Soundtracks for today: “Bring Me a Little Water, Silvy” and “Little Sparrow” ❤
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.
~William Henry Davies
{I said no thanks to someone this weekend over a seemly innocent thing, no big deal in my mind, and yet it really seemed to bother/intrigue them why I did so. I’ve been mulling on it ever since and I got to thinking about how much of our lives are driven by “more, more” and “it’s your right” and “take, take, take” and “you deserve it” and the idea that there are cultural norms that you MUST follow. I hope and prayerfully propose and DECLARE to myself and I pray for my children, that we DO NOT have to follow all of these winds blowing through our cultural landscape. So, here’s to a week of saying, “No thanks!” to all the things that rob us of light, love, health, and the time to just sit and stare.}
{Illustration from Where are You, Frog? by Mercer Mayer, all rights reserved.}
~
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 
I’m glad you said no to something you didn’t want. I would have struggled with the person’s being upset without reasoning it out as you did. Guarding your serenity is very important.
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I love that poem. W.H.Davies has an interesting story too.
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Ooooo. You piqued my interest! I will check into him more. I lead poetry in a group of moms and children. ❤
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‘Autobiography of a Supertramp’. He was homeless and lived an itinerant life, including, if I remember correctly, spending some time in the USA. He sent poems to people asking for money in return. One of them was George Bernard Shaw who recognised his talent and championed his poetry, getting it published.
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How fascinating! Thank you! 🙂
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you know I am with you on this! love Michele
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This poem spoke to me directly. I have been lax all summer in my blog-readings but this morning I felt extra guilty for not taking the time to ‘catch-up’ and read your work. I’m really glad that I saved all of them for a day like today. Soon it will be the season of more time at the computer:) I love poems like this and the rhyming of every line lets me sing it in my mind. Your point of view is full of learned wisdom, a life well lived and closely guarded. You never disappoint, Amy.
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Thank you so much, Barb. That really means a lot coming from you. This poem of course wasn’t written by me, but I really love it too and it’s good to reflect on it!
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