In My Life
I've lived, I've loved
I've lost, I've missed, I've hurt
I've trusted, I've made mistakes
But most of all, I've learned
"Shit happens"
It's happened to all of us ostomates, and no matter how long we have had our ostomies—weeks, months, years—it will continue to be a learning experience for us all.
We are alive because of them and hopefully in a lot less pain than we were before them. We are Pooper Troupers. ...Bless us all.
Ange
Hello Ange.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts. If and when I get the time, I may well crib these sentiments and try to make them rhyme. This will not be any better than the way you express them, but I do like to say things in my own rhyming way when repeating profundities.
Best wishes
Bill
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
First off, this is a pretty cool site with 37,000 members who truly understand you.
It's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice or to give advice, others have found good friends, and some have even found love. Most importantly, people here are honest and genuinely care.
🛑 Privacy is very important - we have many features that are only visible to members, ensuring a safe and secure environment for you to share and connect.
Create an account and you will be amazed by the warmth of this community.
So Ange, after I looked up "profundities," I thought I'd chime in with my appreciation for the thoughts you shared. I think we all experienced in our lives most of the things you did in yours. As you point out, we're alive and probably way better off. As you also point out, it will continue to be a learning experience for all of us. I take that to mean even those who aren't pooper troupers and, for all of us, that means life. Yours, mine, theirs. And because of perspectives like yours, we are blessed.
Thank you,
Mike
Hello Ange.
Just to let you know that, this morning, I have had an overwhelming response of 'likes' to my comments on your post. I take this as an appreciation of what you have written and a invitation for me to write a rhyming verse expressing similar sentiments. Unfortunately, writing rhymes takes time, application and effort. These things are presently focussed on finishing a book of 400 rhymes for 2020 ( that's 20x20!). So far I've got to 390 so I still have a way to go. Hopefully I will be able to address things 'IN MY LIFE' after that.
Here's thanking everyone who have responded to your post.
Best wishes
Bill
Hello again Ange.
One of the problems with having a concept such as this set spinning around in my head, is that it is very difficult to then concentrate on the tasks I previously set for myself. In order to move on, I felt I just had to document a few verses to join you in this line of thinking and to free myself (for the time being) from anymore thoughts on the subject. Hopefully, I can now get back to my own work!
Best wishes
Bill
WITHIN MY LIFE.
Within my life, I’ve loved and lost,
counted blessings and the cost.
I’m left to wonder what I missed
when pondering the folk I kissed.
The trust I placed in others had
sometimes turned to something bad.
and I’ve been hurt along the way,
so, felt the price was hard to pay.
There is no doubt I made mistakes
which ended up in more heartbreaks,
and I have lived with much regret
about things I’d like to forget.
I have been praised and I’ve been scorned,
I ‘ve been bereaved and then I mourned.
Thus, I have suffered mortal grief
without a sense of some relief.
Then I became both frail and old
when chronic illness took a hold,
and as my health and wealth declined
it all played havoc with my mind.
As I reflect upon my life
and put behind me all the strife,
there’s much that I am grateful for
and pleasant memories still in store.
For all those things that did go wrong,
taught me stuff and made me strong.
So, I could use the things I knew
and I would face the world anew.
Now I have reached that ripe old age
where I can feel I’ve turned the page,
and very little bothers me
as this perspective sets me free.
B. Withers 2020
Well done, Bill and at such short notice. Both profundity and pellucidity present in those lines. Do any of your books contain a rhyme on faithless lovers?
Hello Bowsprit. Thank you for your kind words and the answer to your question is yes! There is one poem that is particularly pertinent to unfaithfullness which is indelibly imprinted upon my psyche. That is one written for and on behalf of a lady who took her marital vows so seriously and literally, that when her spouse left her for another woman, she threw herself under train and was killed. The poem was entilted 'DID SHE JUMP - OR WAS SHE PUSHED'.
There are a host of other poems which deal with the aftermath of relationship breakups and the coming to terms with the new situation in order to move on in life. I have never sought to post these sorts of verses on this site, as they do not seem entirely appropriate to the subject matter of stomas and their management. However, every now and then, I write generic stuff which spans the whole gamut of human life and wayward emotions. These might be applicable to anyone who is having an emotional upheaval of any sort. One such verse was called 'Sing a Song of Sadness' and was set to the music of the nurseryrhyme: 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. If you are interested, I could blog it for you.
Best wishes
Bill
Was "Did she jump..." written by you? Such tragic incidents strike like what the French call a coup de foudre. I agree with you that such rhymes are perhaps not appropriate on this forum, enough human drama unfolds here as it is. The verse sung to "Sing a Song of Sixpence" sounds interesting. Could you reproduce that, please? They say that these nursery rhymes carry hidden meanings, and this one relates to the Catholic wars and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
Hello Bowsprit.
Yes! the poem 'Did she Jump-or was she pushed' poem was completed so that I could clarify my thoughts on the subject before giving evidence to a coroner's court. Needless to say I did not do this in rhyme, but it does help to have the concepts clearly in one's head before giving verbal or written evidence. I will post 'Sing a Song of Sadness' in my blog for your perusal.
Best wishes
Bill
Thanks, Bill. What did the coroner find? You don't have to answer, because I think I know what it was. Best wishes.
Hello Bowsprit.
As you say, you can guess at what the outcome was. Over the years, I have written many verses on the subject of suicide, but the ones that are most pertinent and personal are those where the individuals seem to have been physically, emotionally or psychologically pressured into it rather than indulging entirely of their own choice. These poems have been subsumed under the unmbrella of 'bullying' and now number in their thousands, because I still experience it as a difficult subject to get my head around.
Best wishes
Bill
Bill, I love the poem you worked into "In My Life"... You are an amazing poet. Thank you for taking the time to create this poem... and thanks to all who
responded to my post. Sincerely,
Ange
Hello Ange.
Thank you for your kind and appreciative comment on my work. However, It is you who should take the credit for this particualr poem, as it was your sentiments that set it in motion. When writing rhyme, the hardest part seems to be coming up with the ideas for composition in the first place. In this regard, I mostly tend to be a plagiarist of other people's ideas, feelings and concepts. That is why many of my poems are sad, bad and emotionally heart-rendering, because the most poignant of thoughts are often about people's problems.
I have often wondered what it would be like to write poetry about the nicer things in life like love and nature, but there are so many talented rhymists out there focussing on these types of things and not addressing the things that really matter to those in need, that I felt obliged to stick with the 'crap', in the hope and belief that somehow rewritng the wrongs in this form might help people to rethink their position.
I still like the way you wrote the concepts at the beginning of this thread as it is concise, pertinent and clear, with a message we can all relate to.
Best wishes
Bill
Well put, Ange - Bryce. PS: Best Butterscotch Sundae in the World in Woodstock!
