Friday, August 29, 2008

Somewhere

Machu Pichu was somewhere we always intended to visit.
At left is daughter Candace.

SOMEWHERE
(Somewhere is the prompt from Sunday Scribblings)

Somewhere is a seeker’s word, a dreamer’s word, a Will-’o-the wisp. It is the siren song that lures one on but can never be reached. When the dream is achieved or the lost is found, somewhere loses its first five letters and is transmuted into here.

The old prospector knows that
somewhere there is gold. Perhaps he is doomed to wander fruitlessly in search of it. But “Eureka!” He has found a trove of golden chips! He has found the mother lode! Now the gold isn’t somewhere. It is here, where he must face the reality of back-breaking labor in the heat of the day, of nights plagued with mosquitoes, with the details of filing his claim then protecting it with his rifle by his side. Somewhere was vague and dreamlike. Here is harsh fact.

The tiny lost child is
somewhere. Her frantic parents search the neighborhood, imagine accident or abduction, call her name, finally find her weeping because she has lost her way. She is no longer somewhere, she is here, safe in the warm circle of her father’s arms.

Somewhere can be a terrible place. Somewhere in Africa a mother holds her skeletal babe who is dying of starvation. You know it is happening somewhere because you have seen the pictures. But for the volunteer who is on the scene, it is the dreadful here on a scale that defies his resources.

I once dreamt that
somewhere there was a man whom I could love forever. He is no longer somewhere; he is here in this room, still asleep at this early morning hour. And where has somewhere gone? It must be somewhere else.

24 comments:

Linda Jacobs said...

What a beautiful prose poem! All the specifics you mention put the reader right there with you.

Keith's Ramblings said...

Somewhere is indeed an enormous place. Somewhere is many things to many people. A lovely piece once again.

Lucy said...

Somewhere IS everywhere Granny. Once again you've interpreted the prompt so beautifully

Lilibeth said...

I love the way you write.

Devil Mood said...

I loved the way you pointed out the great contrast between somewhere and here. You probably know I like astrology a lot and I just realized reading this that somewhere is very Sagittarian, it's out there in the future, but vague and dreamy and lacking a certain dose of reality.
Here could be Virgo and that's you if I remember correctly ;)
Wonderful :)

Tanya Gwen Minnick said...

What a wonderful post. Indeed very true, the "somewhere" and the "here"..I liked it very much..reminds me that it is the journey not the destination- as the destination and its landscape are forever changing.

nonizamboni said...

I enjoyed following your thoughts about the here and now coming out of somewhere in big and small ways. . .most especially the man of your dreams. I always feel fortunate to get a glimpse of what's on your mind.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, my friend!

XXX

Lirone said...

I agree with other commenters - I love the way you out the contrast between somewhere and here, and our different responses to them in different circumstances. And the last para is very tender and touching!

Honey And Papa said...

I loved it. I hope you don't mind this plug.

We had a President that understood that power came from the people. "Ask what you can do for the country." He was here until Nov. 22, 1963. We knew that somewhere, sometime there was someone else.

We had a protester, leader, and reverend that moved that President. He gave us hope for a better America; a better world. He was here. On April 4, 1968 he was no more.

Hope came to Denver this week in a man who understands it is our responsibility to create change. We saw the product of that president and that reverend. He is here, and it is our opportunity to keep him here.

On November 3rd vote for Barack Obama. On January 21, 2009 start creating change. Demonstrate. Write letters and emails. Blog. Use the tools you have to create the change you want. Restore our democracy with action. We can have government that is within the law here. It is your civic duty. It is our moral duty.

Bless America

Granny Smith said...

Honey and Papa, I can only echo your comment. Go Obama!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love how you reflect on those somewheres both in the future and in some other place right now! Always, for someone, that somewhere becomes a very real here!

anthonynorth said...

I love the way you put this. And of course, somewhere is our dreams. And if we placed all of those into our 'here', then we end up with utopia, which means 'nowhere'.
I guess we've always got to keep somewhere out there.

linda may said...

You are right Granny, so right somewhere is here and I like that.

Crafty Green Poet said...

I like how you use all the different meanings of somewhere in this

susan said...

Granny,

You make me pause and contemplate. I just plain like what you do.

Rambler said...

Cannot believe this, our thoughts on this subject are so similar..

gautami tripathy said...

Very thoughtful post. I am savouring it..

trying to find a meaning

Bethany Bassett said...

It sounds like you have found a treasure trove of lovely somewheres to show us here. I love your posts!

Patois42 said...

Beautiful, Granny. I want to always be here.

Jennifer Hicks said...

beautiful prose granny. somewhere is where i always wanna be!

present said...

the idea of somewhere... is it what can't be reached though we dare to dream of what might be? or what we might achieve? the idea of somewhere is like time. it moves swiftly from future to present to past. not really here then it is gone.

JK Michelle said...

Absolutely beautiful Granny. I really enjoy how you went deep into the word "somewhere" and turned it around from a vague vacancy from nowhere and brought concrete thoughts of the here and now.
-JKMichelle

Shammi said...

My take was a wee bit on similar lines (if you squint and look real hard, that is), but your post is so very much more thoughtful and sensitive and beautifully done.

Nita Jo said...

You made so many wonderful points. This was beautifully written, and it was so inspiring to me!

Nita Jo