P is for PAIN

Before we get going, may I say I hope you all had a purrfectly perfect PUMPKIN Day!

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross says, "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

I must have been chosen to be one of the "beautiful people" then, because I have been through an awful lot of both physical and emotional pain. After my late husband's suicide, my counsellor asked me, "How do you cope?" I believe I was gifted with an innate coping device - along with my faith, of course. I have always pretended to be happy when in pain, and apparently that is a sign of how strong someone is. I keep on smiling - and smiling some more. Here is my take on pain.

PAIN

Pain is the colour of a saw made of steel.
It looks like a grotesque grimace from Cain.
It sounds like the howling wind and the rain.
It smells like burning flesh on the grill.
It tastes like smoke from the dentist's drill.
It feels like shards of glass that kill.
Pain is a bitter potion designed to heal.

Thanks to Denise Nesbitt and her plethora of personnages who plunder along each week to promote ABC Wednesday by visiting all the participants to see what they’ve posted. Everyone deserves a prize for the part they take in producing perfectly productive posts!

O is for OPPOSITION

"France's spirited challenge to the haka backfired on them last night as the All Blacks took heart to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 24 years. As the haka began, the French players stood in a "V" formation and joined hands. Then they began to move forward slowly - over halfway - until they were standing in a wavey line about 10 metres from the All Blacks.

Last night was not the first time the All Blacks' opposition did not passively watch the pre-match tradition. This came about after a fiery response to the haka by the Ireland rugby team at Lansdowne Road in Dublin in 1989. Captain and lock Willie Anderson led his team in a slow march forward until they were standing directly in front of the All Blacks. The tactic had no effect on the match, with the All Blacks running out 23-6 winners.

In Wales in November 2008, a tense standoff at the Millennium Stadium delayed the start of the match for about a minute as both teams eyeballed each other at the end of the All Blacks' stirring rendition of Kapa o Pango. The referee had to implore both captains to get on with the game as each team refused to budge." (from nzherald.co.nz)

Here is my take on the word "opposition" in poetic form.

OPPOSITION

Opposition's the colour of New Zealand All Blacks.

It looks like crazy crowds before they attack.

It sounds like hisses and boos from rioting punks.

It smells like a living, breathing funk.

It tastes like cod liver oil recently drunk.

It feels like antagonism in some aspect.

Opposition is conflict between instinct and intellect.

Enjoy this rendition of the "haka" showing opposition to the 'nth degree at the 2011 Finals against the French, who got right in the faces of the New Zealand All Blacks!

N is for NOSTALGIA

Nostalgia is usually meant to be a yearning for the past and the "good old days." My childhood was, shall we say, dysfunctional. Therefore, I don't really "yearn" for the past. However, there are some good memories and simple things I recall fondly. For example, when I was about 7 years old and allowed to walk to and from school by myself, I remember one day in May passing by a house with a gigantic lilac tree in full bloom. I stopped and took many deep sniffs of those gorgeous flowers and from that day on, I've always adored lilacs. As a family, we loved to go camping in the Okanagan or Kootenay regions of British Columbia and we girls would laze around reading comic books like "Little Lulu," and "Archie." Remember when you could get a big comic book digest for 25 cents? Whew...times have sure changed! Here's my take on nostalgia.

NOSTALGIA

Nostalgia is the gentle grey of a friendly phantom.
It looks like a black and white photo album.
It sounds like nursery rhymes and bubble gum.
It smells like lilacs on the walk home from school.
It tastes like tomato rice soup on a day that's cool.
It feels like Vicks vapour rub and the warmth from firewood.
Nostalgia is sweet memories of childhood.

Here we are camping at some BC lake one summer.
left to right younger sister Jackie, me, and older sister Robin.

As always, thanks go to Denise Nesbitt and her naughty but nice group of neighbours from around the world. Some wear necklaces and some wear neckties. They all navigate the ABC Wednesday website to visit all the contributors. To see everyone's incredibly creative posts, just click here!

M is for MIRTH

It's raining today and I can see the trees across the street are turning colour. Soon the leaves will fall, the skies will be grey daily, and the wind will whistle through the empty branches. As I pondered what emotion to write about this week, my mind took me back to the summer when, on hot days, my grandchildren loved to go to the local water park, the beach, or even my backyard to run through the sprinkler. This brought me to the word MIRTH, meaning gaiety or amusement accompanied by laughter. What better feeling on which to meditate on a dull, rainy day in order to pull oneself out of the doldrums! Here is mirth:

MIRTH

Mirth is the red, orange, and yellow of sunshine.
It looks like foamy waves along the shoreline.
It sounds like children giggling at the seaside.
It smells like the salty vinegar of fish 'n chips.
It tastes like ice-cream with chocolate dips.
It feels like rib-tickling wrestling in the sand.
Mirth is music and merriment in a wonderland.

Thanks to Denise Nesbitt for her creativity in bringing ABC Wednesday to life several years ago. She and her merry band of misfits (moi included!) visit contributors each and every week to encourage, compliment, and rejoice in their efforts to entertain us all with their personal creativity. To join in or simply to savour the contribution of others, click here!

L is for LONGING

Longing is an emotion characterized by a strong feeling of desire. It's also the title of an unreleased Dusty Springfield album from 1974. I guess I'm dating myself with this, but I always loved her songs, full of passion and yearning. Here is my take on "longing" with this week's poem.

Longing

Longing is deep sapphire blue.

It looks like tender tears of dew.

It sounds like echoes of yesterday.

It smells like a Chinese food for one day.

It tastes like apple pie in the sky.

It feels like a mercenary magnet to iron.

Longing is unrequited desire.

And here is a taste of Dusty Springfield's unique style of longing in a song from 1967: