Carol A. Hand

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Ah, little Pinto
a faithful friend
so dawg-on cute
in a cobbed-together
red winter suit
because he’s grown
a tad too tubby
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A welcoming space for resistance to the forces of oppression and hegemony.
Carol A. Hand
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Carol A. Hand
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Carol A. Hand
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We Are, performed by Ravi
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We Are (by Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell)
For each child that’s born a morning star rises
and sings to the universe who we are
We are our grandmother’s prayer
We are our grandfather’s dreamings
We are the breath of the ancestors
We are the spirit of God.
We are
Mothers of courage
Fathers of time
Daughters of dust
Sons of great vision
We are …
Sisters of Mercy
Brothers of Love
Lovers of Life and
The Builders of Nations
We are Seekers of Truth
Keepers of Faith
Makers of Peace and
The Wisdom of Ages
We are our grandmother’s prayer
We are our grandfather’s dreamings
We are the breath of the ancestors
We are the spirit of God
We are ONE.
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Carol A. Hand
Seven years ago, my mother passed away in the early morning. She was 89. During the last 13 years of her life, she gradually lost her memories and her abilities to care for herself and communicate. I was thinking of her yesterday at sunset and decided to repost the poem I wrote for her two years ago.
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Carol A. Hand
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Carol A. Hand
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Carol A. Hand
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Let me be fully present here, in this moment
Focusing on opportunities to send out love and healing
Not frozen in yesterday’s hurts and disappointments
Not constrained by the bleakness of the surrounding landscape
Not controlled by the fear and chaos swirling about in other places
Not concerned about tomorrow’s uncertainty
I only have this moment,
now,
to radiate peace and joy
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Acknowledgments:
For my beloved daughter who inspired these reflections…
Title drawn from the work of Baba Ram Dass (1971), Be Here Now.
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Carol A. Hand
The love of my youth is dying
On earth, this lifetime, we’ll not meet again
A long life is sometimes a blessing
but surviving dear friends brings such pain
Truly gentle men are so rare to find
The world doesn’t treat them well
They often ease disappointments silently
with distractions to escape an inner hell
À bientôt, my beloved friend
May you finally know peace deep and true
Please know you’ll always remain in my heart
Though, from afar, I must send my final earthly loving adieu
for David
There are so many better ways to say “farewell” in French. It’s the language of the heart. I turn to it now to express the depth of my grief and sense of loss.