Filled with doing
I claw back from the crowd
for space to breathe;

like a bird high in the tall firs
I let the sky reach through
and change the gravity of bone
to weightless flight.

 

 

16 Responses

  1. This makes me think of an elder surrendering to more being and less doing. I am in denial, Don, of my elderhood. I am a 70 year old doer. No complaints, just the truth. I will go out on a ski slope or on a dance floor or doing personal growth work of some kind. Just thought I would tell you what your poem drew out of me this time.

  2. Thanks, Don I am that elder Grant mentioned..finding being fuller with riches than I could have predicted. I find joy in just being open to the day..my present moment..welcoming it all..grateful for surprises nd struggles-(the gratitude comes a bit slower here!)..Thanks for the imagery of birds and sky breaking through

  3. To me, life is movement and change; doing is a must. My being craves the weightless flight of creative action! I will move until I am unable. Thank you, dear friend, for putting into rhythmic words this profound truth.

  4. Is it “I” who is filled with doing or the crowd?
    Either way, what I love about this poem is the active verb “claw” and the extended bird metaphor. As a bird photographer, this identification speaks to me.

  5. To me, you’ve just described the mundane to esoteric aspects of retirement.
    I pull back and breathe before plunging into the doingness of daily life taking the sky with me.

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