Life's Vicissitudes

 

 

“Life is real drama”

Oh, yes indeed!

Oft I’ve heard this spoken

Especially when in need.

 

With its “ups and downs”

And its “ins and outs”

Sometimes so frustrating

We have to shout.

 

Looking for a constant

On which to plan,

Thwarted by constant change

Like an oscillating fan.

 

Seedtime and harvest

Life and death,

Periods of great upheaval

Times of rest.

 

 

Little time to settle

Changes, ever so fast,

An apparent open window

But will it last?

 

A near miss there

And an almost hit it here

Mingled with expectant joys

And ominous fears.

 

Was only last week

That we had a long chat,

Cannot believe she is gone

What a disturbing fact?

 

Yes, life is a drama

With many acts and scenes

Changing ever so rapidly

Like a fleeting dream.

 

The now quickly passes

But in a sense still remains,

The only constant realistically…

The constant of change.

 

 

Life is a roller coaster,

Unpredictably so

And the only future certainty

Is what we don’t know.

 

The vicissitudes of life;

The ever-changing times,

Sleepless nights of planning

To meet the daily grind.

 

“What’s become of him?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear?

He recently transitioned,

He is no longer here.

 

Stunned at another passing

A bright future ahead

Such no longer possible

As he is at present dead.

 

Death is a constant

But on such we can’t plan

Except to will our possessions

To our remaining clan.

 

 

 

“Taxes” is a constant

So too is its inevitable climb

Such that one actual dollar

Is now worth one dime.

 

Devaluation of currency

Each and everyday

Though still pegged to the US

But dwindling away.

 

Flies come out at night,

This is not the usual way

And sparrows build their nests

In strange places these days.

 

Cats mess and walk away

Forgetting to cover up

And on these very hot days

That scent just erupts.

 

 

Changes, changes, changes,

Yes, life’s vicissitudes,

And concomitant with change

Is the human mood.

 

Stewart Russell © July 20, 2023

 

Life Is a Mix

  

 

Life is a mix

Of bitter and sweet,

Of good and bad

Of bright and bleak.

 

Life is a mix

Of ups and downs,

Of yellows and reds

Of greys and browns.

 

Life is a mix

Of smooth and rough,

Of pleasure and pain

Of easy and tough.

Life is a mix

Of laughter and tears,

Of faith and doubt

Of hopes and fears.

 

Life is a mix

Of give and take,

Of ease and squeeze

Of mend and break.

Life is a mix

Of highs and lows,

Of praise and blame

Of ebb and flow.

 

Life is a mix

Of plenty and dearth,

Of intrigue and boredom

Of sadness and mirth.

 

Life is a mix

Of toil and rest,

Of sowing and reaping

Of the worst and the best.

Life is a mix

Of conflict and harmony

Of order and chaos

Of disunity and unity.

 

Life is a mix

Of myriad opposites

So, anticipate change

For life is a mix.

 

Stewart Russell © November 26, 2020

 

Ups and Downs

 

 

Is your life up and down?

I know you will say it is not

But mine is like a roller coaster;

This seems to be my lot.

 

Especially as a Christian,

And I am not fooling you

But you are not likely to understand

Unless yours is like mine too.

 

I would like to live a life

Without these ups and downs

In which the ups are smiles

And the downs are frowns…

 

But I know that is not likely

At least, not in this life

In which we struggle for peace

In the midst of strife.

 

 

Life is about ups and downs

Invariably, more downs than ups,

Ever since Adam and Eve

All have drunk of this cup.

 

We get up in the morning

And we lie down in the night,

Sometimes our sleep is peaceful

At times we fight.

 

Yes! It is an up and down life

With which we contend

Wishing and hoping

For more ups in our blend.

 

Like the dust which was a down

Suddenly became an up

When one day out of our blue sky

We found ash in our cup.

 

 

The compliments of La Soufriere

Which decided to erupt

And now the dust isn’t so bad,

In fact, it’s an up.

 

We’d rather the dust bowl

Than this ash bowl anytime

For this La Soufriere ash

Can really get on your mind.

 

The dust you can dust off

But the ash quickly settles back,

Imagine the down for the people

Where water is in lack.

 

 

Wearing a mask was a down

But since the ashfall it’s an up,

Mask wearing was a stiff protocol

Until La Soufriere erupt.

 

COVID-19 in Twenty-Twenty!

We longed for ‘Twenty-one…

But along came the Soufriere ash

And COVID has not gone.

 

A double-whammy they say,

All of a sudden it is two downs,

How we yearn for some rain

Like a smile after a frown!

 

In the meanwhile, I struggle,

And perhaps, unlike you,

For a while you may have plateaued

Having the same old view.

 

The key to the ups and downs

Is in life’s consolations,

It’s when prior downs become ups

Relative to new situations.

 

Like the dust and the ash

Which would you rather?

For me, I could handle the dust

But this ash is a real bother.

 

 

Yes, the consolation is in the ups

That helps to fight the downs

Just like the sun that’s peeking out,

The smile replaces the frown.

 

Like the water vapour going up

That the rain might come down,

All these are the cycles of life

Like on a merry-go-round.

 

Stewart Russell © April 23, 2021