Surprise Endings
It takes effort
to adjust my pace
to follow the beat
and not lose my place
I’m not a leader
and I’m not a follower
I’m a wallflower
that already bloomed
that moves to the rhythm
of the seasons
and uses solitude
to think straight
I close my eyes to see
until the drum is silenced
until life’s puzzle is nearly finished
and I can add my piece to the whole
But don’t look too close
or you’ll miss the full picture
where everyone is a beautiful loner
where we all belong to each other
are the parts of the same single truth
__________ Colleen Redman / Poets and Storytellers United
January 7th, 2022 1:15 am
and uses solitude
to think straight… oh absolutely! Beautiful loners who belong to each other- I think you hit the nail…fair and square!
January 7th, 2022 2:24 am
I love what you’ve said here and the way you’ve said it – particularly the paradoxical truth in the last verse.
January 7th, 2022 11:58 am
I, too, need solitude to think straight. And my thinking leads me straight to the truth expressed in the final stanza: We’re all in this together (you know, John Donne-ish-like: “No man is an island…). Lovely poem to begin my new year!
January 7th, 2022 1:32 pm
I adore that last stanza. I think about the push and pull between being an introvert and needing a community a lot, especially in the last months. I like how your words imply there doesn’t need to be an adversarial relationship between both things.
January 7th, 2022 3:49 pm
Great as usual Colleen. To be honest, I wasn’t really believing you! Till you put it so perfectly into perspective with your last stanza. Beautifully done indeed…
January 7th, 2022 3:54 pm
This is the poetic reflection of a balanced, thoughtful, very wise woman. Cheers!
January 7th, 2022 8:59 pm
I really like your musings on life and death. Yes we are all pieces of the whole both here and there!
Well done.
January 7th, 2022 9:32 pm
Solitary flowers that belong to, and need each other in order to be….
January 8th, 2022 2:26 pm
I guess we all need solitude to think straight. This is a lovely reflective verse.
January 8th, 2022 2:46 pm
It’s good to see the full picture. A lovely poem, Colleen!
January 8th, 2022 5:54 pm
“where everyone is a beautiful loner
where we all belong to each other’
I believe this to be true. If we could get past all the fears and facades, I think we would create incredible connections and the most amazing overall picture.
January 9th, 2022 9:22 am
the last stanza neatly sums up the message of this poem. I think everyone of us needs their own moments of solitude.
January 9th, 2022 2:38 pm
I enjoyed the path you had us follow to the juxtaposition.
January 10th, 2022 7:15 pm
“But don’t look too close
or you’ll miss the full picture
where everyone is a beautiful loner
where we all belong to each other
are the parts of the same single truth”
What stunning stanza–love its wisdom, its truth, and what it promises (if we don’t fail to see things as they are).
Beautiful.
January 13th, 2022 9:26 am
I’m a wallflower too! I love the opening stanza. Happy New Year