The Daily Examen – May 22, 2017
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 05/22/2017 - 20:14It is hard to relish
the moments of the day
when it is grey
and like so many other days.
You have to look harder
like at those white things
floating in the lake
that you only realize
after they have raised their heads
a top their long necks
that they are swans
feeding.
You have to stay calmer
as you handle request after request
and if you are fortunate
the sound of the rain
on the long drive home
can be soothing.
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?
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.
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?
