In the Looking Glass
(from Within My Illusions)
I wish that you knew
How important you are,
Your pure-hearted presence
And soft-spoken truth.
I wish you understood
That your strength
Lies not in pushing against,
But in that subtle grace
That moves you through each day,
The surprisingly wise things you say
When you think you are saying
Nothing.
I wish I could hand you a mirror,
And in that reflection
You’d see perfection.
I wish that you could see yourself
Through my eyes.
When I first wrote this poem, I titled it "Some Things I Wish For." I changed the title in the process of editing the book, but the old title was so etched into my consciousness that, when I was searching for this poem to share, I almost couldn't find it.
The poem (and its old title) was on my mind as my daughter and I celebrated Rosh Hashanah earlier this week with a homemade project we call "Make a wish - Take a wish." Inspired by Weathergrams, we cut strips of paper from bags, punched holes in the top of the strips, and looped twine through the hole. When our friends arrived at our house, they were invited to write a wish or a prayer on a tag and hang the tag on an old tomato cage we had set upside down on the table. When they left, we told them to take a different wish home and hang it somewhere outside where the elements would carry the wish into the world.
I imagine all those wishes connected by an invisible thread, laced through the city like a giant prayer flag. I'd love to add yours to the strand! If you have a wish or a prayer you'd like me to write on one of the tags, email me and I'll hang it out in the canyon. Or, perhaps you'd like to try making your own.
With wishes for kindness.
With wishes for peace.
With wishes for ease.
And with love,
Jennifer