Ever-Whelmed
Not by Those, but by These
I wear your words upon my skin,
whether for good or ill.
What would you have writ large
for all the world to see?
~
I am ever-whelmed,
but with what would you have it be…,
the cruelties we inflict
or simply those we see
& to which we
would bear witness?
Poverty, illness,
death & destruction
inflicted by nature’s hand,
those of others,
or those that would find me
more culpable?
~
Nay!
Though they be whelming,
to these I will never surrender
but always endeavor
to find a kinder,
more gentle
sustainable way.
~
And yet I shall be
ever-whelmed,
not by the nightmares,
cruelties & injustice
we both suffer & exact
all around, but
by these little kindnesses
to which I bear witness
each & every day.
Yes!
By these
& in every wonder that is,
I shall be
ever-whelmed.
About the Creator
Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock
Retired Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church having served for a total of 30 years in Missouri, South Dakota & Kansas.
Born in Watertown, SD on 9/26/1959. Married to Sandra Jellison-Knock on 1/24/1986. One son, Keenan, deceased.
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Day 4 of Quitting
If this is how sobriety feels, maybe it’s better to go through life a little buzzed… this, along with other hits like, I want to kill myself, I wish I was dead, and I’m going to throw myself off a bridge have been the only thoughts on rotation these past few days. I promise myself that if, in a month, I still feel like this (‘this’ meaning despondent, full of rage, and simultaneously numb) I can go back to smoking. Until mid-February though? Nicotine is off the table.
By sleepy drafts4 days ago in Longevity
Comments (13)
Beautiful work Randy!
Well Randy, you knocked this out of the ball park for sure! Brilliant!
BEST! I love it!
Such a wonderfully written poem, Brother. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this <3
Very provocative poem
HMMM! Ever-whelmed. Catchy, funny and...sorry, but I am half way whelmed,,,ha ha ha ha. It has a lasting feel to it.
This reminds me b of my very favorite place- Bobbing at the base of Niagara Falls. All three sides is rushing roaring power, and I am in awe and bearing witness. Thank you Randy and Kelli for giving name to that emotion
Fab, Randy. A mantra for positive thinking.
Your new favourite word lol!! Ahh this is creative and gently inspiring !
Yes, I think we lose sight that we are so small in the big picture
This seemed very beautiful and lyrical to me. I loved it!
More great lines and an excellent image. Well done
I'm not one for portmanteaus but I did like all that talk of death and destruction, as you may well imagine. ;-) Nice poem!