Category: Wednesday’s Wafers

Gift of Wonders

On By Editor Karolyn HIn W.W. poetry, Wednesday's WafersLeave a comment

Wednesday’s Wafers: series in which I share some of my own writing.

Gift of Wonders

To Jordan from Mama (Karolyn H)
Written 9/8/1993

How I have been blessed with this gift in a child.

Having discovered the greatest love

I feel so proud and grateful each time I watch him sleep.

So beautiful,

lying in peaceful slumber.

The moment he arrived, I was elated,

yet apprehensive.

But look at him now!

So affectionate, endearing, and playful.

How he loves to learn!

I want to teach him all there is to know.

Whenever he mimics my words or actions,

I feel so special and privileged.

He deserves to be free to explore the world,

and experience the good.

But to see him cry, or feel hurt

tears me apart.

I want to shield him from pain and disappointment.

There he goes – run, run, dance, dance some more!

Feel all the joy I see in your eyes.

Precious baby—yet baby no more.

This perfect little person that has taught me so much

can only be repaid with comfort and security

and a mother’s love.

If it were possible,

I would tell him every moment how much he means to me.

All I can hope is that he knows

and that his sweet smile will never leave my life…empty.

While sorting and packing, I recently discovered a long letter that I’d written to my son when he was only two years old, along with this poem that I’d written around the same time. I gave him the letter yesterday and am publishing the poem here. Now in his late twenties, Jordan has more than met my expectations and is a constant joy.

Glorious

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Wednesday’s Wafers: weekly series in which I share some of my own recent writing

Glorious
by Karolyn H

glorious

As each day passes
and time rolls merrily along
I understand more and more
why the greatest fulfillment in life
comes not from having the best of everything
or enjoying support and praise from admirers
or even from unlimited knowledge and opportunities.

It comes from the struggle
against your own fears
against the negativity of the world
against the obstacles that you might not even understand
against your past and recent failures
against bad habits and safe choices.

Our human condition is often scary
and painful, and hopeless.
But it is also beautiful
and silly and joyful.

The struggle validates the victory.
Tenacious persistence conquers doubt.
Failures teach humility and patience.

Reaching the goal, finding the treasure, discovering love;
there is nothing that compares to the satisfaction of
knowing that you made the hard choices that led you to this moment.
Knowing that the difficult, or traumatic circumstances you endured
were gloriously worth it.

Designing your life and crafting your character —
what an ambitious endeavor!
Who do you want to be?
How do you want to be?
Who are YOU?

and when I say “you”,

I’m really asking myself…

Captured

On By Editor Karolyn HIn W.W. poetry, Wednesday's WafersLeave a comment

Wednesday’s Wafers: weekly series in which I share some of my own recent writing

Romantic fool strikes again.

Captured by Karolyn H

captured

So many words written about love,
tears, smiles, promises
captured in a song.
Hearts — aching, hopeful, trusting, shattered.

But those words aren’t enough.
A million songs can’t tell this story.

The music I hear
is the soft touch of your soul,
the flames in your eyes,
and the strength of your arms.

When I laugh
I want to share it with you
If I’m smiling, then you’re on my mind.
If I sing, it’s about the bliss you pour over me.

The warrior in you
moves the desire in me.

Pain that washes through me
from separation and want,
is healed by gentle whispers,
fingers caressing, connecting through the screen.

The blazing light of your love is warm on my skin.
It glows and builds in my heart
until the melody is complete.

-11/30/17-

Pieces

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Wednesday’s Wafers: weekly series in which I share some of my own recent writing

Return for Chapter 5 of my short story at a later date.

The romantic fool in me wrote this during a two-day period when I’d thought that I’d been abandoned again. Thankfully, I was wrong! But this is what it’s come to: engaging self-preservation mode to prevent weeks of agonizing over someone by condensing it into a 24-hour period of anguish. So, now I can read it and laugh gleefully, feeling safe in my bubble of adoration and addiction.

Pieces by Karolyn H

shards

Even now,
it’s still devastating…
to lose a love
so sweet so pure so unexpected.
Even though I knew it could happen
and I knew that he would stop
if he no longer felt the
same euphoria
that we shared for a short time.

Love is love.
It’s real
It makes me happy
He filled my heart
He loved me
He loved to hear me sing.
And now I cry
and wait to stop crying.
I wonder what he would do if he could see and hear me cry
over missing him.
Still hoping,
but not expecting
to ever hear his magic voice again.

My stupid heart is broken.
It still hurts.
So, I whisper to myself
“just pretend”
go back to who I was before I knew him.
Forget all the beautiful little pieces of him
that he shared with me.
But my heart rejects this.
“Be happy for the love we shared,”
I whisper, determined.
Move on.

But those little pieces poke
and stab.
Instead of sleeping,
I bleed.

-6/14/17-