A Thousand And One Feelings

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 There is sadness, there is gladness

Gloom and doom, delight and fright

There is lewdness, there is madness

Swoon and lampoon, spite and slight


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A little shift here and there

Could make a notable change

In my mood or - worse - temper

Everything seems arranged ---


From a half note on a song

To the use of spices on a dish

Or a random, awful dong

To a beautiful, granted wish


A little change in the decors

A little shift in colors

A newly-cleaned dazzling floor

That emits a strange odor


There is always something new

In one little change or two

Even the mist of morning dew

Could make me fall in love with you


A set of long-ago memories

Could either make me go sad

Force me to laugh, or give me bliss

And, in rare instances, go mad


A nice message from a friend

A tight hug from my mother

Both make me smile from end to end

What a feeling shared with others...


But the best emotion of all

To remember as I always should

To recall and recall and recall

Is nothing else but that of gratitude


For all the guidance from my parents

For the company of my friends

For all the blessings from up above

And, most of all, for our dear Savior's love.


For He is the source of all beauty on earth

For all its splendor, for all its colours

For the laughters followed by mirth

And the things we have yet to discover


For myself, for you, and for all

I have a little, unsolicited advice

But it is up to your call

It is both a spice and a surprise ---


Whatever you may feel for the moment

Even the worst of all torments

Can be turned into something good

By that "mindset" called "gratitude"



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Copyright, Raymond M. Andes

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