The View
In the view from where I sit, light pours in from one side;
Shapes and shadows, living plants, with books and table, patterned wall,
Fireplace, mirror, clock and candlesticks,
Make a familiar image of it all.
Sitting opposite, you see the room another way,
Facing windows, cupboard, door, flowery carpet spreading wide,
Different colours, angles, light,
A bird cage on the other side.
And founded on remembered childhood days,
My schooling, parenting, befriending, seeking,
My gaining, losing, believing, denying,
All shape my view, my thinking and my speaking.
You have another vision, formed by different things,
Mistakes, encounters, lessons you've been guided by,
Life's fulfilment, chances missed,
And what you have abided by.
As from our corner of the room we contemplate the scene,
Because of who we are and where life's travails take us,
We each of us see life in different ways.
Our journeys, joys, our hurts and healings
Are what make us.