It's been a lovely Spring Break so far. I think one of the reasons I like breaks from school is that it gives me some extra time to write. I checked out a poem book from the library that is called, "She Walks in Beauty" which is a bunch of poems that were selected by Caroline Kennedy to capture different aspects of a woman's life such as love, having children, grief, how to live and more. I haven't read every poem, but there are a few that I really like. One in particular captured my heart and I have grown to like it a lot. I decided to try to do an imitation poem of my own and thought I'd share.
Here is the original first.
Leisure
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
I hope you enjoyed it :)
My imitation poem doesn't have the exact same message as this one, but it does have a lot of similarities. I fell in love with the "stand and stare" motif and ran with it! Here ya go!
Stand and Stare
Take it in and breathe the air
Stop for a moment to stand and stare.
Scream to release the feelings within
Because they know how hard its been.
Sing the song that your heart beats to
Its felt the most pain that you've been through.
Cry and let the hurt wash away
Tomorrow will be an even better day.
Laugh it all off, for your own sake
Because it's the best medicine you can take.
Smile so that everybody else can see
You are right where you are meant to be.
Let the breeze sweep gently through your hair
As you take that moment to stand and stare.
I hope you enjoyed those and you can take a few moments over this spring break to stand and stare. :)
Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel
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Keep your goals high and you will see that God has such great plans for you. You are a leader and an instrument in his plan to always seek to do your very best in the path that he has laid for you.
ReplyDeleteI love both the original and the imitation. I really identify with the original.
ReplyDeleteMy freshman year of college I joined student senate. I decided to do it again the next year with a higher office that was more time consuming... got elected and all that. The phi theta kappa advisor also asked me to run for office for ptk, so I did and was appointed. I figured I could do both.
Literally right after all that... my dad almost died. All of a sudden I had to get a job and help everyone out. He was on bed rest for 6 months. Eventually he got better and I moved out... my sophomore year was wild. Working 36 hrs, full time student, homework, and being involved with the 2 most active organizations on campus... it sucked. It wasn't like high school. I literally was leading projects on my own and getting things done-- at a cost.
For 9 months, the whole year, I saw my little sister 4 times. My relationship with my older sister struggled and we LIVE together. I barely saw my dad, and worst of all my boyfriend and I stuggled so so badly. If we had a problem... the fact was that I didn't have time to talk about it. I went weeks with 2 hrs of sleep a day because I would get off work at 2am. Do homework till 5, then have class ar 8am and so on...my afternoons filled with meetings and appointments, mornings with classes. Even writing about it, I do not believe it. I don't think there is a way to explain how busy I was...
The point is, I would never do it again. I am a stranger to my sister. I missed out on my best friend giving birth to her new son. I was a thousand miles away for my own birthday, away from family because of phi theta kappa. Every school break, I've had appointments and meetings... since january 2011, nearly 18 months ago, I have had 3 days with breaks in them.
It wasn't worth losing my little sister and not giving my relationship what it deserved. It wasn't. I am so happy for a fresh start at UMKC where I'm not expected to take on 500 hrs of service and a FT job and everyones whim. I'm... so, SO happy.... for a break.