poetry, yes we can

Longfellow's poem reminded me of why I love poetry...
I've been studying creative non-fiction but I think a poetry writing class will be next in line for me to take.... or at least coming soon...


A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist



Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
"Life is but an empty dream!"
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
"Dust thou art, to dust returnest,"
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act to each to-morrow
Finds us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labor and to wait.

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This poem perfectly expresses the need for patience, persistence and sustaining optimism when attempting to improve the world in some way. Pragmatic optimism. Hope. And hard work. It's also a reminder that in order to do anything important, powerful, or difficult, one has to persist despite other's claims that the odds are against successfully accomplishing a goal,a dream, victory. Statistics work for those who do not want to try. They are manipulated excuses. They can be useful, and honest, but they are also deceptive. Many battles worth fighting require us to overcome statistics. Lets make our own statistics.

I rather tackle a difficult task then assume it impossible. I refuse to accept my agency with apathy. to problems. I prefer to struggle and fight for my dreams and hopes, even if at times they're overwhelming. Art is overwhelming. And that makes it beautiful. The sky is overwhelming. The ocean. But they are there and they are beautiful. And sometimes I forget about them. But they are there.

Our universal mortality as human beings is not an excuse for inaction. Memento mori. Get over it.

Historical, societal and religious explanations for injustice are not good enough.
Just because some people benefit from situations, and some people will always benefit more than others, is also not good enough for inaction. For not caring. It is simply universalizing the problem. Empathy is always possible. As human beings, we exist and we feel.

Have confidence. Respect others. I think I can. Yes We Can.

kissing. the rules of attraction. safety.

I like to think of myself as the type of girl who doesn't worry about whether guys like her or not. I worry about whether I like them. But the truth is I'm not a girl anymore and I'm looking for something a little more real than in past.

And, to be honest with myself, of course I care what people think of me. So what happens when you feel that initial attraction, and then you actually act on it and it feels nice. We're not talking sex here, just a kiss; sex gets complicated. But how can you tell when sex is on the table. Okay, not literally. That would be pretty obvious. But if you don't want sex to be on the table, how do you act on those initial sparks? i suppose it helps to be honest, but how do you do that and play the tough guy? Okay, that's easy enough to do when you meet a stranger at a club and you're dancing. I reach my quota of songs or time dancing with one guy, and that moment comes where I tell him I'm going home with my friends and that if he's looking to get laid he should dance with someone else. Then I feel safe dancing with him. For a while at least. Then I go find my friends.

But what happens when it's actually someone you wouldn't mind dating, but don't know if you like. How do you distinguish a hook up from something with more potential. My general rule is to assume it's a hook up so as not to get hurt, but that seems to have stopped working when I stopped casually hooking up. It hurts too much. It either feels empty afterwards, or disappointing or...

I don't feel safe with most men. It's going to take a long time for me to feel safe again. And I'm ready to start trying to get to know the right people, but this whole learning to communicate thing is more work than a casual kiss should require.

What does a kiss mean? Yes, I might like you, but this is where it ends. Or, yes, I might like you and lets take this a step further. Maybe that's the right moment to say, that was nice, lets do it again. And then say, listen, I'm in a place in my life where I'm taking things really slow. I like you and I like this, but I'm not ready for it to go much further, at least not right now. I don't know how you feel, maybe this is where it ends. If you want to see each other again, I'd like that. If not, hey, it was a fun night and that's cool.