Heather Stirred
As the bored check out girl rang up his groceries,
The stooped old man noticed her name tag.
Or naething else to trouble thee;
But stray amang the heather-bells.
And tent the waving corn wi' me."
And saw him.
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This is my entry for G-Man's Friday Flash 55. Visit his place for more 55s.
and...
ReplyDeletewas this the love she was waiting on or just another wacko...or the one armed man that killed her parents saying that quote while she hid in the closet...if only we had 59 we might know. smiles...
I love heather. Every year around this time we get some because it is also called Erika, my daughter's name.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a good shot of Burns to waken the soul of the young pagan woman.
ReplyDeleteAh, it good to be Known. To be Awake. Well done, Patti!
ReplyDeletevery lovely post for 55,
ReplyDeleteyou enjoy your gift,
Happy Weekend!
http;//www.jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com
Welcome!
thank you,
i did my 55 on previous post!
Sometimes it takes an act of poetry to make someone come into the moment.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fine moment, when we look up and actually see someone else. Rare, some days. I remember the day it happened to me. I was walking intently down the office corridor, staring at the floor, when I noticed someone coming toward me. I looked up, and tried smiling, an unusual activity for me. It felt great, and I got a smile back. Easy! Hard! Rewarding!
ReplyDeleteThat's the good thing about getting old; we can slip in and out of invisibility.
ReplyDeleteYou have captured the essence of living here.
ReplyDeleteThere is such great emotion here -- the poem is used well -- well done, a lot of fun to read!
ReplyDeletevery, very nice. I am glad I stopped to pay a visit upon my return home from work. this was beautifully played out.
ReplyDeleteYep, Burns will make 'em swoon every time! A VERY creative 55!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a gorgeous picture. Would that one day I can see the heather...
ReplyDeleteGood piece of writing.
what a lovely poetic manner to get noticed!:)
ReplyDeleteBrian: I love how you can look into the story, and see where it might go. While the story is true exactly as described (happened last Tuesday, in fact), we’ll never know. Heather and the old man were in the next check-out line.
ReplyDeleteNessa: Heather is poetic by its very existence, isn’t it? I love it too.
Lou: OMG, she was a pagan? I never realized!
Ti: True, on both counts. And sadly, untrue as well, usually.
Ji: Thank you.
AA: I agree. Unfortunately, they are few and far between.
E. Oak: It seems like we are all so often off in another moment rather than this one. Makes you wonder what cool things we have missed along the way.
Buzzard: Yeah, I especially appreciate that on a bad hair day.
Sandy C: Thank you.
Greg: Thank you for visiting. I really liked your 55 too. I always knew that turtle was an egomaniacal jerk!
5th Sister: I’m glad you stopped by, too! Thanks.
Felicitas: Don’t you just love a good swoon?
Yvonne: Wish I could claim credit for the picture, but I’ve never been to Scotland. The picture came from a Scottish tourism site, which really made me want to visit too.
Mona: I agree.
A kind reminder to me to practice conscious awareness in all my encounters. For myself, yes, but also for the unknown blessing I might be to someone else. Thanks for the beautiful story and message!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I loved this one!
ReplyDeleteThink I'd pass out if someone started quoting poetry to me...especially Burns. :)
I always appreciate Burns. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a very intuitive & clever old man! It is probably likely that Heather spends most of her days at the checkout unnoticed by many...thus her inattentive state of mind. The mind has a very good way of preserving itself from boredom & times of disparity. We can be present in body but not in mind!
ReplyDeleteSome specially selected words, cleverly delivered & probably with a smile were enough to awaken Heather and bring her into the moment. I loved this... the elderly have so much wisdom!
Everyone needs to feel noticed!
I loved this! Especially when I read that it actually happened!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog Patti & for leaving a lovely comment on my 55.
Those who work in public service so often fall into the mechanics of the job and forget they are working with people. Very nicely captured.
ReplyDeleteNice when people take notice... Very cool 55!
ReplyDeleteI always try to smile at one who's looking my way but then again when something is up and bothering you or maybe some really bad news it can be hard to do. I'would like to thank you for taking the time to stop by and leaving a comment I enjoy them and love reading them over several times.
ReplyDeleteso Thanks for your visits and comments i appreciate them..
larry
I wish I was familiar with the piece. I do like how you included it in yours.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture to accompany the 55
what a vivid scene of blossoming awareness.
ReplyDeleteI love it when people break out into random poetry and singing though it does get awkward at times.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice way to make an ordinary situation so extraordinary!
Susan: Thank you for visiting and your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteHope: Me too. So where are these gallant (not to mention brave) public poetry reciters?
Anthony: And Burns always appreciated heather.
Katherine: I think both Heather and the old man are probably all too familiar with invisibility. I loved how that little act of kindness brought them both into the present. Thanks for visiting and for your thoughtful comments.
Quilly: I think it’s a challenge for everyone. We look, but we don’t see.
Otin: Thank you!
Larry: And thank you for your visit and comments. I enjoy reading them too. It’s interesting; I always find that someone reading my posts has seen a side of them I didn’t know was there.
Laura: I didn’t know that one until I looked it up. I was enormously impressed when the man recited it as easily as if it were his own. It made chills go up my spine. Thanks for dropping by.
Lime: “Blossoming awareness.” I love that!
Jana: You know, I’ve always wanted to be somewhere when a group of people broke out into random singing, the way they sometimes do in the movies, like this.
What a lovely tale, all the nicer because it is true. The heather fields are beautiful and such a nice addition to your story!
ReplyDeleteRNSANE: Thank you!
ReplyDelete