Tragedy in the Balance

L.L. here, with Random Acts of Poetry, on the anniversary of a hard, hard day. How do we face such difficulties in life? It is with humor, beauty and support that we partly balance tragedy, if that be possible. So I wanted this week’s RAP to somehow reflect this. Scooping up poetry from comment boxes and strange little Twitter conversations seemed oddly fitting; small, ordinary ways we knit ourselves together over time can help us meet the days. First, here is a modified comment that nAncY left on Bradley J Moore’s post Lord , Wilt Thou Not Leadeth My Blog to Reach 1,000 Page Views per Day? From Reader Number 7 of the 1000’s You Seek i really like your slog…um… i mean blog. i read your blog because, now, let me think… i know i had a reason it was right on the tip of my tongue… oh well, i’m sure it will come to me. anyway, if you want more views, maybe you can branch out a bit, maybe, add some poetry. would it help if i came by more often? remember, nike started with a waffle iron in a garage… that’s supposed to be encouragement… did it work? And here is the second poem I’ve ever seen from Bradley (the first is lost somewhere in one of my comment boxes over on Seedlings. I took the liberty of going with Bradley’s instinct towards self-editing and made some minor modifications. (Whad’ ya think, Bradley? Aren’t you too cool as a new poet?) A Poem In Tribute To Glynn’s Poem From speeches to secret poems in church (deceitful parishioner), to feature debut at HCB: swing off the hanger, walk out of the closet. This past Saturday, Glynn, Bradley and I had an impromptu Twitter party and I couldn’t resist the poetry I found in these… @llbarkat and @shrinkingcamel Flickering screen reflecting golden liquids; binding friends not met but real. -- by @gyoung9751, while drinking Chardonnay A poem? While I'm on the line with Dell? and tweeting? That's way too much multi- tasking (plus I'm making a sandwich). -- by by @shrinkingcamel while, well, doing a lot of stuff Here are a few poems I found in the comments on my post Casting for Beauty. See how a few line breaks, word deletions, etc. can shape the poetry that already exists in our words? Claire’s comment When in a place like this i lose track of time, and then somehow it has to find me again. Linda’s comment Oh – I would be lying there right beside you. I love the ocean and everything about it; like eternity, a living being – breathing in and out in perfect rhythm. Laura’s comment Ah. ancient salt cleansing weariness. Grateful for the view from a distant shore. Lynet’s comment I needed peace tonight, and I washed up here, drifting in and out between your pictures and your words, thankful calm. elk’s comment oh the smallness of each shell and stone on the vast beach... a favored moment. Next week’s poetry prompt: this one comes from Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words… write a poem that answers the question “who were you in my dream?” Other questions you might answer in the same poem: what were you wearing, eating, hiding from, needing, building, cleaning, destroying... you get the idea. For a sample poem, check this out or peruse I Was the Flame. All RAP Participants Monica’s Listening and Spinning Sunrise Sister’s Two Weeks Glynn’s Circuit Race and At the Oasis, The Camel on Caravan A Simple Country Girl's His Webs Liz's Hair LL's I Was the Flame Claire's umbrella Joelle's Last Rites Photo and post by L.L. Barkat.