Further adventures in Surreality

Tidying the house this morning, in preparation for my visitors, I moved my meditation mat and blocks and found a scrap of paper on the floor - something that someone must have passed to me at the group one week.
It's a poem by Rumi, which I want to share with you:

'This being human is a guest house.
Every morning, a new arrival
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture,
Still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice
Meet them at the door laughing,
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent as a guide from the beyond.

The Essential Rumi, 109

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalal_ad-Din_Muhammad_Rumi
http://www.rumi.org.uk/

... to kiss
Not Hubby. Even if I could corner him, and force myself on him, I know how it would feel. And it wouldn't be good.
Not even necessarily Himself.
Just someone sweet and kind, who would hold me and stroke my hair and tell me I'm beautiful, and that everything will be all right, and share his soft, warm, lonely lips with mine.

The other one???

My new toe socks have arrived!!!!
Cosy!

... Thought I'd post it here too.
In case I think of any more answers.
I'd like to hear your answers too, if you have a couple of hours to spare!
1.) Q. Can you cook?
A. 

Yes - and I love it

2.) Q. What was your dream growing up? 


A. To be a writer

3.) Q. What talent do you wish you had?
A. To write. Or play a musical instrument. Or paint.

4.) Q. If I bought you a drink what would it be? 


A. Glass of red wine would go down nicely, thanks Or a chai steamer

5.) Q. Favorite vegetable?
A. 

Tricky one, can I think about it?

6.) Q. What was the last book you read?
A. 

Robertson Davies, 'What's Bred in the Bone'

7.) Q. What zodiac sign are you ?
A. 

Aries

8.) Q. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
A. 

No

9.) Q. Worst Habit? 


A. 

Beating myself up. Or picking my nose

10.) Q. If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? 


A. 

Yes, if I knew it was you

11.) Q. What is your favorite sport? 


A. 

Loathe all spectator sports, I can't see the point of them. And I don't really like taking part in competitive sports because I don't like to lose. But I enjoy doing yoga and pilates.

12.) Q. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A. Hmmm, mostly negative I guess, but I cna bounce from one to the other quite happily

13.) Q. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A. 

Press the alarm button, and have a chat till we got rescued.

14.) Q. Worst thing to ever happen to you? 


A. 

I honestly can't think of anything really awful. Must have blotted out all the awfulness. Well, possibly being turned down/let down by a bloke, but that's happened so many times I couldn't pick out a specific instance
Oh, I suppose having a miscarriage. But I got over that and had two lovely children. And the oldest wouldn't have been here if the first pregnancy had worked out, and whoever that child would have been it wouldn't have been him. If you see what I mean. So it didn't ruin my life.

15.) Q. Tell me one weird fact about you. 


A. 

I wear toe socks!

16.) Q. Do you have any pets?
A. 2 cats, Ninja and Miko

17.) Q. What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly? 


A. 

I'd put the kettle on

18.) Q. What was your first impression of me? 


A. 

You're very New Age!!!

19.) Q. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? 


A. 

Scary

20.) Q. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? 


A. 

Whiter teeth

21.) Q. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? 


A. 

Would depend on the crime!

22.) Q. What color eyes do you have? 


A. 

Brown

23.) Q. Ever been arrested? 


A. 

No

24.) Q. Bottle or can soda pop?
A. I don't like fizzy drkins, but I'd rather drking from a bottle, cans taste nasty and metallic

25.) Q. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it? 


A. 

Buy a laptop and a Eurostar ticket and set off on my travels

26.) Q. If you could, would you date me?
A. 

Sorry love, wrong sex!

27) Q. Where 's your favorite place to hang at?
A. Haven't got one

28.) Q. Do you believe in ghosts? 


A. No

29.) Q. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? 


A. Reading

30.) Q. Do you swear a lot? 

A. 

A bit

31.) Q. Biggest pet peeve?
A. 

Don't know

32.) Q. In ONE word, how would you describe yourself?
A. Self-effacing

33.) Q. Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A. 

Yes

34.) Q. If you could spend 12 hours with me and ask/do anything you like, what would it be?
A. 

Ask you to read my tarot

35) Q. Do you believe in God? 


A. 

No

Welll....
too long for a haiku, not long enough for anything else
Kind of a work in progress, I guess
Or it would be, if the progress hadn't stalled

Half a moon
Is better than
No satellite. Rising
From the line of the
Horizon.
Glowing
In the [drowsiness ?] of evening.

... as our Tommy

Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I started out for God knows where
But I guess I'll know when I get there...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4mX9-2xuyP8

sorry, can't embed it

I wrote this poem 19 years ago, but have never shown it to the person it was written for.
Perhaps now is the right time.

Love song for Laura

At dead of night I hear your cry,
Plaintive, insistent, cutting through dreams.
I stumble from sleep, half cursing, half groaning,
To comfort your pain and answer your need.

Nestling beside me, you take the nipple,
Greedily sucking, hungry for love,
I gaze at your body, your tiny perfection,
Your hands grasping tightly, my hands holding safe.

Sated at last, you pull away,
Eyes meet eyes in the purest love,
Your smile shows the cause of your pain and frustration,
A sliver of white in a swollen gum.

In that smile is my own love’s reflection,
It leads me on down the years to be,
Through days of fairies and hidden silver,
To nights when you’ll lie with a child of your own.

The chain stretches on through generations,
Spun from gossamer, kisses and smiles,
Forged like titanium by our labours,
Binding us always in pain and love.

Frogs - and people - can put up with a lot, if it creeps up on them slowly.

Two frogs

‘Is it just me,
Or is it getting
Hot in here?’
The frog said to himself,
Swimming thorough
A stream of bubbles.
Or maybe not,
As far as I’m aware,
Frogs are not given much
To abstract thought.

Suspending disbelief:
‘Yes, really, it’s
Quite balmy,
I must say.
In fact,
A bit too warm,
For my taste,
But mustn’t grumble,
I suppose.
Though, really
It is getting
Rather hot.’
And on he swam.
Round and round.

Until the moment
Someone threw
Another frog
Into the pot.
‘It’s boiling!’ screamed
The second frog
Before he croaked.

‘Well, some frogs!’
Said the first one,
‘Can’t even stand
A bit of heat,
Though I must say,
I thought that it
Was getting warm.’
And on he swam
Round and round.

© Melinda Belynda, 30 November 2008