RIBBONS OF TIME

VioletSun - You're the very first to read these! :-)

You've mentioned a couple of my favorites, too! Great minds think alike! As was their main purpose when written, they make me recall the exact feelings, thoughts and inspiration which prompted each poem whenever I re-read it. You can't imagine how gratifying it is for you to be thinking along the same wavelength when you read them. Thank you.

Mentalist, my poetic friend! That's so lovely. Thank you! Hugs.

Eiddwen, that wraps it up and says it all. Thank you, sweetie! :-)

Bumpsysmum - Thank you! I'm most pleased to see you visiting my hub! Thank you for the votes, too!

My dear Ian - thank you. You warm my heart. I'm glad you like "A life is like a song" - it is quite expressive of my feeling for living it and loving it as it is happening. It's great to have good memories and high hopes for the tomorrows and tomorrows - but they were or will be "todays" as they really occur in actuality, which is where LIFE is. The heartbeats and the breaths we take are all that keep it going and they are all in the now. How much more now is anything than that? :-)

Thank you for the great votes! wow!

I must confess that I'd never heard of Ludovico Einaudi or his music before I went in quest of a u-tube with soothing stringed instrument(s) playing a not-lengthy piece to express the main photo & set the mood for this hub. I had no specific piece or artist in mind, just a mood - and his satisfied it. I haven't had exposure or time to notice his over(all)ratings or pretentiousnesses. None of that shone through when I listened to the piece, "Fairytale' and decided it would do nicely. And I still like it for this hub - makes me feel the poetry. But I surely won't be worrying about his work in the future, either, since I respect your informed opinion and who needs twaddle? Not I! Not when there are many wonderful musicians and musics to enjoy! But I do like this piece or I'd not have chosen it.

You must never hold back your honest opinion to me! No need to! I respect it and am glad you've saved me the bother of looking into him further - unless the notion strikes me to, and there are many better notions, probably! (Though I admit I'm curious about your opinion of him. Possibly if I wrote music - God forbid - it would be similar to his! Who knows? n But, then - I also like the briskness of "The Continental" and many other styles. hehe) ;->

ChrisL - wow - thank you! 'Strands of life' really lays it on the line, doesn't it? It's as close to an objective view of all this as I can come, along with Ribbons of Time. I felt that way when I wrote them - and still do. Truth is, it seems to me that looking for "meaning to life" outside of its sphere is rather absurd for creatures limited to its sphere who have yet to make much sense of even that sphere, starting with each of our own selves, much less the far reaches of infinity! Does it have "reaches" hm-m-m-. (But it's human nature to look for loopholes and to avoid the everyday issues, like me looking for escape from the housecleaning, wink, wink. ;-)

I really appreciate your response here, Chris! Thanks for those voting words!

Granny's House - thank you so much! I confess that when I read the poetry over with the music going, it makes me shed some tears. Without it - even though I wrote it and it expresses my own feelings, I feel the poetry less intensely, somehow. That is why I thought it a perfect marriage of sight and sound, actually. Glad you like it too!

Ah, Ken - you honor me much! Thank you. Such praise from one with the keenness and artistry of verse as you, is praise indeed! If my verses relax and lull you to rest in contentment, I am most pleased. You have made MY day! Hugs.

Ah, that explains your aversion to him, Ian. Our local FM classical station, WRR, plays wonderful selections, except on Wednesdays, when they cover the City Counsel. That may be informative, but it's certainly about as far from good classical music as one can get! I will listing to Einaudi if he comes up somewhere but I'm not inspired to seek him out. Plink, plink, plenty, plink is not inviting!

I can see that those movie themes are hardly what you'd like to find on your station. I mostly hear WRR if I'm out in the car. It's where I leave my radio set in the car. When I have to leave it for service, it's usually reset to some horrid AM station. haha

Anyway, our classic station is receptive of listeners' requests. Perhaps you might request yours to play some Gilbert & Sullivan!

Martie, dear heart - how loving you are. I'm pleased you like it. Thank you for the votes too!

haha, Ian! You're funny, you know that? That tune would win you, then? haha! But so what if they did tell you to bugger off? Would you be likely to care about what they said if it were so rude? And perhaps whoever was on duty when you called would be a sweet person who would love to hear some G&S himself or herself. Have you considered that possibility? Would be worth the risk, I'd think; - and perhaps it would bring on more G&S as the audience increases and becomes more excited about it? Hm? Maybe that's how they got onto the movie themes and all the plink, plinking! Maybe someone requested it!

You said you are a force to be reckoned with - or words to that effect - so flex up and make a call! :-)

What, indeed . . . - who knows? Thank you for such a beautiful response, Alan. I think I'll just sit here and quietly bask in it, if you don't mind.

Dear Merlin! - How lovely to see that it has contributed to your pleasant Sunday morning! (is the coffee espresso? hehe) Thank you for the great compliments!

Also - I love that video in another comment a bit further down the page. I'm thinking that TL will, too! I'm saving it to listen to again and again.

BTW. Years ago I read an interview with Charlton Heston , the legendary American actor, in which he mentioned that one of his first theatrical experiences was in "The Pirates of Penzance" in a college drama class. I can see him doing that and on to Mark Anthony and Moses! Another BTW about him: He is of English-Scottish descent - from the clan Fraser! His real name was John Charles Carter before he adopted the stage name. Thank you for sharing that great video!

Epigramman, dear heart - Now, you stop that! You are the master of the true epigram. My stuff just happens to sometimes get at the heart of the matter with minimal words. Remember, I wrote most of it as a form of shorthand for my own memory jogs of some passing thought or feeling, or one that had stirred & suddenly jelled, as I was experiencing them, being aware & honed, mostly as it was happening.

Some days I wrote dozens such quickies, never intending or expecting anyone else to ever see them! So my form is strictly personal and was simply practical for those purposes. Sometimes now, as I'm transcribing them, I see that the shorties could easily be combined into a single longer piece, since that day's progress was generally a single piece as it and my thoughts unfolded.

Of course, I still write poetry as well as other forms,- though poetry, perhaps less prolifically. They say an artist's or writer's inspiration often thrives on less happy impetus; & now I'm generally always happy. It happens that many of my earlier poems were to help me capture and maintain the inherent happiness of my inner being, which didn't always have much of a voice in the actual situations, with the result that few of my poems are sad or gloomy, though many are fairly philosophical.

Now the impetus to capture my innermost being in poetry seems less urgent, since almost everything about my life is free to express the full range of my feelings and experiences and in many outlets for the expression.

Anyway - that's for you, to thank you for your lovely compliments and to assure you that I SO appreciate YOUR work and I just won't have you minimizing it, even in good humor! You are a master at what you do! Heck, if those are crayons, m'dear - then you're a Thurber in them!

My very dear Ian. I love having started your day delightedly & chucklingly. You're so appealing being you! Of course you're too polite to guffaw! tee hee. (Notice that I tee hee a lot; it was generally drown out by the raucous laughter of my siblings, therefore causing no consternation or rebuke toward my input; indeed, it was hardly noticed at all. ;->)

But now -sigh- at the very likely risk of being perceived as a pedant, I must point out grammatical facts about "LOUD". Sorry to be the bearer of possibly disturbing news, - except that I sense how much you prefer truth. (Don't hesitate to throw Lynne Truss back at me!) The MAC dictionary definition:

loud |loud|

adjective

producing or capable of producing much noise; easily audible : they were kept awake by loud music | she had a loud voice.

• strong or emphatic in expression : there were loud protests from the lumber barons.

• vulgarly obtrusive; flashy : a man in a loud checked suit.

• (of smell or flavor) powerful or offensive.

adverb

with a great deal of volume : they shouted as loud as they could.

Smarty Pants, is it? Who'd've thunk this li'l ole poetry hub would spark s'much high-minded de-skushun?

But - OK - I'm fine with that. I agreed with you when I first read it, in fact. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs and normally end in 'ly'. I hadn't examined 'laugh out loud' much, though, since it's such a cyber construct, few of which even pretend to be grammatically secure. But then I thought of other uses of 'loud' when it modifies verbs and still lacks the almost-mandatory 'ly' ending to convert its adjective form to adverb. We "think out loud", for instance. That's a common usage which hasn't caused Miss Carstarphen to turn over in her grave. (not sure about Lynn Truss, but she's alive so we'd have to wait to find out how she'd react in Miss Carstarphen's circumstances.)

Anyway, I just had to look it up (thank you, Miss Carstarphen!) and couldn't resist a little poke back atcha. Wot your rot iz fine wif me.

Now don't sulk! You're still & ever my linguistic guru - among your other great contributions to my welfare! :-)

Toknowinfo - hehe - thank you. I had fun with the leopard jumpsuit and photo shoot (my built-in webcam on my desktop PC upstairs). What a ham, huh? For a gal who had severe stage fright the first half of her life, I sort of broke loose this half. There are some reasons for it. But you are an analyst, so I will have to explain them another time. ;-> Thank you for those lovely comments! I feel I can take them to heart!

Christopheranton, my great encourager! I know if YOU see value in my stuff, it has to measure up pretty well! Thank you for such beautiful and kind words about it. You are a dear! Hugs. (I may need some elasticized earmuffs to handle my head-swelling if you keep that up, though! hehe) Hugs and many thanks for all you do to raise the level of excellence on HubPages.

Ah, hello, hello - but remember - the world isn't lousy - it's neutral. What makes it lousy or sunshiny is the people, individually and then collectively. So it's up to each one of us to contribute our best and to encourage the others. Hugs to you, my friend.

Ian - (giggle) - those are nice feelings! You make me laugh, smile and go "Aw" a lot too. NICE BIG HUG and one back at you!

Thank you, dear Nikki. We're all weavers making our life tapestries. I'm glad you likes the poems and music! Hugs.

SheZoe - thank you. I'm enjoying yours too!

Thank you, Dimitris! I always treasure your comments! Hugs! What a n-i-c-e complimetn! :-)

I am truly melted by your lovely comments. Thank you for them and for following. I read your profile and consider your approval high praise!

Crystolite - thank you for your faithful visits and lovely comments!

No_Clue - What a lovely and shared interaction. Hugs! I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your response!

Laurie - me too! Ever since I began on HP, I've been thrilled by the actual interchange of articulate "conversation"! It's so rare these days online. If folks aren't just playing set-up games many are posting or reposting multi-forwarded curtsies, while actual interactions person-to-person become more and more rare. So - yes - I totally enjoy participating in and reading the comments threads on HP, as well as the wonderful hubs themselves.

I love your simile of all us Hubbers being ribbons with our words, feelings, ideas and mutual admiration tying us together like a special ribbon-family of cohorts.

My great pleasure if I bring sunshine to your day. Mine has been sunny but it is becoming quite overcast and the weather reports can hardly keep up with shifts. Much as rain is needed, though, I'm hoping it will hold off a bit, since I just had my yard fertilized and weed-controlled; the treatment's not supposed to be watered for a couple of days so it doesn't just wash right off!

Thank you so much for delightful comments, Laurie! Hugs back!

crystallite - thank you for returning and leaving me more wonderful comments! I'm so pleased you like the hub!

Thank you, Sonia! I just visited your site and left a comment on one of yours! Hugs. . .

Ben - thank you. I needed that. You're a dear. I think I'll just keep doing what I do till they chase me off. :-) -

Hugs - and good luck in the morning!

Randy, well I guess it is a lot. ;-> I just gather what feels right for a collection and post it. Glad you like it ,even if it's too much. Think of it like a dinner, with a soup, salad, entre and dessert - but not necessarily in that order. hehe. Thank you so much for the positive support!

hahaha! Good - I think . . . (we do offer doggie bags!) :-)

Ah - Dear Susan - thank you from the bottom of that heart of mine. Your comments are lovely and welcomed! Hugs!

Vix - thank you! Those are lovely compliments, especially from a talented writer like you -- and I feel all warmed by them! Hugs.

Debbie - we are now! :-)

Mike - your words of appreciation and comprehension are extremely gratifying. Thank you. These are among my own favorite of my poems. But then, each of my poems is like a crystal-clear moment of my life captured just long enough to be recalled. Sharing them with kindred spirits is such a pleasure.

Dear Michael, - how wonderful to see you've visited my ribbons hub. The image of ribbons has such dear memories for me, too. Yes, earlier times seemed to have special values and certainly have left sweet memories.

I don't believe I ever have eaten candy ribbon. I can imagine it might be reminiscent of eating glass! haha.

I had a simple Thanksgiving. Made my own little traditional dinner and watched the Macy's parade and then the dog show. Even watched the movie,"Miracle on 34th Street". It was a relaxing day. Usually would have gone out for the dinner with my friend, Val, but she had an invitation she couldn't refuse, to have Thanksgiving with her grandson's girlfriend's family in the country, so I decided to bake my own little turkey breast with the other goodies that go with it. Just talked to Val and she had a lovely day in the country, enjoying the fresh air and all that went with it.

Hope you had a relaxing pleasant Thanksgiving, too!

Your Thanksgiving sounds lovely, especially when things settled down a bit and people were playing Scrabble and conversing. The food sounds great, too! I loved hearing about your day. I’m a bit overwhelmed by large gatherings with so much going on, so I can understand that head rush you mention. Seven people are easier than twenty! George and I had some one-on-one Christmases we loved, some were just the two of us at the ranch, which was completely away from any of the hubbub that other scenarios have. But also we shared some family gatherings with more people and confusion. Of course we loved being with the family, too. Memories were made at both kinds of Christmases and other holiday gatherings.

This Christmas, George,Jr.and his wife will be again taking me out to a beautiful restaurant which serves a traditional Christmas dinner. I look forward to it.

Today was quite a day for me. My friend, Val, had run into a huge problem. She’s 91 and no longer drives any distances. She’s also never been online at all so didn’t have that option to get her car registered, which was due today. She’d tried to renew it at a grocery store which does that but they said they couldn’t because she was due to get new plates. So her granddaughter had planned to take her to a full-service registration office at a distance today, but it turned out she had to work, so Val called me last night with desperation in her voice! I offered to take her early this morning, which I did and it went well. She was so relieved to get the sticker and permission to wait a year to replace the plates! Then she said she’d like to treat me to lunch, so we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and had lunch. We do that occasionally, anyway, for a chance to visit and catch up on our news.

She is of Swedish descent and makes a big Swedish Christmas dinner for her family, and she needed some things for it, so after lunch, we did some shopping for some of them. She’s very slow-moving, and I’m no house-afire, - but compared to her, I almost am and tend to be a bit impatient! haha. But it honestly gave me pleasure to be able to run around looking for some long candles for her table, Christmas napkins, a green cake mix that’s the basis of a special cake she makes for Christmas, and other odds and ends she thought of randomly at the grocery store, usually requiring us going from one end of the store to the other and then back-tracking again where we’d just been! haha.

She enjoyed it all and I did too, knowing it was helping her, though I was amazed how disorganized she is. Of course, she didn’t know beforehand that we’d be shopping. But I’ve usually mapped and planned out what I need and where it all is at the store so I can do it very efficiently. But it was an interesting thing trying to guide her around to find what she needed; — and she didn’t always mention what it was she was looking for till we were on the aisle where it might be! haha.

The two of us are always treated respectfully and with an amazing special deference. She is a very classy, glamourous elderly lady with a lot of pizzazz and espirit. I’m no slouch and we’re mistaken for sisters, but she gets most of the attention! She’s an inspiration.

She has an ethnic source for main ingredients for some of the most special Swedish dishes she makes, but her granddaughter will take her to shop for those. Over the years, she has declared each year that it was the last year she was going to do all that cooking, but she seemed so genuinely happy to be able to do it again! I makes me happy for her.

George and I were friends with Val and her late husband over the years, and we shared many a New Year’s and many other occasions together. George was 10 years older than me and they were in his generation. though she was a bit younger than her Norman, who died a couple of years ago, so she’s had to meet the challenges of it. I’ve been able to help her with some of the challenges. George and Norm were both WWII Veterans, Navy men, Engineers and had been friends for many years, even before George and I married in 1985. Lots of history and memories.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas, too, Michael!

Dear Michael, ah, yes, one's Christmases as a kid were so special. They were magical times. Some for me were only coloring books and paper dolls, but I loved every one. Other times, it was more, but it was all good to me!

I had no siblings my own age, so usually no gifts like games for sharing together. We all did play Chinese Checkers together, though. My older siblings gave me some great gifts, too. Such fond memories!

One Christmas I realized that my parents were surely who Santa Claus was. I’d done something bad and expected to be chastised, so I hid under their bed. The bed was positioned cater-cornered, as people often set furniture back then. As I was under there, I spied some wooden legs back in the space where the bed was at angles to the corner walls, so, of course, I crawled up toward it to investigate! WELL! It was a kid-sized roll-top desk!

It had to be for me for Christmas since I was the only kid in the family, and Santa Claus couldn’t be bringing it from the North Pole, since it was already in the house!! haha. I was giddy with delight so it was hard not to let-on I knew about it. It had all kinds of nifty cubby-holes under the top behind the writing space for my crayons, pencils, erasers or whatever, and several drawers for paper and other things, plus a space for the desk chair so my legs could rest under the desktop as I sat there. So many times I would sit at my little desk and write or draw. I loved it!

But I didn’t let on I’d seen it on Christmas morning when it was under the Christmas tree! I’m sure my parents thought they’d pulled the surprise off without a hitch.

Another memorable gift was a Sonia Henie (the ice skater) doll with littlle ice skates on! and a little skater’s dress. In Del Rio, I’d never even seen a frozen pond, but my parents had grown up ‘up north’ and Mother had been a skater, so she wanted me to have that doll! I loved the doll, but, sadly, she got burned in a house fire later. But she’s still vivid in my memory.

The fact that my parents had migrated so far south from their roots meant that we didn’t have many kin around close. All my grandparents had died before I was even born, except one, who lived up north. Mother had two sisters, but one died young and the other was a nurse in Texas, with no children and she was not living close-by. Dad’s brothers and other folks were all way ‘up north’ and I never really knew any of them, except his mother, who was the one grandparent I knew when I was very, very young. She lived with us when I was born but then returned to Indiana to live with another of her sons when I was still a toddler.

So our Christmases were just our own immediate family,- my parents and my three older siblings & I. But I didn’t have anything else for comparison, so it was just fine with me. We always had a great time. Stockings filled with candy and fresh fruit, a pretty Christmas tree and packages. I remember shopping at Woolworth and Kress for my gifts to give my loved ones, plus making some gifts to give.

I think you are wise to refocus on your own personal life, rather than devoting all your energy and attention to your work. No doubt you do a good job there, but sometimes we give more of ourselves to work than work really deserves. Being alive and exploring your own inner recesses are worthy attentions. Your father was right that having and tending to your health is everything. Losing one’s health often seems for many to lose their purpose and joy in life. Some rare folks can rise above bad health to have and to give joy, and that is especially admirable, but it’s so much simpler if one feels reasonably good and is not tied to a regimen of medicines or other features of illnesses. It’s sad how much TV advertising seems to focus on medicines and illnesses. Sometimes it seems almost to be encouraging people to feel sick! A person has to deliberately choose to be healthy and do what it takes to stay healthy, especially as one ages. If it means not indulging in some things that are always being offered and are enticing, then one just has to think about the consequences and choose right.

Yes, I’m always thrilled when I awaken each day and am able to be productive and to have joy in it. Being able to write, as well as to express oneself in other creative ways, is truly the greatest of ‘riches’ I think. I love the way you describe how the words you write seem ‘alive’ and full of activity! I’ve no doubt most people have personal experiences of some sort which they may think others would find odd, and may even subdue them. But when we do acknowledge them, first - to ourselves and then to share when we feel it’s appropriate, it’s amazing how much we do share!

It seems that the more intelligent people often feel most strongly that their own ‘secret’ things would bring the guys with the white coats that tie in the back to get them! haha. But t\here is so much more to the fullness of a human than the usual hum-drum stuff which so often makes up most ordinary conversation! I’ve always been such an oddball, but was also so shy, that I kept a low profile, But one day I just realized “I’m OK, you’re OK” and no sense in worrying about criticisms or judgments if some folks want to waste their time that way. So I stopped worrying about what ‘they’ think.

There was a rancher who financed the hospital in San Angelo, the town where I lived as a teenager. He was successful but just a plain guy who made no ‘show’. When he was going to Ft.Worth to sell his cattle, people told him he should dress up more. He’d reply, “Why, no one there knows me!” Then if he was to attend some event back in San Angelo and was encouraged to dress up for it, he’d say, “Why, everyone here knows me!” That’s about the size of it!

I love reading comments on hubs, too, Michael, and often do the same as you say you do, - reading others’ comments even before posting my own. The reasons you mention for doing it are factual. One doesn’t want to say what others have already said or to say something too controversial with what others have said!

I am not very active on Hubpages at present, but when I was spending a major part of my time making hubs, I was blessed with a lot of wonderful comments on them. We all exchanged reading and commenting on each others’ hubs more back then, before a lot of the Hubbers left or cut down on their activities here. I could never abandon it, but I have been less involved for some time than I was for a number of years.

You mention the comments by Twilight Lawns criticizing the music I used. He’s one of my dearest early hub friends, whose name is Ian Clark, and he's still a very dear friend. He’s from London, but has a fascinating history. His father was British military stationed in India, where Ian was born. He’s lived in Australia, too. Twilight Lawns is a fictitious British old-folks home he writes stories about. We still keep in touch. He would not mind at all if you voiced your opinion of the music! His and my discussion of it continued throughout the comments and he explained that the classics radio station he listens to plays that piece over and over until it’s become tiresome. haha. But he admitted that it wasn’t so bad. I’m glad you reminded me of the comments here. I just went back and read the hub and all the comments. It’s wonderful how it’s like a magic carpet ride back in time, almost!

I keep in touch with quite a few of the people who commented, some are on Facebook, where I also am. Some are still in Hubpages.

Ribbons of Time - the poem and several of the others on the hub - were written back in the early 1970s, on 4-21-72 to be exact, yet I remember exactly the inspiration for them as if it were now. That’s what is so amazing about writing poetry. It truly captures moments of one’s life and one’s most personal experience, almost like preserving it in a crystal flake, immune to the passage of time. For me at that time, it was like a confidant, a diary, a counselor, and a friend when I was truly pretty much isolated & intimidated from fully expressing myself openly. But writing kept me fully alive and growing inside, as a person. When I needed ‘me’, I was there. I surprised myself, in fact. If it hadn’t been for the poetry, I’m not sure I’d had still been ‘there’ after 18 years in a horrible marriage, which ended even worse than it had progressed.

So don’t ever underestimate the power of writing - or of finding and writing your own inner being.