Photo Credit: Gary Bogue
Trust
And how does the turtle feel as she covers her eggs
with the sweep of her feet,
then leaves them for the world to take care of?
Mary Oliver
Mysteries, Four of the Simple Ones
New and Selected Poems, Volume Two
Last spring, after her fledglings left the nest,
mama dove hung around for days, waiting.
She watched me through the kitchen window,
woeful eyes fixed on my hands, awash
in soapy bubbles bearing rainbows.
I didn’t see her babies again, nor did she, I suppose—
only the hawk circling in the distance.
Fretting, I struggled to trust nature’s caring
just like I do each time I send my words soaring,
out into the wide, wild world.
I’ve been mulling over Claudia‘s Letting Go prompt for Poetics last week…and her own experience. This is what came of it. Linking to OLN.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
[…] https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/gray-dverse-open-link-night/ , and Trust https://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/trust/ that easily brought to mind the baby blue jay that had fallen in our backyard last […]
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This was a lovely reminder, Victoria. Our writing is very much like our “children” that we fret about and try to make the best it can be, then at some point have to let it go out into the big, bad world. I think, more than trusting our work in the hands/eyes of others, it comes down to trusting ourselves enough to believe that we have done our best in preparation – which can also apply to being a parent. You seem to have an affinity for birds of all sorts. 🙂 I enjoy reading about your interactions and with them and am glad you include them in your ponderings.
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Hi Victoria! I love your use of symbolism in this poem. Thanks for visiting me and commenting on my contribution this week. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Pamela
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it is a beautiful connection between two mothers, i hope she will be back next year. she must trust your house =)
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poor mom, knowing the hawks took her babies…
Initiated Kiss
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It is scary at times to let our words fly, but we take a breath and watch them soar. Such a beautiful piece!
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Victoria, I love the analogy you created here, what a great way to close the piece out, stays with you after you’ve finished the reading. I like Mary Oliver’s work as well, was nice to see you reference here, and I know you referenced her work in your post a bit back, which she sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t remember where I knew her from and that’s when I remembered a teacher I had in a workshop few years back made copies from her book about forms. Anyhow, you painted a brilliantly vivid and reflective piece, especially with the hawk and the soap bubbles. Really enjoyed this. Thanks
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I think that is what we miss so often in our idea of faith. For me it is about letting go more than believing. Nicely captured.
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Love the metaphor here, Victoria… releasing our words can be like that.
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Oh, I have no hope for “Nature’s Caring” — nonewhatsoever.
Neither does the turtle, that is why she lays dozens and dozens of delicious eggs
She expects the horrible feast of Nature
She expects no care. She gambles on numbers.
And the hawks survives because Nature cares not.
Hawks celebrate brutality.
Thus, we should TAKE care!
🙂
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True. There is the law of predation. Loss for the dove is caring for the hawk, I suppose.
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Love the symbolism here. A lovely write, Victoria.
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It is a real struggle to trust the things that are so precious to us into the care of others knowing, as we do, that not everyone will love and cherish them as we do.
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I love the way you look at life and nature: we have to let them go, but it’s hard sometimes.
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wonderful similie. it does feel like our words are our babies.
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I send my words soaring,
out into the wide, wild world….ha we do…and trust that in the letting go is power for them to stay alive…love the symbolism victoria…
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Releasing our art into the world is indeed like letting our children fly … and once done, they never really belong to us again.
Nicely done, Victoria.
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I certainly know what this feels like.
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sad about the babies, if the hawk got them… trust is difficult on all counts, i think – i wonder if it ever gets easier? (i hope so)
a beautifully sensitive write, Victoria
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I’m not sure this will make you feel any better, but…
I find your words quite easy to consume—edible and tasty.
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…i letting go it requires trust… it’s difficult to combine but once learned to… you’ll be lead to such state of perpetual happiness… loved this… and the excerpt from M.O.’s… smiles…
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Delightful and thought provoking…love it.
Peace,
Siggi
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This was beautiful writing..trust required in so very much of life, yet life teaches us to never trust too much…all is fleeting.
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Victoria, this is perfect.
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Love the parallel of trusting nature as birds do, and as we pen the words in the page ~ Sometimes I feel I am taking a leap when I hit publish, with my words ~ Thanks for the lovely reflections ~
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mmm…nice…we are like a mother releasing our babies to the world…and knowing that all will not care for them as we would want…it is a trust…but also it is stretching us to something deeper than trust as well..
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I do think we take a leap of faith when we trust our words to the caring of others as we release them here or elsewhere. Not always easy to trust, but usually I have found that the trust has been rewarded. I hope the turtle’s trust was rewarded as well. Smiles.
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