March | 2023 | I Do Run

It was the way you glanced in her direction every so often

To see if she was looking at you

Then acting surprised when your eyes met

And you’d give her that sly half smile

Or sometimes it was the way you didn’t look at her

As if she didn’t exist

Except as a ghost wandering through your thoughts

That you were trying to ignore but failing to do so

But mostly, it was because you never got angry with her

Even if she kept you waiting or asked you to do something menial

Your half lidded gaze and movie star smile, tuned directly to her

Revealed the truth in your words, “As you wish.”

The inspiration for this poem comes from Sadje’s What Do You See #177. This picture actually has one of my favorite Bible verses in it (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

“What is love?” is a question that has been asked by philosophers, poets, scientists and theologians. I know this poem doesn’t even come close to answering this question. There are so many different types of love as well.

The best answer to this question, I think, comes from the movie, “The Princess Bride.” Wesley’s response to all of Buttercup’s requests was, “As you wish.” This obedience to her, said with a look of utmost adoration and worship, was the basis of my understanding of love, especially romantic love, for many years.

Is this an unrealistic definition of what love looks like? Maybe…probably… but one can hope!

©️ 2023 iido

24 December

What we were asking seemed like a big sacrifice, but it was truly the only way. How else could we lead them back home? We loved them so very much!. Even if some – ok, most – didn’t realize they were lost. But some did remember us, remembered being with us oh so long ago, remembered that they needed — no, wanted — to return to us. And for that reason – even if it was just for one or two or ten, I knew that this was something I had to do, something I wanted to do. We agreed that now was the right time, the right place.

So, today, in space, in time, I sit. Thousands of feet above the sea, yet also in a sea, floating in cocooned darkness and waiting with my light for the signal that it was time for my arrival.

One of my favorite places in Puerto Rico. ©️ 2023 iido

“There’s no stopping in running” – this is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from running. This is a fundamental rule – especially if I want to get to the end of the race course! Now, there have been times when I have stopped – whether to stretch or take a picture or due to pain – but I always started back up, even if it was a slow walk. Writing for me has been the same way: even though there isn’t an “end,” I am committed to moving forward – to keep on writing – even if I might stop every now and then.

Merrill at dVerse challenged us with a prosery challenge using a line from May Sarton’s “Meditation in Sunlight.” The first verse (where the line is taken from) ends with “…and meditate on solitude on love.” But the start of this line “in space in time” was my main inspiration. It made me think of how in the Catholic faith, we think of God the Father being outside of space and time, but God the Son, Jesus, entered space and time to be born of the Virgin Mary in a town called Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. This 144 word prose is something that I think Jesus might have written, if He was into journaling.

As humans, we live in space and time – the space and time we are born in shapes who we are, what we do and how we become. We can’t escape from the forward movement of time – there is no stopping until we reach the end, which is death. How we get there is up to us.