My neighbours live
on four different continents
in seven distinct countries.

It is a community of words.

Some residents are always there —
every morning watering their garden,
sprucing up their yard,
walking up and down the streets,
cheerfully bellowing happy greetings to anyone they think might be home.

Others come and go,
drifting in and out of sentences,
dashing off lines before they rush off to work,
wanting to be more present in the page,
but living more in activity.

Some use their pad
as a soapbox for deeply held convictions.
They shout from the rooftops,
vehemently vociferating,
emphatically pontificating,
usually engaging with those who preach from their own parapets.

Others enthusiastically purchase a property,
start constructing a home
and engage with other townsfolk for a little while
before abandoning their resolutions:
comment, comment, like, like, silence, delete, delete.

This homeland is a tangled web
where denizens meet through screens and finger tapping,
sharing little bits of written code,
reaching out,
touching others,
sometimes more profoundly than ever could a raised or clasped hand.

This is a realm
of soulful messages
from the heart.

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blogging uToday’s assignment for Blogging 101 was to engage with the community by reading other blogs.

“Why spend time reading other blogs?

  •  Publishing posts is only half of blogging — engaging with the community is the other.
  • Considering what other bloggers write will inspire you and sharpen your thoughts.

    Part of what makes blogging a rich experience are the relationships we develop with people around the world. That only happens when we engage.”

I love reading other blogs.  But today our town’s internet is down (for a few days?) so I will have to postpone my perusing. (Publishing through limited cellphone data!)

I have been encouraged, inspired and joyfully surprised by so many other writers around the world.  I’ve made some very precious friends whom I have never met face-to-face, but I have laughed and cried with them and spent time on my knees praying for them.

The small piece above is a tribute to the world of blogging.  🙂