profuse uniqueness
nestled in community
a shared abundance
Tag: community
“We Shall Overcome”
Inspired by Reena’x Xploration Challenge #387 &
Moonwashed Weekly Prompt
when the wedges society places between us vanish
we can move mountains
with the force of cascading rivers
what was once frozen
begins to shift
we become each other’s solutions
celebrating our bonds together
and letting humanity’s
orchestrated healing begin
***The title of this piece is thought to have descended from “I’ll Overcome Some Day,” a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley
This Place Called Home
my physical realm informs me
earth is my home
no matter where i land
my emotional senses tell me
some people are home
making me feel loved and alive
providing safety
feeling home frees us
yet connections bind us
so why do i feel so disconnected
from this place where i live
i’d like to feel at home with all earth’s inhabitants
It Takes Two
Redux
I can’t help you resolve it all.
But I’ll do what you can’t.
Until you’re stronger,
I’ve got you.
I’ll do my best.
Please do the same.
What hurts you,
injures me too.
Let’s work together.
Then tomorrow it will be easier.
For the both of us.
Originally posted 11/13/2018 on I Write Her.
Real
Redux
with my tribe there’s peace
calm, protective connections
there’s an ease with them
Originally published September 24, 2018 on I Write Her.
Duane L. Herrmann
MIRACLE FLAMES
Steady candle flames
did not dance
but bent horizontal
in unison,
then stood upright again,
then bent opposite
and stood again
with no wind
in closed room.
GRANPA’S HANDS
My Granpa’s hands
were always old
as I am now.
I watched him age
as I am now,
and now, too,
a grandfather
with wrinkled hands.
BIRTH WELCOME
Purple streaks across the sky,
oranges and reds,
set the autumn sun
over prairie grasses,
tan and yellow blowing,
waving under wind.
Any wonder why
I love this world
which welcomed me?
SCULPTURES OF A FORMER TIME
Tractors, mowers, rakes,
even manure spreaders,
find new homes
in retirement
by grandsons
of the farmers who
had worked them,
now resting
in the front yard!
PASSED LITTLE BRIDGE
Bridge by the side of the road
in the ditch
where road once was,
bridge remains
making the way
to small cemetery
new road goes around,
as I do too.
FINDING EARTH
We thought we
were going to the moon
but found the earth instead:
blue-white ball
suspended, alone and single
in expanse of empty space:
one home
for one mankind,
we are one together.
~~~
The work of Duane L. Herrmann has been published in print and online, in over a hundred journals, more than fifty anthologies, plus seven volumes of poetry, more chapbooks, a history, and a sci-fi novel; all despite a traumatic, abusive childhood embellished with dyslexia, ADHD, cyclothymia, an anxiety disorder, and PTSD. Duane was first featured on June 19, 2020, and again on December 4, 2020. Some of his thoughts were also selected and published in The Sound of Brilliance.
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My Essence
Redux
The majesty of my ethereal being is within
gifting me an enlightened puissance.
I am perspicacious.
I’m those things that matter
to myself, my family, my community, and my world.
It’s not fleeting.
I remain who I am in the face of darkness and doubt.
This caring, this is me.
This strength, I share with you
as we all march on.
Building Your Community
relationships are forged
randomly and with determination
events and moments tighten those bonds
as lives connect
support structures are developed
proper alignment helped by the tools utilized
solid construction
ensures that stability endures
maintenance is an important component
…find builders who care, otherwise you’re screwed
Wordle #448
I just want to hug her and touch her sweet face. But I know I have to restrict myself during these times. Being socially responsible right now does indeed count in this woke world; it’s how I can be compassionate. Then I hear of the cult back in my home town still holding mass. How utterly insane they are! They should lock the doors and call it a day, indefinitely or at least until the worst is over. We all need to distance ourselves.
I look down at my hands and realize they are the enemy that I can control.
It Takes Two
I can’t help you resolve it all.
But I’ll do what you can’t.
Until you’re stronger,
I’ve got you.
I’ll do my best.
Please do the same.
What hurts you,
injures me too.
Let’s work together.
Then tomorrow it will be easier.
For the both of us.
I Write Her 