Earth from sky
When viewed from above,
this world that we love,
seems awfully small,
doesn’t it?
. . . and all of our lives,
just busy bee hives,
or afternoon drives—
in traffic?
. . . and all of the lands,
(diverse in their strands),
like so many hands . . .
…
Herein lies the start of a really bad poem. Good poetry comes easily to me; it’s the bad ones that are a lot of work. The beginning of this poem has been a lot of work.
I’m in Akron, Ohio today. My Nana’s funeral is at 4 p.m. My dad, brother, and I were in the air all day yesterday . . . I’m still tired. (Maybe what’s why this poem was so hard?)
In any event, during our flight, I took pictures. It’s always interesting to me to see the world from above. Somehow the diversity of the land, even within a single country, leaves me feeling inspired.
…
Chicago
…
Kansas
///
Just past Yosemite, California
…
Arizona
…
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- the end of an era (jesscy.com)
…
shift 
May your Nana’s soul rest in peace. God bless her.
Thank you, Deodatta! I pray for the same thing.
That’s a fabulous beginning. If that’s a bad poem, then the good ones must be amazing.
Hoping the funeral is an excellent celebration of what seems to have been an excellent life…
You are so kind. Perhaps I’ll keep working on this one, see if I can make it worthwhile.
I am supposed to give a small tribute this afternoon. Still figuring what I’m going to say. Think I’ll go for a run to figure it out. :)
Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Reminds me of the opening lines in Whale Nation:
From space the planet is blue
From space the planet is the territory not of man
but of the whale.
I like that! Now I’ll have to look up Whale Nation.
Of course, the word “blue” also reminds me of your comment on Mark’s page (beautifulorange), about a certain song by a band called “Aqua.”
I’m still laughing!
Haha… Sorry about that :)
Whale Nation was written by Heathcote Williams and is performed live on stage by a single orator. I saw it in Sydney and it blew my mind.
Sounds *awesome.* What an incredible idea. I’ll definitely keep it in mind and try to go if I ever get a chance!
Blessings of His perfect Peace to you and your family. xox Shandra
Thank you, Shandra. It was a beautiful service; God is good.
Our Father’s peace to you – the good poetry will come –
Thanks, Hoss! I hope so about the poetry…
I hope that the funeral went well and brought back lots of good memories of your Nanna.
Thank you, Pat! It did—and then some. I’ve seen pictures and heard stories I’d never seen or heard about my Nana before. Overall, it’s been as good an experience as one could hope for.
A different (larger?) perspective is usually refreshing in times like this. Peace for you & your family Jessica, as well as enjoyable times together as living family. :)
I liked the ‘struggling’ poem. It was actually honest in a time of sorrow & reflection…when we are not always at our best.
Thanks, Professor. I’ll have to see if I can tweak the poem and finish it. It wasn’t a bad weekend, just really tiring spending all day Friday and again on Sunday traveling!
This is such a divine post. Peace be with your Nana. *warm hug to you*
Divine? You are really too kind Tanumoy. Thanks for the kind words about my Nana. She will be missed, but she is in a better place. :)
Sorry for the loss of your Nana.
I was really into that poem and fully wondering where you were gonna take it, when boom it was over. You should finish it. I often think about how we are so into our own lives like it is the center of everything and how weird that every other person is having that same feeling. All these centers of the universe walking around completely oblivious of the other centers.
Peace to your family
A good observation, Screejit. I’ve often thought the same thing… Pretty amazing since there are how many people alive on earth today? Seven billion? That’s a lot of centers of the universe!
The weekend was a good one, actually. Except for the amount of travel. Traveling can be exhausting… Now that I’ve gotten some rest I can see about finishing the poem. ;)
I think the message in your photos and post is symbolic: clouds, from above, perspective, heights, earth, finding understanding … these thoughts invade our minds when we’re dealing with grief and loss. Peace and blessings dear Jessica …
Yes, I think you’re right. I’ve always loved seeing the earth from above… Some family friends of ours gave the sermon at the memorial service and talked about how thinking about death can bring our lives into focus. It’s true. We only have so many years on this planet. With them, what are we going to do?
Thanks so much for your sweet words!
i’m sorry for your loss. tony
thank you, tony… loss is part of life, is it not? it’s not the dying or being dead part i’m worried about, it’s the “how will i live?” xo jess
I am with you in spirit always, Jessica! May god bless you and your family! I sent you a gift… On my blog last night I nominated you for “The Inner Peace Award.” When I read your words, I always see that within your spirit. Blessings and hugs dear Sister… much love to you and your family always!
Oh, wow, Wendell. Thank you so much. I am so honored and blessed to know you through this WordPress world, as well, and love everything I see from you. I will try to act on this award soon. I will let you know when I do. Thanks again! Blessings and love to you and yours.
So sorry for your loss Jessica ~ sending love your way… x RL
Thank you, Robyn. You are so sweet. Death is part of life. But, still, it makes us sad… Your kind thoughts are much appreciated! :) jess