Sometimes

Carol A. Hand

Sometimes
I feel like a sprite
Invisible
And it’s really okay
especially among so many strangers
riding the city bus today

There are times I prefer
to be quiet
when surrounded by so much loud rambling chatter

There are times I prefer
to fade out of sight
when so many need attention to feel that they matter

There are times I prefer
to take up less space
when others need to take more than their share

There are times I simply prefer
to be a peaceful presence
unremarkable, unnoticed but acutely aware
of others who just need someone to listen,
to see them,
to care

***

Downtown Duluth looking out towards north shore and Lake Superior, taken in 2012 by Joey1niner. (Wikipedia)

***

Encircled by beauty
on a lovely August day
So many too busy to notice
as we each go our own way

***

39 thoughts on “Sometimes”

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  2. Hi Carol, Your poem resonates with beauty, resolve and recognition. I have been called “leftover man” — a title that gratifies because it reflects the peace that a smaller carbon footprint. Pursuing a vegan lifestyle brings peace to my soul and joy to my steps.

    I heart feeling like a sprite 🙂

    “…to fade out of sight
    when so many need attention to feel that they matter
    …to take up less space
    when others need to take more than their share.”
    🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. Lovely. There is a saying in my home country: “Pour vivre heureux, vivons caches. (sorry, no accents here) Translated loosely means, to live happy (peacefully) live as if you were hidden (from others). Not in the sense of fear but in order to properly, compassionately observe, and as you say, to remain available to the one who may need that hand to hold, or that ear that listens empathically.

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    1. Such a beautiful saying, Sha’Tara. Thank you for sharing your home country wisdom, and for your kinds words. Life on the margins gives one a powerful vantage point – not out of fear or the need to resist necessarily – but because some of us know that’s where we are most at home with ourselves and others.

      Liked by 4 people

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  6. Spoken from the heart, Carol ❤
    With so much hate demanding to be heard and coveting more space among us, we need "to be a peaceful presence / unremarkable, unnoticed but acutely aware / of others who just need someone to listen, / to see them, / to care."
    Thanks for showing us the way forward.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. “There are times I prefer
    to take up less space
    when others need to take more than their share”

    Remind me not sit next to you on a bus, Carol! I’m a chubby guy, so I take up more than my share of room!;-)

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Love your humor, Dave. 🙂 (It was actually a thin man who took up most of the space yesterday. I wonder if awareness of/care about others is more important than size when contemplating the notion of respecting others’ “space?”)

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. Oh I love that image of you as a sprite! I love sprites. As one who seldom if EVER goes unnoticed, I would love to fit into the crowd at times. One could hardly call be a sprite as I’m almost 6 feet tall and wear my hair up all all the time which adds to my height as even does my shoes even though their soles are barely a inch high. 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Dear Natalie, that you for your lovely comments. Being little has it’s benefits if you don’t mind being invisible or “overlooked.” 🙂

      You have been in my thoughts. I hope you are spared the from the fury of Hurricane Harvey and send my best wishes to you. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. I guess the perks and drawbacks to everything Carol. We’ve only gotten about 4 and a half inches of rain which is only a drop in the bucket compared to our neighbors further south than we are. So we’re ok. Thanks for checking on us my lovely little sprite❣️😘

        Liked by 1 person

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  14. So lovely, thanks for this soothing masterpiece ❤❤❤ in today’s times we hardly have any people around us interested in listening and being there sadly.

    Liked by 1 person

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