community – Page 2 – three good words

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025

unbound

How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Slow down. Breathe. Enjoy the sunshine. Go swim. See the sights. Connect with that person.

Do that thing you always wanted to do.

If you can’t, what’s holding you back? Figure that out.

Then go and find out which underpaid single mother already did what you always wanted to do, and follow her lead.

Daily Affirmations, if wanted:

• Your life is a garden: Water what nourishes, remove what poisons, and be mindful of the weeds, they pop up regularly.

• Grow at your own pace. There’s only one you.

• Rest well: It takes time to recuperate, and you need it, body and soul.

• Take that time off you’ve been meaning to take, and do something positive you genuinely enjoy.

• Give people their flowers when they’re around to receive them.

• Be a good friend. That sometimes means saying, “Thus far and no further,” and meaning it.

• Boundaries: Yours and others. Respect them.

• Read at least one book of fiction every year. You don’t have to tell anybody about it. Just enjoy the experience.

• Find that music album Younger You loved and listen to it all the way through.

#humpday

February 16, 2025

Third Planet from the Sun

Daily writing prompt

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?

View all responses

Flags are fun and great for games
But the earth beneath our feet is all we have.

If the all this tumultuous connection has shown us something
Then that humans are very much alike:

We need food and family, community and water to thrive.
We need joy and laughter and those who hold us in our sorrow to survive.

We are inquisitive
We are curious
We are tenacious
And sometimes wild

Dangerous when stupid
Sublime when inspired
And our kindness is near-divine

We are so ridiculously alike
It’s upsetting
Each you a me
Each me a you
Yes, and the idiots, too
Unfortunately

From the least of these
To our greatmothers and forefathers
All so unhappily one

We are far too much the same
No matter how hard we try
To believe otherwise

And so yes
Flags are great and fun for games
But the ground beneath our feet is all we have.

#sunday

© 2025 threegoodwords

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021

Listen…

This space where
rather than converse
we talk write text
at each other
not to, forget with
one / another

masses of individuals
so many I-s so many Me-s
screaming soundless
endlessly into the void

hoping for a response
but all that bounces back ping-ping-ping
is the echo of our own voices ding-ding-ding
ricochets and rebounds
off of each other

over and over and over and over and over
(why am I so tired?)
and over again
until the onslaught of words
congeals;

that deafening silence.

In the distance
longed for desperately
written about once again
murmurs of actual conversation –

August 12, 2017August 12, 2017

friends like these

quietly listening to friends
talk about
the one who went away

wondering
. . .with friends like these
what life did you
friend
lead?

icy in their words and speech
all the apparent warmth
is steeped in derision
so detached
and deliberate in their cleverness

with friends like these
what on earth did you
friend
see
in all of them?

love, here
sounds like a four letter word
with no other substance
than to hurt, insult

though maybe all they are is
exhausted, because you
friend
were not easy to be
with

so maybe all this
is grief, speaking

about the sudden loss
of a human
being
shorn of all niceties
showing the knowing
of what it was to be a
friend
to the you that once was
a me.

August 14, 2014August 14, 2014

nice day

oh for fuck’s sake.
now what happened
Again?
Are you serious?
You can’t be serious

but I am
I am
I so am

Life says

Again and again and again

and then there’s that moment where you have to
sit back
breathe in and
exhale
ex…
…hale
until you want to

don’t bail

on the floor
crying
after the bills were paid
don’t leave

don’t leave
don’t leave me
please don’t leave

but they didn’t listen
never believed it
thought it was all a joke
all part of the game
thought it was all ok

waving sweetly
have a nice day

and finding out the next day
what happened
what was left behind
the epic loneliness
the devastating pain

waving sweetly
have a nice day

and all that was left
was nothingness
and no more days

so take care
don’t leave
when he’s
when she’s
crying

crying

real tears
no Lacoste in sight
crying
real true salty

tears, man, tears

asking you
kindly
quietly
like a child in the night

don’t leave me
stay
don’t bail on me
don’t go away

just stay with me
until I can cope again
until I can work again
live again
see again
breathe

even if it’s just a minute
an hour
or the 24 of the seven

don’t smile sweetly
and go away

stay a bit
join him, her
join that person
that human
that living, breathing soul
and make that nice day.