NaPoWriMo #13

Prompt: Go for a walk, write what you see

Sweep/Wash/Sweep/Repeat

Despite the dusty feet

Despite the feet I can’t keep clean

Despite the shoes I cannot wear

Despite the half sense I make of every sentence

Despite it all

We suit each other

This Mexico and I

Each gaffa taped together

Struggling to force ourselves

one beat in front of the other

an ebb, a stumble,

over the cragged street,

Ankles at an angle,

Gripping for balance.

Dust in the mouth

Eyes stung like first heartbreak tears,

Embarrassed.

The garbled tongue

Seeping in from every pore

An assault

Jabbers in the ears

Burns and swarms

No wide boy swagger

No labelled layers

but a day exploding

regardless

A pop of fireworks,

early morning to rival the rooster

The sun makes a mockery

of freckled skin and bone

Small doorway shops,

collections wedged in

and fighting for breath

The smells of a hundred and one fire pits

weaping in the sunlight.

A roof dog barks viciously,

Threatens rabies,

No one minds.

A-Z Blog Challenge: L

When life gives you lemonade make lemons out of it. A lot of people are actively living as if that’s how the cliché goes.

So many people forget to count their blessings and be grateful for what they have in front of them. And yes, I appreciate how hard it is to be grateful when it feels like your whole world is falling apart or that the entire weight of the universe is pushing against you. In times like these it is exhausting to be thankful for the small things in life. Sometimes it is hard to look around and find the good stuff in amongst the crap that is thrown our way.

But having the ‘attitude of gratitude’ takes a little bit of practice. It’s like the old yellow car game we used to play as kids. The more you look for a yellow car the more of them you’ll see. It’s the same with gratitude. The more you are looking for things to be grateful for, the more of them you will see. The more you see, the better you feel. Sounds like a pretty simple but awesome recipe for life.

It doesn’t mean that everything is always going to be easy. You can’t get a rainbow without a little rain. You may not be in the perfect job or relationship but you can still find things to be grateful for.

I’ve made a point this year to take note of all the things I am grateful for. I’ve got a jar and I’m putting in a wee note every time something sweet, lovely or amazing happens. It’s pretty full already. On New Years Eve I’m gonna open it up and remind myself what an amazing year I had and hopefully this will set me up for having an amazing 2014 as well. The universe is busy, I’ve got to lend it a hand sometimes. And yeah, of course things are not perfect all the time but I’m actively creating a life that I am proud of and grateful for every single day.

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”

― Henry Ward Beecher