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May 21st, 2017
The Daily Examen – May 21, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 05/21/2017 - 20:21Too often, each day’s pilgrimage
would be just like yesterday’s
or last week’s
if, in fact,
we could step into
the same stream twice.
Too rarely we take
the opportunity to do something
substantially different.
Today,
I went to church
in a different state.
I visited at tiny house
and the grave
of my great grandfather.
I went to an art show opening
with works
of my daughter’s paint
on my late mother’s yarn.
What will my pilgrimage be
tomorrow?
May 20th
The Daily Examen – May 20, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 05/20/2017 - 21:15Eliza Doolittle Day;
just you wait!
I
Out of the blue,
the widower of my cousin
contacted me today.
It’s been years
and he and his new wife
are talking of coming back east
someday,
maybe New England in the fall.
Most of our family reunions
have been wakes or funerals;
we don’t gather around joy
as often as we should.
But he’s remarried,
and his widowed sister-in-law
is in a new relationship.
We could have a wonderful
strange
meet the relatives
family gathering.
II
One friend hikes
the Appalachian Trail
another
the Camino de Santiago.
Some of us journey together
digitally
and share stories of our journey;
our hopes and fears,
obstacles and disappointments,
and most importantly
our friendship
and mutual support.
III
The poets gather
to read their poems
and critique one another
and I realize again
the importance of voice.
My voice
is rarely found in rhymed couplets.
It is a spoken voice
sacrificing conciseness
for cadence,
struggling more with concepts
than physical images.
As we all try to find our own voices,
we need to help others find theirs.
IV
Quietly, alone,
I clean the house
and prepare for a dump run.
Later,
I attend a picnic,
head home to write,
and then to sleep.
The Daily Examen – May 19, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 05/20/2017 - 08:56The daily examination seemed easier
on days off;
sharing poetry
rather than during the regular commute
past oft seen sights
towards endless tasks.
The indolent summer clouds
hanging over the distant green hills
seem somehow unconcerned
about the tasks not completed
and the goals not achieved.
Yet people still need to be fed
cared for, loved.
May 18th
The Daily Examen – May 18, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 05/18/2017 - 21:36What would it be like
to form a new language of faith
not based on a single story.
not told only
by affluent old white men,
but welcoming
a multiplicity of voices?
What would it be like
to speak in a language
of hope and despair
certainty and doubt,
and ambiguity,
of black and white
and not only
every shade of grey between,
but also
every hue
of every color
as well?
What would it be like
to take this language
outside the hallowed halls
or church and school
to the ice cream stand
where father and daughter
have soft serve cones,
a swirl of chocolate and vanilla
celebrating a good day,
And even
in those trying meetings
where people struggle
with finding better ways
to communicate,
collaborate,
rejoice,
and despair?
The Daily Examen – May 17, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 05/18/2017 - 05:30The frogs did not seem to notice
the absence
of little white balls
falling
into their little pond
beside the little patch
of smooth even grass.
The robins did not seem to mind
that the once carefully mown
long narrow fields
had grown tall
hosting
many more bugs
to eat.
At the divinity school
poets, prophets, priests,
and a few other
random seekers
applied the balm
of St Teresa of Avila’s words
to their troubled souls
as they continued to ask
“what do you want of me?”
We practiced reading
and writing
and thought about
nature poetry
and hymnody.
A friend told me
a true calling does not go away
easily
and that I will not be happy
until I more fully
follow mine.
In the evening
the poets, prophets, priests,
and random others seekers,
gathered to share
vine and verse;
I had missed the chance to sign up
so I only listened,
awed and humbled
by the talent surrounding me
longing
to set up three tents,
and find my place.
