Vernon

by Belinda Munoz on May 13, 2011

Circles break and squares loosen up.
Stars fade and stripes get spotty.
Yin is black; yang is white,
yet much in between is grey.

Dear Abby, Savage Love, I’m not.
I have neither perspicacity nor panache
pouring forth in an effortless way.

Any hint of wisdom that’s stuck
comes from the fine art of
regretting.

+++++++++++++++++++
I’ve been reading poetry by a very interesting Jesuit priest whom I knew for much of my adult life. I perceived him as an intimidatingly professorial scholar with a microscopic sense of humor. He was always around. I took him for granted. He passed away before I had any interest in reading his writings. Now, I find myself repeatedly reaching for his books, re-reading pages and verses, smiling at his wit, and being moved to tears by his honesty. I regret missing the boat on discussing his words, his thoughts, his life. I regret not being able to tell him how much I love his work. The piece I wrote above is what I imagine his response would’ve been if I’d asked him to define wisdom.
+++++++++++++++++++
In 55 words, this is for Melissa’s Six Word Friday topic: wisdom.

{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

1 ayala May 13, 2011 at 5:10 am

Beautiful, Belinda. I understand your regret , what a gift to have his work left behind so you can study it now.

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2 Belinda May 13, 2011 at 10:22 am

Thanks, Ayala.
Sorry that Blogger is down — was looking forward to reading your six word post.

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3 Brook May 13, 2011 at 6:34 am

yeah. this hits straight home today.
fabulous as always, Belinda :)

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4 Belinda May 13, 2011 at 10:24 am

Thanks Brook. Be well.

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5 TheKitchenWitch May 13, 2011 at 6:46 am

The fine art of regretting. :) I should be a master, were there an award for such things.

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6 Belinda May 13, 2011 at 10:23 am

Yeah, TKW. I could probably teach a course on it myself.

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7 Caroline May 13, 2011 at 7:45 am

There is indeed much gray in between! I enjoyed reading the poem even more the second time, after learning about the priest. Knowing it was your imaginings of his response, really brought it to life!

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8 Belinda May 13, 2011 at 10:31 am

I know for many the word regret is verboten but I hope I’ve conveyed here that it can be made peace with, as Vernon showed in his life full of friends, love and wisdom.

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9 Jannie Funster May 13, 2011 at 7:48 am

Oh, Belinda — how awesome you met him!

And the beauty part is you get to share your amazing heart and soul with us, there will be no regret there.

And guess what? My current post has YOU in it!!! I kid thee not — thanks for the inspiration.

xoxo

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10 Belinda May 13, 2011 at 10:32 am

Jannie, you always make me smile!

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11 Rudri Bhatt Patel @ Being Rudri May 13, 2011 at 11:02 am

What a wonderful tribute to him. I like how you painted regret in a more peaceful and loving way. There is an awareness that comes from regret. And hopefully there are lessons learned from experiencing it.

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12 Sara May 13, 2011 at 11:34 am

LOVE the last stanza. I am doing my best these days to live with no regrets!

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13 Shanae Branham May 13, 2011 at 1:52 pm

Hi Belinda,
What are you regretting…that’s between the gray? Fun post,
Cheers,
Shanae

My Blog

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14 Melissa May 13, 2011 at 4:00 pm

I have much practice with regretting, myself. Not sure I learn nearly enough from those regrets…

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15 Talon May 13, 2011 at 10:14 pm

That last stanza is heart-breaking and beautiful. While I’m sorry you didn’t discover his wisdom and writing before he passed away, I’m so glad that you have that wisdom and writing to explore and enjoy now.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend with the trees, Belinda! :)

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16 Patty - Why Not Start Now? May 14, 2011 at 12:37 pm

“The fine art of regretting.” Paired with wisdom. Perfect, Belinda. Because it truly is an art to accept that we will feel regret and may grow wiser because of that. Your story reminded me, too, of a person I was close to but I wasn’t paying attention when they were near the end of their life. That’s hard.

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17 Emmanuel Ibok May 15, 2011 at 10:54 am

I love this poem so much. Simple, short but very rich. I learnt some new words as well.

Have a great week!

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18 Dr. J May 15, 2011 at 11:36 am

You write very well, Belinda!
I guess the halfway point is in that elusive brief wisp of an area between potential and has-been :-)

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19 Sara Healy May 16, 2011 at 11:12 am

Belinda,

I got a good laugh at the wisdom of the final stanza of this excellent poem. In my beliefs, your priest friends knows very well that you are now reading and enjoying his writings.

I bet he’s smiling from where he is at the wonderful wit of this very poem:~)

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