights with the guy next to me blaring exceptionally loud ranting with heavy base, shouting angry MF words and other abusive rhythmic hammering. But apparently, I am being intolerant, because I have since discovered a world of very intelligent and intellectual word mongering, (which I still prefer to read to myself, rather than have my ear drums blasted :)

Another poet that I have discovered is someone who calls himself Mucro Pondera Divinus, ( I found him at http://hellopoetry.com )
He sounds rather jaded about tolerance in his poem of the same name,
He says,

"To tolerate is to glorify one's limits.

Feigning acceptance of the beyond,

true character remains just out of reach.

Better to hate openly and honestly

than veil it in the robes of community;

...better yet, see tolerance for what it isn't."

Yet in a softer poem called Kafir, he seems to contradict himself, and we see him for his true nature..

Kafir by Mucro Pondera Divinus

To believe in the god of another,

one must first deny that God

is the fount of Self,

and mistake belief for faith.

Having discovered God

in me, as me - as in all others -

I have learned to love God

by loving others as myself.

My heresy is against gods

of hatred disguised as love,

against men of blind faith

and divisive words.

Against warring cultures

and exclusivist belief,

against prostituting religion

for political ends.

God is no infidel;

I am but one expression

(hardly unique at all)

of That.

Kafir (ÙƒØ§ÙØ±) is an Arabic term meaning "unbeliever" or "infidel".

So for my own part, I would like to quote myself, from the poem, Time is near.

I warn that Tolerance needs to become a survival mechanism.

"Tolerance , the new survival,

Respect and grace towards your rival. "

In my work as a nurse I have to respect cultural diversity, and practices. It is not always easy. But I learn something every day. I learn that when I accept someone and see through the preconceived ideas that I may have had, then I understand myself and life, just a little more.

Here are a few well known songs which include lyrics with a message of tolerance and peaceful social change.

·    “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney

·         “Imagine” by John Lennon

·         “Where is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas

·         “Black or White” by Michael Jackson

·         “Wake Up America” by Miley Cyrus

·         “Peace, Love, and Understanding” by Elvis Costello

·         Song Analysis Handout (for Grades 6-12)

·         “We Shall Overcome” by Joan Baez

·         “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan

·         “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen

·         “Where is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas

Music can create powerful connections between people, help us learn about different cultures, shatter stereotypes, question social injustices and inspire us to create an ideal world. Beyond entertainment, music and lyrics can educate, inspire, influence and change society, and provide social commentary.

I am constantly looking for new influences in the world of Art to promote the message of peaceful acceptance and change .

Please feel free to comment or add to my list of Lyrics or poems , which are limited only by the length and depth of this blog, and the limits of my own experience.
Have a great and tolerant weekend.

0 Comments

In celebration of #International Women's day!

3/7/2015

0 Comments

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/linkto.asp#.VPs6vvnF8Qo

Welcome to Womensvoice1 celebration of International women's day!
Today we celebrate women all over the world. We celebrate women's rights, the right to vote, and hopes for equal opportunities for education, freedom of speech, equal pay.
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, International women's day, (IWD), has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes.
Women's organisations and governments around the world have observed IWD every year on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honor women's advancement, while diligently reminding of the vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities, and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, art exhibitions and more.
click here for more information:
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/linkto.asp#.VPs6vvnF8Q

In celebration of International Women's day,
I dedicate this poem to women living in oppressive Patriarchal regimes such as Afghanistan, Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia

Time is near
by Women'svoice1

Can you see?
Can you hear?
A gentle rumble drawing near
Can you call?
Do not fall
She's approaching someone dear
Sweet persuasion yields no change
This occasion needs full range
Hear that rumble
She's approaching
Hear them fumble
No reproaching
Women rising to enlighten
Senses sharpening, not to frighten
Wake your children
Wake your Mothers
Wake your daughters
Not your brothers
Now's the time for you to rise
Wipe your tears and dry your eyes
To old beliefs, say your Goodbyes
Don your mask, a new disguise
Tolerance, the new survival
Respect and Grace towards your rival
Open hearts release the dove
The universal sign of Love
Anoint the food and drink men take
Do it now For mankind's sake!
Can you see?
Can your hear?
A gentle rumble drawing near
No longer is it "Eye for eye"
"Change your world" Your battle cry!

If you like what you see here, please feel free to comment on my page.
Have an enlightened International Women's day!

http://<script src="http://www.internationalwomensday.com/scripts/iwdeventgraph.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script

0 Comments

A free woman's voice opens as a flower to the sun.

Where rolling waves bring memories of the place my heart resides...

"Look well to this day, For it and it alone is life." Thoughts on #gun control, by Womensvoice1

#Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul -# Emily Dickinson

#Tolerance, the new survival, respect and grace towards your rival

In celebration of #International Women's day!

Susan Golden

Archives