Sunday, April 26, 2020

Who Do You Think You Are?

Hello from lockdown. We're doing well here in our wee apartment in our wee town. Things are improving across the country, although for the people who have lost loved ones, the pain will not ever go away. The reproduction rate has gone down to less than one now, so the measures people are taking have been working. The current measures are in place until 5 May and we await news about what will happen after that. We don't get out much, and when we do, I can no longer take pictures, because my camera died last week while we were having a short walk. Given the repetitive nature of my days (which I don't really mind, but makes for pretty boring reading) and the lack of scenic photos, I have not felt like I have anything to post.

However, this morning I got curious about what was on an old thumb drive, so I plugged it in and discovered a bunch of writing I did in the aughts. I read some of it, beginning with the folder of poems. I will share some of this older writing here, starting with this poem. I hope you're safe and well!



WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
(for every woman who has ever been told to “shut up”)

I think I am
 a wise woman,
learning to see
the depths
of her own greatness
and yours, too.

I think I am
a Buddha in disguise
beginning to wake up.

I think I am
more than
this body,
this mind,
this experience.

I think I am
unlimited potential,
a repository for
boundless joy,
inner wisdom,
inner peace.

I think I am
more
than I can imagine.

I think I am
just
like
you.

6 comments:

JFM said...

This was excellent Shari!
I absolutely enjoyed it!
Please share some more of your writings with us soon.

Stay Safe 🌷

Vicki said...

Love the poem Shari! Maybe you should gather up some more writings and publish them in a book!

My dad always said "aught" instead of zero, so that made me smile!

Hoping you and Bill stay safe

Shari Burke said...

Thanks, you two! I will be sharing more and I have thought of trying to put together a book, but somehow I always get stalled. I think I get in my own way sometimes. :-/ I'm glad to have brought up a happy memory of your dad, Vicki :-)

I hope you're both doing well and staying safe!

Joy said...

Hi Shari,

Gosh I'm sorry about your camera. Will you be trying to replace it sometime soon? I always like seeing life in your wee village(s) through your eyes. Your home projects and cooking, practical applications, your scenic walks, things you discover in the various shops etc.

This might sound a bit daft, but I'd be ever so happy for some boredom. Never any dull moments here even if we don't watch Tele it's always something. At present no one I know among disabled/elderly has got their CV check so we're down to spending bill money on food which costs more etc and that's worrying. They promised it by mid month so people trusted and had no choice really. I really don't expect most of the US to ever get the levels down to where yours are at. There's always some group that has to run out and start banging their chests about rights they haven't cared about in years only to start ramping up the spread again. Being creative with yarn and food, reading to your hearts content, good prospects on the plans for CV management etc, that all sounds pretty fun to me. I would only add there that no one has 'figured out' the virus yet, no prevention, no treatment that 'fits all' and not much research yet, so, steady-on until things are better in-hand and that takes time. (Time a lot of people are loath to consider.)

Your poem was nice, full of hope and promise and the grit to stand up 'against it' without the false bravado I often see in such things. You had come into your own and able to encourage others as well when you wrote it which is always the 'best place' to write from (even if it's something we are sort of 'vision-boarding' and aren't quite sure of). I think we can be our worst enemy at considering writing for 'public consumption'. Authors often say 'it just came together like it had a life of it's own'. Clearly you have a lot of life in your thumb drive years to share yet too. =)

Stay well/careful, I look forward to hearing more about your creativity and writing and any programs on the camera front.




Shari Burke said...

Thanks, Joy. I had forgotten about some of the things I'd written.

Yes, the camera has been replaced. Bill didn't tell me, but he bought one. Knowing I try to avoid buying new, he looked around until he found a good refurbished one, so win-win! I have a new-to-me camera and the landfill has one less gadget in it!

I am horrified, but sadly never surprised, when I see stuff go down in the US. Being an extreme introvert, and living where I do, lockdown isn't that hard for me. We were going to go away for a few days in mid-May to another small village, and I am disappointed that we won't be able to do that, but we'll postpone and go at a later date. Otherwise, I count my blessings and continue to hope that things improve for everyone eventually. And I hope you get to be bored very soon :-)

Lowcarb team member said...

I did enjoy reading this, so pleased you shared it.

All the best Jan