From the collection published in 2021, The Immediate and No Sooner.
Shadorma 285
5/21/20
weary of
the disagreements
I slapped hard
at the fly
buzzing loops around my head
knocked myself out. Ouch.
Shadorma 286
5/21/20
fisticuffs
in the parking lot
not so strange
around here
but folks throwing compliments?
What a great new sport.
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
I imagine paper-folded airplaines full of written messages of goodwill, littering up the parking lot.
I love this idea. It could be a lot of fun to do…
Could!!
Throwing compliments instead of punches -wonderful dream!
Yes. We can hope! Or even better, we can try it ourselves (not that I have thrown any punches lately but…I admit to having felt like it…)
Much easier to take… (k)
I love that phrase, “throwing compliments”. If only we were all so quick with our positivity as we are with our negative behaviours. The first poem made me think of all of that wisdom about hate and rancour only adding to our own suffering and struggle.
Well, it seems to me that people naturally gravitate to the negative and I know there are all kinds of behavioral reasons for it and so on, but I am finding it hard going in a world where it’s so amplified now, so I am hoping to step up my efforts to the positive views where possible, and not Pollyannaish.
Indeed. I have always been a pessimist who plans for the worst so I am expert in negative thinking. However, I have always been able to find the means to balance that out with positivity and things that are cheering. In recent years we have definitely gone off kilter in that regard because of situations nationally and globally and the bent of news broadcasting. Feel good stories and uplifting new events need to be sought out. That is why it is important to be more attentive to the positives in our personal lives.
Yes. I am slowly realizing that it is a conscious decision what to emphasize inside my head (meaning that I can do that rather than just think thoughts) and I feel somewhat heartened at the idea that if I can be a little bit positive, that is something I can actually do to make things better (rather than wringing my hands and wishing to make a difference).