“Acceptance” Photograph by Iosatel (c) 2015
Should you wish to listen to the poem, click on the link below. It will take a few seconds to begin.
Acceptance
There—on the far side of memory’s window—
You stand there on the outside looking in.
Distanced, safe from the rawness of our lives,
You are given a choice whether to judge us
Now or see if we try to make amends, to heal
The hearts that have been torn at the edges,
Frayed by the refusal to forgive, and let others
Move on, a final repentance, a simple lesson
Of learning to forgive our own mistakes, our
Choices or the decisions we came to regret.
Life is not all black and white, but endless shivers
Of grey, silver, and ebony; hues of cream, ivory
And moonlight, and beautiful colors begin to bleed
Into our fabric when we accept others as they are.
Paths get worn by walking, grass just wears away.
Road crosses road, briefly intersecting, and then
Leading to new and unexplored places where
There might be answers if we put aside our slanted
Views and look well beyond our differences.
Beneath this fragile shell of life we are the same.
Why is this simple lesson so hard to learn?
Note: The main photograph (at the top of this page) used with this poem is a beautiful piece by the photographer, Iosatel. It appears on his photography blog, The Obvious and the Hidden, http://theobviousandhidden.com.
His black/white pictures are both beautiful and mysterious. Along with the intriguing pictures are his titles, which never fail to interest his many followers. This photo was entitled, “Acceptance.” It was this that began this poem. My warmest thanks to Iosatel for allowing me to use this photograph with my poem, ‘Acceptance.’
A Poet in Time 
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Some beautiful thoughts and photography here! Thank you, 🙂 Regards, Iris
Many thanks, Iris. 😊
You are welcome. 🙂
This,is,a gorgeous piece, simple yet so deep. I,found myself rereading it several times to fall into,the,thoughts behind the words. Kudos.😊
My thanks to you. 🙂
Thank you for this gentle wisdom. Lovely poem.
You are most welcome. I’m honored that it speaks to you that way. 💕
beautiful,thought provoking poem.
Dear J, it’s always a treat to get a comment from you on my work. I’m glad you liked this one. We can only hope that people will learn this simple lesson if we are ever to have world peace.
Beautiful combination of photos and words. Superb imagery. Thank you.
My warmest thanks, Catherine. I’m delighted that you liked it.
Profoundly lovely, both the Iosatel photo and your poem.
Thank you so much, Suzanne. xo
A profound poem. You can’t miss an iosatel
Thank you so much. Yes, his photographs are always fascinating and beautiful, aren’t they?
Great poem Mary, as always.
You, sir, are my inspiration. Your beautiful picture says so much. Many thanks for allowing me to use this photograph.
You’re welcome.
Nice! love the contrast between the black and white and the colors bleeding into the fabric of your lives “endless shivers of grey, silver, and ebony; hues of cream, ivory/ and moonlight…” wonderful!
Thank you, Robin.