Won’t someone please send me a sign?
Like mauve light, dreamy and silken, filling my room, filling my eyes with wishes.
Or a south wind at sea, longing for land great and wide, then finding it in fields of yellow flowers.
Or even rain, gentle as fingertips, cleansing and feeding and rippling down glass.
A song would be nice. A kind of hallelujah. Maybe even a boisterous chorus.
Or a tree just for me. Maybe even a forest right in the middle of the city. That I could frolic in.
They say ignorance is bliss.
Right now I believe it.
I’m so tired of the dying and the crying. The shame and the blame.
It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference.
It feels like we will never learn our lessons.
It feels like it’s too late.
I can cling to joy through blood staining my fingers.
I can cling to hope when my feet falter on rock-filled ground.
I can and I do.
But today I need a sign.
Won’t someone send me one?
Even the smallest one of all might just be a prophecy.
* Image by PhatPuppy at DeviantART.
Selma In The City 
Love you.
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“It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference.
It feels like we will never learn our lessons.
It feels like it’s too late.”
There are times when I feel like I’m at the bottom of everything- I’m inside a deep, dark well… And in times like these I need some sort of sign as well. I need it to keep on moving and survive the storm.
Sometimes I get my signs, other times I don’t. But I think the only sign we need is that we are still here. We are still breathing.
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Hi BRITT:
I love you too ♥
Hi LUA:
I have to say that you are a very wise person. I often think that. And you are completely right – the sign is life. Thank you X
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Granted, I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that if one truly seeks a sign…a sign will appear. All we gotta do is keep our eyes open…
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Anything you want can be a ‘sign’ … if you drop your breakfast toast and it lands butter-side-up, you can tell yourself it’s going to be a great day … and if you believe it hard enough, it will be.
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Hi JONAS:
I have had several signs today. An abundance of them, actually. Just when I think the gods have let me down, they come shining through…..
Hi TRAVELRAT:
I dropped the jam lid the right way up today. That’s where the good signs started…. 😀
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I’m with the others – it’s all in the perspective. We’ve just got to pay attention to the voices (and signs) that aren’t the loudest.
(Beautiful writing here, pal.)
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I love the poetic feel of this piece. So sad and longing, yet laced with hope. Gorgeous. 🙂
This reminds me of a favorite song from the 80’s:
I saw the sign
And it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
Life is demanding
Without understanding
I saw the sign
And it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
But where do you belong
~ Ace of Base
🙂
😀
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Beautiful Selma.
Straight from the heart.
I think Hope is the sign. So many of us are holding on to Hope right now. The fact that we are still hopeful , I think, is a sign in and of itself.
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I’ll send you a sign – there’s plenty on the streets – what would you like ‘giveway’, ‘no through road’, ‘turn left with care’ (when I was a kid I thought that said ‘turn left with car’ so I said to my family – what if you are on a bike, can you still turn left 😉
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I sometimes lose faith in humans when I look at the big picture but the big picture smooths out the details and we all know the interesting bits, the truth is in the details. Tiny acts of human kindness. Like my friend who spent the afternoon in her cold winter garden with a dying stray cat until the SPCA folk came to put it down or the taxi driver who gave my daughter a free ride to the airport after she got her money taken so she could get back home from NYC to Botswana. Human kindness is unlimited and the place where I find my signs that we are all okay.
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I saw a sign once, it said… ‘Wrong Way Go Back’.
I ignored it… and I’m glad I did because it turns out it was facing the wrong way.
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“It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference.
It feels like we will never learn our lessons.
It feels like it’s too late.”
And that’s why I refuse to watch the NEWS.
{sending you MORE hugs and kisses.}
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“Where your treasure is, there is your heart also……… 🙂 ” Our signs are sitting quietly waiting to be found. They are the blessings we sometimes take for granted. You are a blessing Selma.
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I also believe that signs come to us in ways we often don’t expect, that “still small voice” that never really leaves and should always be heeded.
Find a quiet place and just let your mind drift. Away from the cares and doubts, to a higher place. Your sign, your special, made for Sel sign will come through, loud and clear.
People often forget how important silence and contemplation can be, it’s in those moments that real change is possible.
I had a “sign” a couple of weeks ago, when I was having a very difficult day, more of an audible message really: “struggling will not help with any of this”. So I stop now and when I start struggling against those things and people I find confining and just let go. It really has helped. Simple and profound at the same time.
I send many hugs and good vibes, hang in there dear Sel, G
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The sign you seek is within your vision, look within and the sign will appear. You will soon discover the door you are knocking on is the door that leads outside and you will be surprised to find you are already on the inside. Love and wisdom to you!
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Hi JENNIFER:
You are so right. Perspective is everything. It is crucial 😀
Hi AINE:
The perfect musical accompaniment. So wise and so true.
Hi PUNATIK:
Amen, bro. Hope is all. It is the beginning, the end and the middle too. So very true.
Hi GABRIELLE:
Love it. I think the sign that applies best is ‘Go back you are going the wrong way.’ LOLZ.
Hi LAURI:
Bless you for that comment. That’s it, isn’t it? One kind act can change everything. That is beautiful.
Hi BEAR:
Thank goodness for you, dear Bear. You bring in the light!
Hi MELEAH:
I know. I want to know what’s going on but I also don’t want to know. I think I am suffering from information fatigue. Your hugs mean so much.
Hi DANA:
You are the one who is the blessing. It is a gift to know you ♥
Hi GERALDINE:
You are so incredibly wise. Silence is a precious thing. It is so important to wrap ourselves in it from time to time. Your comment is wonderful.
Hi TOBEME:
Your comments are like inspirational quotes. How do you do it? You just always get to the heart of the matter!
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Sending you loads of hugs!!! I have been thinking a lot about you these days and wondering what you were up to! Finally I got a free moment and went to see your blog and saw this post – maybe that is a sign? I sent you an e-mail the other day, hopefully you got it!
xoxoxoxoxo
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Hi Selma, I, like tball, was also thinking about you today and decided to look in on you. I haven’t used my blog in quite a while but have been thinking much about getting back into it. I so miss “talking” to my friends, especially you. Your post is a sign that I have needed to see for a few weeks. “They say ignorance is bliss. Right now I believe it. I’m so tired of the dying and the crying. The shame and the blame. It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference. It feels like we will never learn our lessons. It feels like it’s too late.” These words gave comfort to my troubled heart – just knowing I am not alone in my feelings of unrest gives me strength. I am so disappointed in my country and our leadership. I have several friends that have lost their jobs followed by losing their homes. It is hard to watch entire lifetimes of work and dedication slip away. My brother is the latest casualty to the US economy. I feel so bad for him but there is nothing I can do. As for needing a sign, I think it is a matter of taking time to see . . . to listen . . . to accept – sometimes we want a sign on a much larger scale that what is being sent our way. Thank you so much for your post – it was the sign I needed today!
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Hi TBALL:
I’ve been wondering how you’ve been going too. Glad to know all is well. I will email you shortly. XX
Hi CRICKET:
It is always such a pleasure to hear from you. I really do miss blogging with you and think of your Slices Of Life with fondness. I know, hon, I really do. The economy is not so great in Australia, either. It is very, very tough for many people.
You have really made my day by your comment. Often I feel less alone when I hear someone else feels the same way too. Your comment was a sign to me. Thank you XXX
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Selma, this is beautifully written. I can relate, sometimes I’m begging for a sign, for something new, something big and the feelings of unrest that come with it. But many times the sign is right in front of us and we don’t even realize it. wonderful piece !
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“Maybe even a forest right in the middle of the city”.
A single blade of grass coming up through the concrete is enough of a sign for me. A sign of hope. A sign of triumph, of overcoming the odds.
“I’m so tired of the dying and the crying. The shame and the blame.
It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference”
What worries me most is when I get ‘care fatigue’. You know when you are “so tired of the dying and the crying. The shame and the blame. And It feels like nothing anyone does can make a difference” – that something switches off and one doesn’t/can’t care –it’s a cold, emotionless non feeling- feeling that’s far worse than depression. One has the memory, the echo of emotion but not the emotion. Thankfully(?) after a while one switches back on and cares again- which is a blessing and a curse.
“The economy is not so great in Australia, either. It is very, very tough for many people”.
My day job takes me to Surry Hills and Broadway (Sydney –central), so I am reminded of this sad fact everyday. I take it as a sign (a reminder) that I have a bed to sleep in, food in my stomach, and family and friends that love me. And although my life is not perfect I have the means to make it better.
I hope you feel better and find your sign.
Warm regards,
DavidM
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Hi RACQUEL:
I really appreciate you taking the time to say that. I often find myself saying: ‘Just show me something to let me know all will be well. Something. Anything.’ As you say, the sign we need is often right in front of us.
Hi DAVID:
You are a wise, wise man. I know what you mean about the care fatigue. I think some psychologists are now referring to it as information fatigue and it is becoming recognised as a significant trigger for depression. There is so much horrible stuff going on in the world that it can be overwhelming at times. Most of us feel powerless to do anything so it is no wonder we become fatigued.
As you know I live very near Broadway and I see the problems there all the time. It is a reminder that we are fortunate for what we have. I am fortunate to know you, David. You often put things into perspective for me.
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