evergreen branches
fill part of the sky
without the ash tree 

words that are tears
may be harder to write
and this is just fine

sometimes I read a poem
years later and remember
my emotions

do I revise the poem?
improve the craft?

sometimes yes
and the change
may be small

but only if I do not
lose the voice of the
person I was then

who wrote the poem

Thou tellest my wanderings:
put thou my tears into thy bottle:
are they not in the book?  

Psalm 56: 8 (KJV)

This is such a beautiful verse from the Psalms, and I wanted to quote again.  I have wandered too – needed to start over, begin again.  I can only imagine living where you grew up, or a career of  decades.  Or being a mother and grandmother.  There are many beautiful ways to live.  I know I am dependent upon the skills and gifts of others.  Good to both give and receive.  Say thank you as often as I can.

I am so grateful for the life I have been given.  Illnesses and health conditions I have known, still know, are now my teachers and friends.  A quiet life keeps me well, and blogs are the perfect way for me to create.  I have more fluency again.  Yet when I first learned, and other times, I might spend a few hours on a post that takes a few moments to read or view.   Or let posts rest for a time.  So far, my creativity always renews.  Patience is a part of the process.

When I can live in a way that offers silence and space for poems, the poems arrive in time.  I try to manage my time, so the poems feel welcome.  Daily dedication, and content with small steps.

Thank you and blessings,
Ellen Grace Olinger