bitter
the herbs of Passover
or what
sin-eaters eat
when it’s more than salt
with bread
though
salt is pretty bitter
on its own
and then there’s the attitude toward
life
after
disappointment
even within
unscaled perspective
we don’t get what we want
so life is
bad
it’s wrong
it’s bitter
although what we may want is exactly
what is needed
so maybe what we want’s
the issue
what
for whom
and how
nothing new in this
in that
life goes this way or that
becomes
quite trite
in fact
(and pardon rhymes at
times)
and still we want life
I want mine
you should want yours
so hang on through
the bitter
please
self-determined or pushed
maybe dropped
on
heavily
by the world
there’s more
and it could be challenging
maybe with
a way to see
to bear
the bitter
and-or
who knows
a time in life
(life time)
could turn sweet
if
and most likely not
forever
yet
which is why we have and own the term
for terms
the times
the joined word that is
the lively paradox
of
bittersweet
c l couch
photo by freestocks on Unsplash
(x = space)
x
x
Piglet and Samwise
x
Piglet and Samwise
Would that
We could
Only think on them
To be them
Or to appreciate
Steadfast
Companions
And companionship
So close to us
x
They’re smart
Don’t miss that
They’re clever
Too
x
Sometimes they carry
Oh
So much
And are capacious
To take on our burdens
Too
x
They trim the verge
They stir the honey
In the pot
For consistency
Well
Of verge
And pot
Or rather
What’s inside
x
They have their homes
But leave them gladly
To find us
And then to journey
With us
When
They reach us
And we tell them
Or somehow we know
We’re moving on
x
You’re leaving
Then
We’re going with you
To the other side of the wood
Or through
Minas Morgul
Into Mordor
x
Like grace
They will go far with us
Wishing to go
The entirety
Of the calling
To adventure
x
And maybe they will
Or maybe there’s a part
We’ll have to go on
All our own
And then
To meet them later
(with success)
Someday to consider
Final matters
(then)
x
And in the mean time
There are parties
And there is
Conversation
On paths
Off the paths
On bridges
Inside when there are storms
Outside
After
x
Christopher Robin once
Said about his mother
Than when she left their home
To wander round
(that is, around)
The hundred-acre wood
Christopher had asked
Would she like him
To go with her?
x
She said no
But when I return
Greet me as if
I had been gone
A long
Long
Time
x
Maybe we always have
Such friends
As heroes or companions
Recalling
We are both
To each other
x
C L Couch
x
x
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
“Pooh!” he whispered.
“Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”
― A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner
(cited at or by GoodReads)
x
Piglet, as you know, is the companion to Winnie the Pooh. Samwise (Gamgee) is the gardener and companion to Frodo Baggins, the bearer of the ring in The Lord of the Rings. Each separately or both together was or were mentioned in a sermon that I heard today. I’m sorry I don’t remember why. Jesus had companions, too, though that was not the pastor’s point (or they were not his points).
x
The story of Christopher Robin and his mother is told in The Enchanted Places, an autobiography.
x
Photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Reverie on How Things Taste
x
The sweet
Should have the bitter
x
I know you are a villain, Iago
Now
Too late
x
The bitter
Should have sweet
x
It is a way to live
To know the world
As is
And a little
How it should be
x
There is a flower
Or an herb,
I think,
Or both
x
If so,
A wise bloom
And spice
Inviting us
To savor
How things are
And a little
How they should be
x
The plants
That have blossoms
And have thorns
They are wise
And sad
They speak
They sing
To peril
x
Had Christ had a few flowers
On the crown
Pressed on his head
The beauty
Would not have changed
The agony
And we might wonder
Were a parody
Of beauty
Pressed on his head
Not only
Majesty
A jeering of
An earthly diadem
x
We need both
Because the world
Is both
And we should navigate
Understanding
That the bitter and the sweet
Are out there
And often
Come together
As the savor
Of the world
x
That we cannot pull apart
Not here
Not now
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Robin Lyon on Unsplash
Bittersweet in Winter
x
Gospel According to Rubbermaid
I just opened a box
A small container
I breathed old air that smelled of
Cinnamon and dust
That was all right
That was special
I was thinking of ancient mummy wraps
This was so much better
I guess I had it in the kitchen
Or maybe not
Maybe the box had become
A certain gift over time
Of its own
A sweetness mixed with age
I hear that happens
C L Couch
Photo by Aditya Joshi on Unsplash
A picture taken at a spice stall in the famous spice market in Dubai showing an interesting pattern created by cinnamon sticks on display. With a limited light falling on the subject, the background automatically became dark creating a deep effect.
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