Friday, July 17, 2009

Celebrate the Temporary


On my living room wall is the inscription,
"Celebrate the Temporary."
Thats what bubbles are and why
I am so fascinated with them, such
a celebration of fleeting, floating,
filament of beauty. And if you are
lucky enough to be popped wetly
on the nose by one, you know you have
been truly kissed by a temporary moment.
Bubbles remind me to remain
playful and astonished by little treasures.
Like this one....

Tuesday a.m. on the river in a canoe,
didn't really want to be there
initially, too early, too hot but if
I had whined my way into staying
home, I would have missed
a moment of significance!
Kuba was on shore.
Kuba after six weeks of chemo
and radiation.
Kuba, my seat one from
Hawaii's 18 mile race.
(18 miles she has since made me
pay for by making ME be
"one" in every race, since)
Kuba, the bravest, most vigilant woman
I know...looks on with a fragile softness,
I can't reconcile at first...
that feeling of, "oh no I can't do this again"
rises in my throat.
But I know I will, I know I will be
her teammate in this race as well.
That I will stand by in ways
I didn't know how to before,
fill in the gaps in ways I missed before,
to celebrate any moment
she sits in front or behind me.

The morning light on the mountains
and the reflection of the yellow
and red canoes
drifting in threes
on the water was beautiful...
the voices of laughter ripple
the dawn air,
and Kubas' is among them...
this is being popped
in the nose by a bubble,
wetly kissed by wonder,
a celebration, if paying attention,
to the merriment and magic
that is always there...
somewhere!

Piperain

Photo by Ed Earley