Love Is a Braid
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
LOVE IS A BRAID
image by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash
Stranded we are –
lone shafts of golden grain,
bowing and weaving,
laid low by wind and rain –
raised to bright sky.
Life Lessons Poems
Writing “life lessons” poems is one of the ways I connect with and learn from life. They help me move myself through the inevitable ups and downs with as much grace as possible. And what better way to find grace than in the words of a poem? Thank you for gracing me with your presence here, and don’t forget to send a request my way before using my life lessons poems. (Please include full copyright information on every copy. For internet use, a link back to the poem on this site is required.)
FINDING THE POEM YOU WANT: As you scroll through this section, read each snippet sample (usually the first four lines) to get a feel for the poem. When you find something you like, click “CONTINUE READING” to view the entire poem.
Facing Life
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
photos by Valentin Balan on Unsplash
The years sit heavy on my back,
this face well-mapped by trails of pain.
These eyes, two tunneled railroad tracks,
are loath to bear the coming train.
A Humble Plea
2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Danie Franco on Unsplash
image by Danie Franco on UnsplashRenew in me a righteous spirit, Lord,
a valiant spirit with a willing sword.
Make of me more than I alone can be,
a living oak with strong limbs raised to thee.
Dreams and Possibilities
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
Unsplash – Image by Tasi Zoltan
We come to life with dreams and possibilities.
Life comes at us with loss and liabilities.
The twain shall meet, must meet in lows and highs—
their interplay, the price of growing wise.
Grace and Gravity: Message from Mary
©2015 Susan Noyes Anderson
Nouvelle Lune, ©2011 Soasig Chamaillard
believe me, I adapt
carry me with you
then and now I bring
some substance
to the ins and outs
of living
The Clown Speaks
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
Marc Chagall – Head of a Clown
If I should wake up and be free
of all the people watching me
and say goodbye to tightrope walking,
big top, and calliope––
then would I search the silence deep,
embrace the parts of me that sleep,
let go of cotton candy dreams,
and hold to truth that I can keep.
Hope Abides
©2022 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image by Rizwana Shuljatha on Unsplash
So many moments to love in this life,
so many unrecognized pleasures.
Whenever the world puts a lock on your hope,
break it open and set free the treasures……
On Finishing Well
©2022 Susan Noyes Anderson
To grow old is indignity and privilege, all in one.
The exercise is riddled with confusion.
Age lends a certain gravitas, when all is said and done.
And yet, how much is real…how much illusion?
Youth greets life with a blank slate and a hardy constitution,
eager for every trip around the sun.
Years fill the slate but oversee the body’s dissolution,
and all the wisdom garnered is hard-won.
Given the choice, would old folks take life on another run…
in search, perhaps, of greater resolution?
Or does knowing how it all might end before it has begun
make do-overs a dubious solution?
It seem the best course is straight-on, toward a bright conclusion.
Look gently on the tale your life has spun.
Don’t yield the field to wounds or worn-out chassis. That’s collusion.
To-finish-well may well be to-have-won.
∞§∞
If this poem resonated with you, you might also enjoy reading
Growing Old Gracefully.