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| Three good guys and their truck by MK Sandford |
To my
Gentle men
Do you care for life?
You say
that you do
Tell me do you…
Always
Have in mind
Laundry or dishes?
Always
Meals and snacks
Breakfast lunch dinner?
Do you
do three things
At once every day?
Chop wood
Break your back
Keep the fire going?
Carry water
from the well
In fify pound jugs?
Go to
the market
Buy groceries for us?
While you
wipe a tear
And nurse the baby?
You do
all this and
Pick up toys and sox?
Cleaning
Floors and sinks
Dishes, dust, no rest?
Do you
Change diapers
Clean up poop and pee?
You find
Time to write
While the family sleeps?
Caring
Year after
Year is a lifetime
Care is
Doing what’s
Necessary now.
You see,
here’s the point
we do this for free.
Now tell
me how you
Really care for life?
You say
Yes I do!
I care about life.
I help
when you ask
Love and respect you
I am
Bread winner
I work for us both
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I say,
I need you
To build me a home.
To be
my helpmate
can’t do it alone
On earth
families thrive
when women do care work.
The earth
we surround
forming a network
Women
a membrane
around the world make
healing
is needed
to keep life flowing
women
are dying
from hunger and pain
wars that
cause women
to suffer and die
If we
continue
to live on this earth
We must
Heal our souls
Bodies and spirits
We must
Remember
Women connect us
To the
Heart and soul
Of our mother the earth
We are
Born through the
Body of Woman
She is
The vessel
Through which we each pass
She feeds
Every cell s
Growing inside her
Our flesh
Is her flesh
Our blood is her blood
She is
Our mother
She nurtures all life.
You are
Important we
Need you to hear us
We need
You to stand
By our side because
If we
as women
Stop caring for life
Life will
dry up and
our species will die.
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3 comments:
One comment is my mini-memoir on redefining service. I adopted a version of same that did not include care of the self as foundational. I've served well in 45 years of psychotherapy, as a generous friend, in showing up for peace and justice causes for many decades. I can now let that be enough. service is now intrinsic to the fabric of interaction in family, friendship and community.
SELFLESS SERVICE
Selfless service has high ideas and standards of integrity
She’d have her life be of high order dedication,
With little mercy for her humanness
Little mercy for desire dubbed selfish
She aimed to please her Mennonite Grandmother
The epitome of devotion
Instead, she burned out
Spent years with dis-ease and dis-ability.
Eventually, somehow, in surrender of ambition,
She found a stronger self,
Healing into an eagerness to live fully-
With service a natural outcome.
_______________________
My other comment for today is that my sense of practicing CARE AS A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE one of continually honing one's awareness of the moment. In doing so we are naturally aware of our own needs and those of the life around us in whatever form. It's paying attention. When in present moment we can do so with ease and openness to the ever changing realities, rather than impose expectations or particular agendas or prejudices. Or be less likely to do so. We care best when we're in the expansiveness of open hearts and minds, grounded in embodiment
My children and family will not shy away in school,in society ,at the college ,when vissiting friends.I dont know how I do it but untill now itss work.I make sure they have something to eat and are clean when they go out,I stay with a family of 8 single mother 2 are orphan young men looking for belong somewhere in a family .A cup of black tea my favorite,its my reward at the end of the day when all go to bed ,I sit and write and do research to better our lifes one day.I do most of my hosework self and they help me also I have to learn them without awashing machine we do our loudry we stop to iron clothes to save on electricity ect.but in the morning I have to be there for my community.
Thank you so much for your reply. You are exactly the woman this poem honors. I hope some day you can let me know who you are so that we may speak more. Eileen Jackson
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