Morning dawns
with a new promise.
He stretches in his sleep,
as I watch the rain
dancing on my window.
I inhale coffee from a tall cup.
I wake him with a gentle touch
and tender words.
A week ago,
the world shattered for so many.
He has watched and listened
to images of terror,
sadness seeping into his big
brown eyes.
He felt compassion for
the lives lost,
for the lives injured.
He felt pride that his brother
is a doctor in this wonderful city.
A week ago our world changed,
the rhythm of the city silenced,
our flags pressed against our chest.
Our land sighed,
our land ached.
We remember the victims,
smiling from old photographs.
Children kneeling by a candlelight vigil,
mothers holding hands tighter.
We remember the injured,
runners shoes and messages
hang by Boylston Street.
We are broken yet strong,
hurt but not defeated.
I hold my son,
I whisper words about goodness,
dark moments that inspire light.
I hold him closer and give him wings of hope
and love,
wanting my words to shelter him from
the storm,
wanting them to warm his soul.
I sigh. And ache. Your son is in my prayers every day...It is so helpful to hear your heart as I am heart deep in processing. Today my tears are for the moms...that's what's hitting me the most today.
ReplyDeleteI feel you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having my son in your prayers. You are awesome.
DeleteCan change in the blink of an eye thanks to a nut job.
ReplyDeleteThat's all it takes....
Deletelife is so fragile. We must embrace every moment. Wonderful piece.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julia.
DeleteAlways embrace the present. We never know how the moment will turn. Lovely write, Ayala!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rudri.
Deletewhenever I read or saw the news on tv, I thought of you and your son, and every time they mentioned the hospital's name. beautiful poem Ayala, dark moments inspire light.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. I appreciate your thoughts.
DeleteAyala, a perfect answer to the sadness and tragedy. You brought tears to my eyes--sad for what happened and warmed by your words. Thank you <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sara. I appreciate it.
DeleteThe post from last week "In an Instant--My Heart is in Boston" and this one, "Boston Strong" show not only that you ARE a writer, but that your heart is as big as the Universe.
ReplyDeleteYou put me right there (inhaling coffee!) and thinking about "man's inhumanity to man".
I can say "Must be the devil" until doomsday (Oh, MY--Freudian slip?), but the reality is what's happening in the collective hearts of all humanity.
The intense need for "things", fueled by greed, and hatred, pushed to limits by fear, and most of all, that obsession with and for more of--POWER, spurred on by PRIDE...is that really happening again in the hugeness I suspect? God help us!
May your son at home not be burdened with this which he may not understand, while your other son and wife live and work as angels might.
There IS a lighted clear (but not easy) path, for those who can see...and willing to follow. And so we continue to live, love, and with JOY, thank God for the chance He has given each of us.
BTW, Ayala, I played for years in nursing homes, etc. The blog post about Edna was just one of the more memorable moments experienced. Thank you for commenting :-)
Steve, I feel humbled by your comment-thank you.
DeleteHard to understand such ville inhumanity..a lack of moral compass and a lack for any other human being.
My little one is an old soul and he understands the events and I am so proud of the way he has dealt with all this. He is also proud of his brother and the work he is doing. So many have done such incredible work this week. So proud we live in a country with so much goodness.
I think you are an angel for playing in the nursing homes and bringing happiness and light to people like Edna. I love that. Peace and all the best to you.
You write about tragedy with great beauty and eloquence. Thank you, Ayala.
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
Thank you, Robyn. xo
Deletethese moments are hard...as hard as they are for us to comprehend...they are all the more for children....i have spent the last couple days talking with students about it...and 9/11...and we have to know as well that we cant protect them...but in talking about it...we create a bit of a haven...
ReplyDeleteBrian, when I opened my email I just smiled to see your name. You made my morning. There are hard events and I think when we discuss them openly with children they feel a sense of security in the midst of all the madness. You are right we create a bit of haven. Thank you for coming by.
Delete"broken yet strong
ReplyDeletehurt but not defeated"
This definitely captures the spirit of Bostonians / Americans. We always rise up, but sometimes it is hard; and we do always wish to protect our young, even though we know it is impossible to do so.
We do rise up..and it's a different world today. Thank you, Mary.
DeleteIn tragic moments like these we turn to our loved ones..holding them close...protectively and protected by love. It's all we can do when senseless massive tragedy enters our lives. Beautiful write, A. x
ReplyDeleteTragic and senseless...
Deletehurt but not defeated....love this...love how you hold your son and your other son a doctor who can offer help in such tragedies... broken yet strong... much strength in this write ayala
ReplyDeleteThank you, Claudia. This is close to home for me.
DeleteI have been reading and following the news. It is heartening to see many people touched and helping others. Good for your family to hold each other close and give comfort. There is still goodness in people. Have a lovely day Ayala ~
ReplyDeleteThe stories are uplifting..so much goodness.
DeleteAyala, beautiful, strong poem. Just like your heart.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Sweet of you to say.
DeleteA lovely poem Ayala. You've put your personal touch on the hard-to-understand events. Your lines "sadness seeping into his big brown eyes" hit home for me. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jane. I appreciate your comment.
Deleteheart sigh...
ReplyDeleteI sigh with you.
DeleteOh my, this just made me cry. It is so hard to explain this sort of thing to the children especially. Give him an extra hug from me. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kelly. I will. xoxo
DeleteFrom tragedy comes humanity. Great write.
ReplyDeleteHumanity at it's worst and humanity at it's best. Thanks, Tony.
DeleteSuch a beautiful tribute to Boston and our nation...Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, M.J.
DeleteA gentle, human poem. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Matt.
DeleteReally thoughtful poem. Made me tearful xox
ReplyDeleteThank you, Poppy. xox
Deleteand the "dark moments" do seem to "inspire light" don't they? You must've been worried about your son Ayala, what an amazing job those hospitals did. I hate to say it this way but amazing so many lives were spared, though changed forever.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was worried sick and I am so proud of him. So many have a long way to recovery, my prayers are with them.
DeleteWe are all striving to bring more light more than ever into this world. Not just for Boston, but for all the spaces and places just like Boston. Because our world needs it to counteract the darkness that's seeking to destroy it. Thanks for your words. Very touching. ...smiles...
ReplyDeleteJanice, I agree we must shine a lot on all the places. Recently I wrote about the holocaust and the fact that there are still crimes against humanity happening every day in different parts of the world..so sad.
DeleteYour poetic perspective on this terrible event is a wonderful witness to the human spirit. Thanks so much for your gentle, considerate words.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Nico.
DeleteSo touching. You are a wonderful mother. I find myself wanting to protect my children more and more these days... to keep them at home with me. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad..and thank you, Laurie.
DeleteThis touched my heart as I often visit Boston and know people there so, it touched me in special place within my heart. The broken feeling when others steal our sun but, the good news is the sun will return to brighten our days. A powerful and heartfelt write.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I am happy it touched your heart. Boston is a place I love and I feel a special connection to.
DeleteAyala, You are a wonderful mother. So much of what the world needs.
ReplyDeletePamela
Thank you, Pamela.
DeleteYour loving way comes through in this Ayala. We do want to shelter our children don't we? It is so hard to see them beginning to understand the terrible things that happen.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard..and thank you, Jen.
DeleteThose images will be with your son forever. And it's so true, our world now will never be the same. Each act of violence attacks each one of us.
ReplyDeleteWe are all connected.
DeleteI appreciate the words you often bring to give expression to the all too frequent times such as these. Send peace and love to you my friend ~ Rose
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rose. Peace and love to you.
DeleteBeautiful write, Ayala. I can't imagine trying to explain these things to a child. Things were so much simpler when mine were young.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charles. The world is complicated because people have made it this way..sad.
DeleteBrilliant! So well written. Love your heart.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly.
DeleteWith such a loving mother, and that loving adorable dog on your banner, he will be all right! This is a beautiful poem..........thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry. Kind of you to say.
DeleteOur children are growing up in a totally different world than we did. We, as parents, want to protect them from the bad things that happen, it doesn't matter their age. And all we can do is hug them and tell them we love them as often as possible, because it seems we never know what can happen when we walk out our doors each day. Thank you for sharing this lovely poem. This hit pretty close to home.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ginny. It is a different world today and we see so much senseless violence..yes, we never know so I tell my children I love them a hundred things a day.
DeleteMy hometown. Such a waste of precious life.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Colleen.
DeleteLife hangs on a fragile thread. Hold your dear one close and live each day as a precious gift. Beautiful piece!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susie. Life is a gift to cherish.
DeleteIt must be difficult to generate explanations for young minds to understand, when as adults we struggle for a reason.
ReplyDeleteTrue..hard for us to understand.
DeleteSuch words are what's needed at a time like this. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly.
DeleteBeautifully written. Boston would thank you in their hearts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Adura. Boston is in my heart.
DeleteI was stunned reading this, sent shivers down my spine, thank you, Kevin
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kevin. I appreciate it.
DeleteThis is so beautiful, ayala, in its honesty and the collective sadness. Thank heavens that somehow people manage to go on...but it definitely is never the same. Innocence lost is never retrieved.
ReplyDeleteInnocence is lost....
DeleteVery sad stuff and hard to protect children, though I'm sure you succeed in your warmth. This is Karin Gustafson - Manicddaily - but blogger and my mobile device want me to use another ID. k.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karin. It's a hard world....
DeleteSilver linings are so wonderful. Your piece here speaks volumes about that. Their goal is to bring us to fear. But by God and by Country it really brings us together. What an incredibly beautiful way of saying that!
ReplyDeleteThank you, John. Yes, it did bring us together!
DeleteA poem that reflects the heart and sorrow of a nation.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Ayala.
Jane
Thank you, Jane.
DeleteAs always, ayala, your great heart brings light into darkness.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy. Kind words...
DeleteAmen, Mark.
ReplyDeleteLike Mark, Amen!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
Deletepraising God for doctors
ReplyDeleteWow this touched me on several levels. What a perfect tribute my friend...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Keith.
DeleteLooking forward to your next post as always my friend!
Deleteso tender, ayala. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joanna.
DeleteAyala, it's such a tragic thing to go through, and gosh it must be hard for children to try and feel secure in such circumstances, so wonderful that you're there to reassure him with your love and wisdom...lovely as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Di.
DeleteWhat a beautiful and heartfelt poem. My thoughts are with those families who lost loved ones in the Boston massacre. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Lovely and heartfelt. My thoughts are with Boston.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly.
DeleteYour son is blessed, just as you were by your parents. He will be okay with a mother like you. I know just from reading your words in this post that your words will warm his soul because they've warmed mine!
ReplyDeleteYou are kind, Katherine. Thank you, your words just felt like a big hug.
Delete