I’ve just come across Charming But Single’s site and her post Professionalism Is The Key To Attracting Decent Suitors. In it, there’s a letter written to a man in the style of a follow up missive for a job interview. It reminded me of fox’s friend and her questionnaire to be filled out before the friend would consider handing over her phone number. Humourous and insightful, please check it out. The comments to follow are also worth perusing 
Many thanks to Tuttysan for bringing the post and its author to my attention!
© Melinda Chambers. All posts are the creation of the author and, as such, remain the author's property with all rights reserved.
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To Anne Sexton and her Love Plant
Is this what you bequeath me, Anne,
your Love Plant composting at the front of my crib?
Couldn’t you have held out longer,
let me grow into the gift?
I never had time to develop thorns
to fend off your monstrous weeds.
You curled into the shell of my ear,
vine-like, you threaded my brain
and my veins, my veins
oh, how very tempting
the blood red amongst your greenery of love.
I live in awe of a suicide
Such admiration for one who quit
who knew when it was time
to let go
(oh, no, mustn’t go there. The shrinks will think I want her
death.)
but the strength she had
to say no
more
to say
enough
but not too much.
I wrestle with the love plant,
its ropey tendrils tying me
spread eagled
across the bed
(would I even change the sheets
if I could?)
I grapple with the conundrum you left, Anne…
Do I surrender to this heart’s invasion
or do I surrender
to despair?
I wish I knew which
truly signified the strength
of letting go.
2:50pm Thursday
1.December.2005
(Anne Sexton committed suicide less than eight weeks after I was born – Sure, I can find a way to take that personally! 
)
This poem was posted because a line in Fox’s poem “Muse” reminded me of it. Please don’t take my pitiful writings as any reflection on Fox’s! I have excellent taste – but no talent. You really MUST read “Muse”, don’t just take my word for it.Her poem, in turn, was inspired by John’s poem “New Owners”
At a guess, I’ve just broken something akin to a chain letter in posting an older poem instead of creating a new one.
© Melinda Chambers. All posts are the creation of the author and, as such, remain the author's property with all rights reserved.
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This morning I have been following links from fox’s page over at Chasing Shadows Again. Yes, I am incredibly lazy and having someone else do all of the hard work of finding good sites to visit! Fox wrote of the Poets Who Blog site and the latest post there is about a carnival they’re having. To be a part of it, you must send a link to your personal favourite poem on your blog and WriterWoman will list these links on her site on the 26th of May. The deadline for submissions is midnight of the 25th. It’s a wonderful way to gain readers for your poetry. Here are the details on entering.
The debate I am now having with myself is whether or not to submit a poem link and, if yes, which one. Given that I’m not writing anymore, it seems somewhat fraudulent to be asking anyone to come and read my poetry. My reason for even considering it is that I HAVE to do something to inspire myself. I realise nobody else is going to be able to prop up my ever-waning self-esteem but I’m not going to deny that it helps to think that SOMEBODY out there believes I can write. It’s a belief I no longer hold… never really did to begin with but now, definitely don’t! (Writing that, I just successfully talked myself OUT of submitting a link )
So, to every poet out there, Poets Who Blog are offering a shop window in which to show your wares Go to it! I know I, for one, will be checking back there on the 26th to follow all of the promised links back to their treasures.
(Which reminds me, if you’re anything like as lazy as I am, fox really does host a treasure trove of wonderful, interesting links… I won’t even mention the pirate underwear! )
© Melinda Chambers. All posts are the creation of the author and, as such, remain the author's property with all rights reserved.
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I’ve just been reading around Dazed Kitsune’s site, Letters To Strangers. The site’s introduction, Why Is This Site Here?, is a painful, thought provoking anecdote about the connections we fail to make, the conversations we fail to initiate, the kindnesses we cannot accept. At the same time, it displays a trust and faith in human beings that is simply beautiful. How does the saying go? “There are no such things as strangers, only friends we have yet to meet.” It seems appropriate to the idea behind this site. We say on so many occasions, “It’s a small world”, yet we fill it with spaces and seem wary of closing the gaps. This site is a bridge and I’d hate to see it go to waste. While being untrusting of strangers seems to be something we instinctively instil in our children these days, it is a sad indictment of society and one I wish we could do without. Well, here is a place for reconnecting. For random acts of kindness… for talking to the world and knowing one will be heeded.
The other stand out post here posted under the date January 08, 2007 and makes for a fitting segue to the introductory post.
Culture and love and faith are far too great (and beautiful) things to try to appreciate in any context like what they are being squeezed into. Fragmenting things into shards small enough to grasp makes them into less than the sum of their parts.
Read the entire post to put this excerpt fully into context. It’s extremely well thought out and another example of Dazed Kitsune’s interesting and thought provoking take on the world in which we live.
All in all, a site well worth the visit and definitely worth contributing to.
Update: On a related note, I’ve just read Jeremy’s post entitled, Random Acts of Kindness and How They Blow The Mind. A timely read, indeed. I should probably write this up separately but, since it’s all so intertwined (to me, at least!), I’m adding it in here.
I went to see Nine Inch Nails in Melbourne on Sunday night. Blessed with a ticket and a night’s accommodation from my friend, Rob. With regard to acts of kindness and being stunned by them, Rob’s efforts in that direction cannot go unmentioned. Don’t ask me what a five foot two woman of less than a hundred pounds was doing in a mosh pit… but there I was. Front and centre at a NIN concert! Rob had been looking forward to this concert forever…. and spent his time being a human barrier between me and those around me. To ensure I didn’t detract from his enjoyment of the evening by giving him cause for worry, I got out of the pit after the first two songs (this also ensured I returned home intact!). At any rate, there was NO reason whatsoever why he should have been looking out for my well being at such a time. He paid for the tickets, it was his concert…. yet he kept part of his mind at all times on where I was and if I was okay. Later that night I actually wound up in tears because of it. Not because he’d done something so horrendous, but because it’s been so long since a man has been kind and considerate of me with no thought of repayment or reward. I know this sounds terribly sexist, but I had honestly forgotten men could be thoughtful and kind – not without wanting something in return, at any rate. I’ve been involved with someone for the past five years and I have taught myself NOT to even want such consideration. I found out on Sunday how much I miss it… and how much it means to me. To be given priority. To be cared for.
As Jeremy stated in his post, one can grow quite cynical about human beings out in the big, bad world…. and it is truly stunning to find that it’s not so bad after all. In fact, people can be incredibly sweet, stunningly beautiful and so very kind.
I think Rob’s kindness really woke me up to the possibility of being loved. I had forgotten that anyone could actually care about me, could put me first. It’s been a long, long time.
© Melinda Chambers. All posts are the creation of the author and, as such, remain the author's property with all rights reserved.
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I was wanting to do a full ‘review’ type write-up in offering this link but I’m afaid my brain isn’t functioning terribly well at the moment. Still, I think it’s important to share any sort of discovery that brings with it a feeling of happiness. My discovery is the writing of fox over at chasing shadows again. I’ve only recently come across fox’s page and it’s taken me a couple of days to pinpoint why it is I enjoy the writing there so much. It’s joyful. Joyful and peaceful and so heart-baringly honest. For those with children, without children, wanting a child, being someone’s child (which we all are, in case that needs pointing out! ), I recommend reading To the unborn children I might have had after a fair amount of mango rum.
Given the time difference between Hawaii and Australia and the benefit of blogging, I now get to start my mornings with fox’s morning chatter. This is fast becoming a ritual for me, to read fox’s start to the day. There’s just such delight there and so much appreciation for simply being. That sense of gratitude is something I need to find again within myself and experiencing it through someone else’s mind – well, it’s fast rubbing off on me
I hope you all take the time to visit and enjoy what you find as much as I do.
© Melinda Chambers. All posts are the creation of the author and, as such, remain the author's property with all rights reserved.
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