For The Sunday Whirl: Wordle 57
http://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
Starting Over
Hands on hips, she knew
deep in her marrow
that time for grief was finished.
Now, massive chore
to start over must begin.
Looked for help in world
of colors: bright golden yellow
of crocuses, like thick round dabs
in child’s finger painting;
or secret truths of blue constantly
beckoning beyond window.
Perhaps clatter of single blood-red flower
rising in midst of dulled greens
and browns might shatter
overly long, self-imposed
stillness.
Elizabeth Crawford 5/20/12
Notes: Last Wednesday, underwent first of two cataract surgeries. The world is new and colors are definitely not what they used to be.
Soul's Music 
Glad one cataract surgery is behind you..and hoping for complete success with both! I do think color is very important in life, hard if colors are dulled. Bright help make a person FEEL good, I think. Hope that the colors will be bright in your world!
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Fabulous news on the cataract surgery.It will be magical to see all of nature’s beauty once again!
Loved your prose.
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A time for celebration. I love the rising of hope in the second stanza. Darn those self imposed exiles….they visit my life from time to time. Your expression of color is beautiful, Elizabeth. You provide a sense of navigating your way through it. Vibrant images rise in that child’s fingerpainting.
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Self-imposed stillness is the sternest kind (and not kind at all, by the way).
Whirling Haiku and Senryu
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Oh Elizabeth, why didnt you tell me what you were going through? I am happy one is behind you….I love that the time for grief is over, and also the self-imposed stillness. I am sure the time was needed and well-spent but am glad to have you BACK!!!!! Your red mandala is beautiful, and also is the color of Love. Yay!
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My mother just finished her second. She is a new woman. For her it wasn’t colour, but she looked at the newspaper and said “Good grief, I thought the presses were getting worse”. All black and white became sharply focused. Oh, and her wrinkles!
I love the images of the red clattering and the crocuses as daubs of paint.
m
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It is much brighter, isn’t it. Before mine, there wasn’t enough light in the world. I thought it was just part of the depression.
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My wife is recovering after her second surgery. I can relate to the clarity you have been gifted. It shows in your work, even if only psychologically. Great imagery, Elizabeth.
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Beautifully colored, Elizabeth! 🙂
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Love the imagery here, Elizabeth. Good success with the 1st surgery, yeah! Hoping all is well with the second, my friend.
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Wow!! I’ll echo the others about your surgery, congratulations!! Love where you’ve gone with this even more after reading your note! Excellent~
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There is joy in color, especially suddenly vivid color that we otherwise might take for granted.
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I have two friends who just underwent the same surgery. One said all the colors in her bathroom were different. The other said she never noticed what olive skin she had. Enjoy!
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I love that a color could bring someone out of a self imposed stillness. I also love that colors are back in your life. Healing thoughts.
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Such a lovely and heart-wrenching entry! I applaud your use of the words. We all seem, so far at least, I haven’t read every poem yet! – to be going the depressing route. The words just lend themselves that way I guess. Once you see the word grief it just sort of comes out that way. I am now considering writing another one – this one a happy and/or humorous one! I’ll have to consider that for a while!
I love your thought of the chore of getting over grief. So true. Grief is hard work, and so is recovery!
Here’s mine:
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Self-imposed exiles can come to an end but perhaps no easier than those imposed by others. Love that the colors are the ‘drawing’ out process. Glad to hear the first surgery went well.
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A lovely meditation on colors and how important they can be. I hope that “perhaps” of the second stanza becomes a “yes”. I like “secret truths of blue”. There is power in starting over.
Good news about the cataract surgery.
Richard
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