This past week has been a difficult one for me. I have Celiac, and I inadvertently ate something containing wheat. I haven’t made one mistake in 18 years since my diagnosis. But there is always room for mistakes, and I wasn’t being as careful as I usually am. I didn’t realize what one little teaspoon of wheat could do to my system. The pain was about an 8 out of 10, and I was considering going to the hospital, but I waited it out. It took about 3 days for the pain to subside and a week before I was feeling like myself again. I am now so nervous about eating. It’s going to be hard to eat out when we go on vacation. Even when restaurants say they are gluten-free, it is easy for cross-contamination to happen.
While trying to recover and relax, I took a short journey to a local garden shop. I love this place; it always brings me solace. I forgot to take my camera with me, so I took pictures with my little flip phone. I just snapped images that appealed to me. I love that they arrange pots and flowers by color. It was such a good way to unwind without worrying about my tummy troubles. There are rows and rows of flowering plants outside, and rows and rows of garden pots inside. They also have a pond with a fountain and patio landscaping ideas. Once I saw a peacock wandering the yard, but I missed him this year. One short trip to this beautiful place made me feel so much better. Even though my energy was low, and I was still eating a liquid diet, my mind felt so much more at peace. Nature truly does heal.
When I returned home, I looked at my photos and thought about writing poems to complement some of my favorite ones. At first, I thought I’d write haiku, but then I decided that I would create my own form. I have been writing poetry for more than sixty years, and I have never played with creating my own form. Now was my chance, and the words – Mindful 8 – came to me. I would write mindful poems that were eight lines long. Each progressive line had words with one to eight syllables, so that the first line contained a one-syllable word and so on until the last line, which would have eight syllables. The theme of the poems would focus on calm and mindfulness, creating a meditative quality. Here are some examples. I hope they bring tranquility and serenity.
Mindful 8 Poems
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 