HURRICANE HARVEY

I can only wonder, imagine

how frightening rain can get

living as I do in Seattle

where it simply means, a bit wet.

Imagine losing one’s home

and all of one’s earthly possessions.

It reduces to ashes complaints

relating to mundane obsessions.

Thanks to the big storm’s destruction

we review our major objectives

about what do we care, what is our goal.

It’s time for renewing perspectives.

We lift our eyes and breathe deeply,

grateful for those that we cherish.

Actually, not much else matters

as long as they’re safe, didn’t perish.

Our time is simply a heartbeat

we share with this earthly sphere

and the other myriad life forms

we can hold, we can love, we hold dear.

Ginna Owens is an 86-year-old Seattle resident who calls herself a Crone Pome Journalist.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

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