This day is wrapped in grey,
tied with a bow.
I know that whatever I say
you must decide whether
to find gloom in the grey,
or bloom in the glow of the bow.
poem-gulf April 1, 2016
You open up before me
a gulf of possibility
things I never considered
complications I did not foresee.
You open up before me
a black hole of opportunity
devouring expectations
creating alternative realities
of what my future might be.
.
.
(“Thanks, Des,” she says
dripping with irony.)
poem- choices August 28, 2015
When you choose what brings you joy
When you choose who gives you laughter
When you choose what makes you sing
When you choose who really matters
Then each moment and each thing
you do, makes happiness deploy.
poem-today August 11, 2015
Today I will make the choices
that lead to met goals.
Today I will choose
not to procrastinate.
Today I will accept responsibility
and do what must be done.
Today I will be a grown-up.
Tomorrow?
We’ll see.
poem-like June 1, 2015
Like
attracts
like.
Happiness
brings
happiness.
Choose
your
poison?
Me,
I
like
laughter.
poem-choose strong May 26, 2015
You can not choose the circumstance
that fights to keep you down,
but you can choose how you respond;
you can choose to be strong.
Whatever trauma shatters you,
Whatever hurts you feel,
The weakness is just temporary;
You have the strength to heal.
.
.
.
A fitting conclusion to yesterday’s poem, today’s piece reflects the message of Robb Nash and his band who played for the high schools of Salmon Arm today. I’m glad to part of Shuswap Rotary which supported Robb’s visit. Read more about Nash’s astonishing life story and inspirational work here: http://www.robbnash.com
poem-identity March 15, 2015
Hovered over the computer
you groan about how you’ve been screwed up
by school schedules that don’t let you take
the courses you need to graduate.
Something from grade nine,
another from grade ten,
a couple from grade eleven,
how can you fit it in twelve?
School’s fault.
Not your fault, of course.
Never your fault
for not coming to class,
for not doing your work,
for not taking advantage of offers to help
for not being respectful of your peers
for not accepting support,
for not passing the courses.
One or two (or three or four)
missed credits each year.
It’s the school’s fault.
Of course, it is.
Everything is hard for you.
Why?
Why?
Why?
You strike the question,
a damning indictment.
I will tell you,
though you won’t hear:
This is why:
Because you don’t see that
you choose.
You choose
to work.
You choose
to fail.
You choose.
Until you choose
to be responsible
for every choice,
to admit you failed because you chose
not to work,
not to accept help,
not to accept the consequences of
your choices,
life will always
seem unfair.
It’s not life that’s unfair.
It’s you who is refusing
to own your reality.
Accept responsibility for yourself.
What are you afraid of?
Be!
poem-doing March 11, 2015
You are amazing.
You are worthy of love.
You are valuable.
You have something to offer.
What are you doing?
poem-picking March 7, 2015
Poems crowd together,
being sorted
like kids in PE class.
Popular kids first
Intelligent kids next
Then intuitive, quirky kids.
But after that?
Many sad poems
that didn’t make the team?
.
.
.
(compiling poetry for collections.)
poem- it may not February 27, 2015
It may not
be what it was,
but it is
what it is
and what
it will be
.
.
.
(This was actually the last sentence in a response I wrote tonight on in a grad school assignment. I thought it made a rather intriguing little poem, so here it is).
Shawn L. Bird 