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The Gift Of Each Other

Posted on 18 May 20197 August 2019 by H. Hennenburg
Image by Timon Wanner introducing the poem titled The Gift Of Each Other by H. Hennenburg. Small campfire with background view of ocean.
Photo by Timon Wanner.

It was a war-torn yesterday
Sometimes I still wake up
And forget to pray
Pray for the living
The souls who made it through
Pray for the dying of the fears,
The sacrifice that blew through us
Pray for the waters that rinsed us clean
Pray for the loss of damn near everything
So we can breath this fresh air

Sometimes I wake sad
Because I remember
Prayers are not requests
They are thank yous
And I still carry the scars of desperation that is wanting by nature
But in truth, in sweet everlasting truth,
I am desperate for nothing
I want for nothing, and never was I in need,
Because this love was in me all along
And these scars?
They are only reminders
That I am responsible

And when the day comes,
It has me holding hands with my sisters and my brothers
And I can feel the circuitry
I can taste the music on my tongue
And we stand in this circle
And we pray for this fire that lights our faces
And ignites our smiles
And gives us the gift of each other

We pray for the morning
We pray that our hearts have won
We pray that we are not singular,
But one
And “I” is not a burden
We must bear anymore

© H. Hennenburg, 10 March 2019.

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36 thoughts on “The Gift Of Each Other”

  1. Chrissa says:
    29 September 2019 at 9:45 AM

    This is lovely, a wonderful complement to the image and a perfect benediction for the day.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 10:09 AM

      Thank you, Chrissa. 🙂

  2. Mary says:
    29 September 2019 at 10:27 AM

    This is beautiful. I like very much the idea that prayers are not requests but thank yous. And indeed we all have so much to be thankful for that our prayers could take hours!!! And stretch into days. We have to remember to look at the good things in our lives and to look at all of creation with a prayerful consideration. Really a meditative write.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 10:45 AM

      Thank you so much, Mary. I wonder what would happen, what would be different, if we availed ourselves of those hours and days of gratitude.

  3. Sherry Blue sky says:
    29 September 2019 at 10:46 AM

    Oh my goodness. I wish i had written this! I want to walk enough beaches to reclaim that oneness……dampened now by the weight of climate crisis. My friend Valerie, whose entire life has been spent as an environmental activist, once said: Mother Earth can feel your pain. Let her feel your joy too. Yes. I especially love “prayers are not requests. They are thank yous”. I so agree. All my prayers are thank yous in the beautiful place i am living.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 11:02 AM

      “Let her feel your joy too.” I love that. I am always telling my clients, we learn as much from joy as we do from pain. We just don’t tend to pay attention to what our joy teaches us. But I truly believe that is where the most brilliant answers lie.

  4. Bjorn Rudberg says:
    29 September 2019 at 11:33 AM

    This is wonderful, and I also think with prayers like this I might be praying, and believing in the power of us…

    when “I” is no longer a burden.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 2:11 PM

      Thank you, Bjorn!

  5. Truedessa says:
    29 September 2019 at 1:35 PM

    I always try to remember to say thank you before putting an intention out into the universe. I tend to believe the power of us will no longer carry the burden of “I”. A thought provoking piece for a Sunday afternoon.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 2:09 PM

      Thank you. And yes, I think “we” is the way.

  6. Vivian Zems says:
    29 September 2019 at 2:16 PM

    Together we are many, together we are one. A beautiful poem.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 2:42 PM

      Thank you so much, Vivian.

  7. Colleen LOOSELEAFNOTES says:
    29 September 2019 at 2:50 PM

    Amen! This should be read at a community event. So healing.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 3:11 PM

      Much appreciated, Colleen!

  8. Sanaa Rizvi says:
    29 September 2019 at 3:07 PM

    This is so evocative. When “I” is no longer a burden. Yes, indeed 🙂

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 3:11 PM

      Thank you, Sanaa!

  9. Linda Lee Lyberg says:
    29 September 2019 at 3:15 PM

    This is truly lovely!

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      29 September 2019 at 3:26 PM

      Thank you, Linda!

  10. Margaret says:
    29 September 2019 at 7:07 PM

    That last stanza… swoon!

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:43 AM

      Thank you, Margaret!

  11. Wendy Bourke says:
    29 September 2019 at 8:11 PM

    “Prayers are not requests. They are thank yous.” Yes!

    Gratitude, I think, is highly underrated in western society and without it, entitlement and self-interest seem to rear up to fill the void. When we are grateful for what we have, we stop obsessing about what we don’t have … that somebody else does. That’s when people truly come together.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:44 AM

      Yes! So well said, Wendy. Thank you!

  12. Ella Wilson says:
    29 September 2019 at 8:58 PM

    An endearing poem, with the guidance of what we should be thankful for!
    Bravo~

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:47 AM

      Thank you, Ella!

  13. Thotpurge says:
    29 September 2019 at 10:08 PM

    That is so sweet… and yes prayers can only be gratitude not requests!!!

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:48 AM

      Thank you, Rajani!

  14. Jae Rose says:
    30 September 2019 at 3:44 AM

    I love how you have expanded the story in this poem – from the title to the parting lines

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:48 AM

      So much appreciated, Jae!

  15. Rosemary Nissen-Wade says:
    30 September 2019 at 7:41 AM

    Wow! You had me at the title, and it just got better and better from there, up to that beautiful, perfect ending.

    I wish I’d written it, too. 🙂

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:49 AM

      Thank you so much, Rosemary!

  16. Magical Mystical Teacher says:
    30 September 2019 at 8:02 AM

    O to be blessed by being relieved of the burden of “I”.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 9:49 AM

      It’s quite something to imagine, isn’t it?

  17. Rommy says:
    30 September 2019 at 1:23 PM

    I like the way the poem progresses, as if the subject really was just waking up and reminding themselves nightmares have no power during the day. And I love how it opens itself up to joy climaxing in the declaration that comes in the last two lines. Prayers of gratitude are the most natural things in the world surrounded by so much joy.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 8:29 PM

      Thank you, Rommy. I love your take on my poem. 🙂

  18. Magaly Guerrero says:
    30 September 2019 at 2:28 PM

    Scars are artful reminders we carry with us, mementos that never let us forget of the terrors we’ve survived. They are songs carved in flesh. And I agree, knowing our melody is part of a symphony makes the music so much more powerful (and soul-feeding).

    This is wonderful.

    1. H. Hennenburg says:
      30 September 2019 at 8:30 PM

      Beautiful thoughts. Thank you, Magaly!

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