Posted on by Donna Donabella

Poetry Sunday: Dear Rest

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Dear Rest:

 

 

How sweet it is has been to make your acquaintance.  For years, Sleep and I were great friends, but then I let Stress take her place.  And without Sleep, I was doomed to health issues.  But oh Rest you know this all too well, don’t you?

 

 

So I had to tell Stress to back off as he was smothering me.  But Sleep has not yet forgiven me, I fear.  And our relationship cannot be the same, it seems.  But I found you dear Rest.  And I realized even though Nap and I don’t usually get along, I have you to help me heal.

 

 

Rest, you come to me wearing many costumes, engaged in many scenarios.  Sometimes in PJs, we do nothing but watch an old movie….such sweet bliss.  And in our most comfortable yoga pants, you envelop me dear Rest, as we sit together in nature drinking in all that surrounds us.  Or under our garden hats, digging in the soft earth, picking a flower or pulling a weed….yes you are beside me, dear one.  There are times, too, that I just need to have you close by, as I breathe slowly and deeply in the moment.

 

 

Oh, there are so many sides to your personality, dearest Rest.  And I am enjoying getting to know each one intimately!

 

 

 

© Donna Donabella 2016

 

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Each April I participate in a month long challenge from Susannah Conway called, April Love; extending love and kindness to ourselves.  And each day in April we were challenged to write love letters given a specific topic.

 

 

I enjoyed writing these letters.  But had no idea that I would use some as poems, until I read, Rosemary’s Blog, where she talked about the Poetry of Letters:

 

Did you know that there is a category of poems called “epistolary poems,” that the Academy of American Poets describes this way:  “Epistolary poems, from the Latin “epistula” for “letter,” are, quite literally, poems that read as letters. As poems of direct address, they can be intimate and colloquial or formal and measured. The subject matter can range from philosophical investigation to a declaration of love to a list of errands, and epistles can take any form, from heroic couplets to free verse.”

 

And once I read this, I knew I would transform some of my Love Letters into these epistolary poems.  I hope you enjoy these poems that I will post at least once a month.  The pictures here are of places I love to Rest.

 

 

I am joining in with Poets United for their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, with Gillena@verses for her Monday WRites meme and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday.  This week’s theme is REST!

rest collage (1)

 

 

 

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I leave you with a few additional words about Dear Rest.  I welcome you to download the photo and share it.

rest

All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016.  Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.

52 Replies to “Poetry Sunday: Dear Rest”

  2. Sleep is fickle often leaving me in the middle of the night and despite my pleading just pokes her tongue out at me!

  3. Gosh, this is absolutely incredible writing Donna, the images of one losing sleep over stress are raw and poignant. It is said that stress is the trash of modern life and that if we don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake our life. Beautifully penned. Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support ❤❤

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

  4. Personification works perfectly in this wonderful poem – because we have to learn to befriend rest, to trust her and embrace her for she wants us to be well..hard though that can be to accept

  7. Ah! I can very well relate with your words.
    This blissful rest helps us to go on despite of all the stress.
    A very true and vivid picture of life. Well-penned. 🙂

  8. Enjoyed your reflections on rest…something we all need, but each finds in their own way! I like the way you
    are exploring epistolary poems. I do hope you expand your series.

  11. I really enjoyed this.. the balance between sleeping and rest… maybe that’s why sleep seems to elude me… dear rest so sweet, so dangerous.

  12. I love the idea of Rest having many personalities. I think it’s true, and we need to get to him well. I will talk to the Nap I know, nudge her towards giving you a visit. Sleep and I don’t spend too much time together at night, but Nap and I can snore our way through a few hours… This poem has such a charming tone, sweet and playful… rest-full. 🙂

  13. I enjoyed this poem so much Donna. Made me think. I sleep well (don’t be jealous). But when awake, I find it hard to rest. I make myself be still, but have to battle with my mind about the thousand things I should be doing. Ii must make friends with rest. Give it space in my life, the way you’ve learned to do.

    1. I used to sleep well…and do so much better now that I am retired. But on those days when i need it, I rest. I put aside those thousand things and tune into my body instead of my mind. 5 minutes listening to restful music or wandering the garden is a start.

  15. This is just sublime and, a very wise perspective, I think. I really related to this piece. And, in fact, read it over several times! Wonderful, Donna.

  16. Rest, you come to me wearing many
    costumes, engaged in many scenarios.

    It is a privilege to choose what kind of rest that is relevant. Different ways to meet different wants. Rightly so Donna!

    Hank

  17. So exquisite, beautifully written Donna, I have this vision of you writing this in your yoga pants on curled up on your sofa, looking out over your gorgeous garden… or maybe you wrote it in the depth of night when sleep was now where to be seen?! It is such a thought provoking piece of writing, one that I think many of us will relate to, and all of us can enjoy!
    Wren x

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  19. I agree with all of those who have commented before me. This is a special piece – an ode to rest and regognition for the times when sleep won’t find us and we must find other ways to rest.

  23. I love this, Donna! We so often denigrate resting as a form of laziness. Nice to see her get her proper due.

  25. Absolutely adored reading this. By the time I reached the end, it’s gentle pace had calmed me completely 😀 XXX

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