Thursday, April 4, 2013

D is for diastole

For the month of April I will be taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I will be using two tools besides my trusty computer - my imagination and my dictionary -The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition.. I will turn to the letter of the day, flip the pages and let my fickle finger of fate find the word. Then I'll write - might be a story, might be a rant, might be a poem. Who knows! Do let me know what you think. To go to the list of other participants go here *** I'm number 1414 - that's a heck of a lot of blogs and there are many more signed up below me. If you make a comment I will do my darnedest to check out your blog and comment. Spread the love around!



Diastole - n. 1. Physiol. the normal rhythmically occurring relaxation and dilation of the heart cavities during which the cavities are filled with blood. 2. The lengthening of a normally short syllable in Greek and Latin verse.  (Gk.diastole, dilation < to expand)

On and On

Always we are expanding and contracting.
We beings with our hearts - in its diastole and systole.
The land with the seasons.
I look out over the landscape I love
my heart expanding, my soul bigger than my body
travelling with my breath, my sight
down to the sea's edge
and in the next moment
all contracts
in dread, fear, desire, or hope.

This part of the world is in the beginning of its diastole
warming, flowing outward, loosening,
fearless as it opens and opens.
May I follow in its example.


7 comments:

Debra Mauldin said...

Great poetry! I especially like the last two lines:
fearless as it opens and opens.
May I follow in its example.
Something we should all think about on a daily basis. :)
#1399

Anonymous said...

Jan - Yes!! I have never heard that rhythm described better! It is a real opening out and filling oneself with that sense of life isn't it.

Julie Flanders said...

Hi, Jan! Thanks so much for coming by my blog, I'm so glad to find yours again. Looking forward to following your A-Z! :)

Anonymous said...

Nice poem. I like your a to z method. It's fun!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

You are a gifted poet! I wonder how many signed up for the Challenge, now I want to go look. I'm somewhere in the mid-900's.

Patricia Stoltey said...

This is a very cool way to do the A to Z -- gives you lots of flexibility. Although I think I'd probably cheat a little if my finger stopped on a really hard word.

Jan Morrison said...

Hi Y'all!
This is the way I did the A to Zed last year too - the first year I did it on an alphabetized look at those writerly traits I find most helpful. I kind of loved that one.
And Pat - yep, I've hit a few that I've let my finger skid over - I decided not to be crazy rigid about it. No one wants a poem or story about chemical compounds!