Just came across this and like it

[Sad Eyed Lady]

INTRODUCTIONS

Let's not say our names
or what we do for a living.
If we are married
and how many times.
Single, gay, or vegan.

Let's not mention
how far we got in school.
Who we know,
what we're good at
or no good at, at all.

Let's not hint at
how much money we have
or how little.
Where we go to church
or that we don't.
What our Sun Sign is
our Enneagram number
our personality type according to Jung
or whether we've ever been
Rolfed, arrested, psychoanalyzed,
or artificially suntanned.

Let's refrain, too, from stating any ills.
What meds we're on
including probiotics.
How many surgeries we've survived
or our children’s children's problems.
And, please—
let's not mention
who we voted for
in the last election.

Let's do this instead:
Let's start by telling
just one small thing
that costs us nothing
but our attention.

Something simple
that nourishes
the soul of our bones.
How it was this morning
stooping to pet the sleeping dog's muzzle
before going off to work.

Or
yesterday,
walking in the woods
spotting that fungus on the stump
of a maple
so astonishingly orange
it glowed like a lamp.

Or just now,
the sound
of your
own breath
rising
or sinking
at the end
of this
sentence.

-- Susan Glassmeyer

[danna]

That is so very good! It is making me think of all my conversations today.........

[new2oregon]

That is great, Thanks for sharing.

[Blackdog Lin]

So very lovely. Ditto thanks for sharing.

[Teacher Terry]

Awesome!!!!!

[Lainey]

Thanks for posting. It's one of my pet peeves how Americans especially try to define strangers by asking questions about their occupation, faith, or educational levels just as soon as they meet.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Thanks for posting. It's one of my pet peeves how Americans especially try to define strangers by asking questions about their occupation, faith, or educational levels just as soon as they meet.
I remember watching something on TV several years ago and a person was saying something to that effect. This person mentioned the place he was from, (can't remember the country now), and said when asked "what do you do?" they would reply something like "I hike in the mountains, I collect old watches and I spin wool. To make a living I work in a bank.". That fascinated me how this person described himself. The first thing wasn't " I am an accountant, an attorney, a teacher, etc" but what they did that defined them. Interesting. I thought of that when I came across this poem.