What abides
contains emptiness
waiting for
what cannot
return. What abides remains
forever unfilled.
What abides
is quintessence—the
embodiment
of a way
of being—the exchange
of rudimentals.
What abides
contains entire lives
together
and apart–
more than a remembering–
opened held nowhere.
A quadrille for dVerse, where Jade has given us the word abide.
K. 
Kerfe, I had to read your poem again and again, each time slower, clearing my head so I could understand. You’ve articulated a satisfying wei-wu-wei (action-without-action) response. The drawing of the old shoes is perfect. I love my favorite old pair of shoes.
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Thanks Jade. At first I had it asking questions, but it works better without I think. The questions are still there though. This word seems to have struck a chord with people today.
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Yes it has. We are all in abide mode of one kind or another I think.
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A powerful piece, Kerfe. You captured the emotional questions! ❤
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Thanks Colleen.
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You’re welcome. ❤️
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Wow, I will have to come back to this one. This is so beautiful and I am put into a deep trance from it. Stunning writing, as always.
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Thanks Lucy. It was a good word to work with.
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I too feel the pain of
‘waiting for
what cannot
return’
I felt your words hit home to my heart – I think ‘abide’ is a very emotive word.
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All your recent comments were in spam, but I’ve removed them. Hopefully that will fix the problem. I can’t seem to “like” anything for some reason. They need better programmers.
Abide is indeed an emotional concept. One we can all feel in this time and place.
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I love the sketches of the boots, Kerfe, the repetition of ‘What abides’, which ties up the stanzas like bootlaces, and the thought of quintessence being the ‘exchange of rudimentals’ in order to have ‘entire lives together and apart’.
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Thanks Kim.
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Beautiful
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Thanks Jude.
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My pleasure 🌼
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You put an image to the idea of things that abide, and I can only think of well-worn shoes now. So apt, the way they are intended to be filled (with feet) and empty they can represent only what has gone and possibly isn’t coming back.
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Thanjs Jane. Thats exactly the image I had in mind.
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Great!
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Love this especially; “What abides is quintessence—the embodiment of a way of being—the exchange
of rudimentals.” 🙂
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Thanks Sanaa.
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Filled with memories, all they can do is wait while seemingly empty. Endlessly.
❤
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Endlessly. Thanks Ken.
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this feels like a koan to me, profound questions with no real answers … flows well!
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Thanks Kate. Repetition always helps with flow.
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yes it’s a most useful tool
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That everything experiential and material is transient leaves us grasping for the quintessence of things, Inevitably.
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It does. Thanks Dora.
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LOVE your use of repetition here! So good.
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Thanks De.
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Maybe abiding is the normal way of life really… it’s close to acceptance in a way, and it’s cumbersome to always keep moving (and it wears out your shoes)
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Thanks Bjorn. That it does.
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The shoes — remind me of a journey filled with change and your words emphasize the road traveled.
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Thanks. I think all our journeys have been that way of late. Shoes do tell a story.
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