Laughter rang out,
a smile filled his face,
yet as our eyes locked
for an instant,
I saw sadness
carved there by
tears unshed for
sorrows, pain, and loss
endured through the years.
25 April 2012
DL 92
NYC – DUB
Tag Archives: tears
Carved by tears
Filed under Poem
A ride through friendship and the years via films
Films carry a great deal of my past with them or so it seems when I view them.
As I watch them again, I experience them anew, I see scenes that I have somehow managed to miss in the past. But I also find memories washing over me – memories of the time I first saw them – memories of how they spoke to my life at that moment – memories of where I was and what I was doing – memories of the people present when I saw them.
I have started watching every DVD I own – in no particular order, simply in the order they come off the stacks where I store them. I have done this before. This time I find them evoking memories in a powerful way.
The memories jumble, bumping into each other, pulling me through life and experiences in a random order – evoking the people who are and have been part of my viewing experiences through the years. Smiles and tears commingle in a fun ride.
Tonight – Little Miss Sunshine – which features one of my favorite endings and calls to mind some of my favorite movie-going companions.
See you along the Trail.
Still I wonder …
The story of Rwanda – as is the story of any genocide – is absolutely wrenching.
Each of the films I am viewing this evening has a scene that particularly tears at my heart and soul: European soldiers arrive to rescue, to evacuate Europeans and North Americans but not Rwandans. They leave knowing the horror taking place around them – aware of what will likely befall those they leave behind.
I watch. Tears fill my eyes.
And I wonder … would I have got on the truck?
And I wonder … who are my brothers and sisters that I abandon today?
The tears slide into my beard.
I can only fall back on grace.
Yet still I wonder …
See you along the Trail.
Related articles
- Sometimes in April (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
- Maundy Thursday 2012 makes me wonder (graybeardtrail.wordpress.com)
Filed under Current Events, Movie
A stormy night in Manhattan
Above the howling wind
do I hear the
cries of sisters and brothers
abused,
violated,
neglected?
Amid the pelting raindrops
do I see the
tears of sisters and brothers
brutalized,
exploited,
forgotten?
And if I hear,
and if I see,
do I
react,
repent,
respond?
15 December 2011
LGA, SW1659, and SW313
Filed under Poem
Treadmill’s eyes
Faithless
have I been, for longer
than I will acknowledge publicly;
but tonight, for at least this night,
the season of neglect,
the days of abandonment ended, and I
returned.
The gym
asked no questions,
expressed no words of reproach; simply
welcomed me with open arms
as though no time had passed:
grace abounded, unconditional love
expressed.
And yet,
at times, not always, but at times
it seemed that I could see,
the eyes of the third treadmill on the right
fighting back tears
that stirred from depths of
regret.
25 October 2011
Shire on the Hudson
with thanks to Laura VanDale
God’s Tears II
A couple of days ago, a conversation led me to reflect on rain as the tears of God. A friend said that his mother had told him the rain is God’s tears.
I took the approach of God weeping over the pain we inflict on each other – the ways we hurt one another – the damage we do. The ways we treat each other certainly grieves God sorely. Indeed, it seems that God could weep eternally over ways we violate God’s children. Sorrow, pain, grief, rage, all produce tears.
In response to my reflection, my friend Grace posed a simple question: “Are there ever tears of joy?”
I suspect that the events I was dealing with last week narrowed my vision and limited my thinking. Many things touch our hearts, minds, spirits, souls. The beauty of the world may make us weep. The wonder of love may cause us to cry. Amazing grace, incredible courage, profound sacrifice, all may elicit tears.
Tears of joy? Absolutely. Every day. Thanks be to God.
See you along the Trail.
Surprise is
Surfing through images,
electronically stored on my computer,
an image –
slightly more than a year old –
of a friend whose song ended too soon,
surprised me.
Sadness tugged my heart,
sorrow filled me;
thanksgiving surged,
gratitude flowed;
a tear and smile
as feelings and memories intermingled,
contradicting,
enhancing,
playing off each other.
Surprise is hard.
Surprise is good.
Surprise is life.
12 August 2011
Cleveland Heights, OH
with thanks to Kathy Lueckert
Filed under Poem
Watch, pray and weep
We watch,
we pray,
we weep.
As blood flows,
society implodes,
agony unfolds,
and the pile of corpses grows.
We watch,
we pray,
we weep.
We call the international community
to move
to intervene.
We watch,
we pray,
we weep.
We give to humanitarian causes
who raise the alarm
and count the bodies.
We watch,
we pray,
we weep.
It is not enough
never is it enough,
but it is all we have,
So though our
heart breaks,
our spirits recoil,
our stomachs retch,
we turn not away.
We watch,
pray,
and weep.
16 June 2011
Shire on the Hudson
As reports of violence in Sudan mount
Filed under Poem
Along the Graybeard Trail 