Angel of Showing Up, by Alarie Tennille

Angel of Showing Up, by Richard Eric Disney (R.E.D.) (USA) Contemporary.

Angel of Showing Up

Titles matter too much in your world.
Go ahead – laugh. I’ve had other positions.
Miracle Worker – now there’s a title to impress.
Everyone loves a miracle. (Just so you know,
lottery money is not a miracle.)

Putting one foot in front of the other
can turn into a miracle. Everyone suffers
through days when they don’t want
to get out of bed or leave the house, times
when they feel family or friends slipping away
and can’t see that they are the ones
backing out the door.

Can’t you remember when you moved
to a new school in third grade? How the kids
said you talked funny and had cooties?
How many times did you pretend you had
a stomach ache?

When did you last sit down to dinner
with your whole family?

The thing is. Some people ask for help
and some don’t understand that they need it.
I just show up to observe and listen first.
I’ve got a blue bird on one shoulder and bunny
on the other. People seem to sense their vibes
before they see them.

Since you’re talking to me, I know Bun
and Blue will materialize soon. Tell me
if you see something different. I may need
to call for backup.

Alarie Tennille

Alarie Tennille was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia in the first class admitting women. For Alarie, looking at art is the surest way to inspire a poem, so she’s made The Ekphrastic Review home for four years. She hopes you’ll check out her poetry books on the Ekphrastic Book Shelf and visit her at alariepoet.com.

Richard Eric Disney, aka R.E.D., suspects his parents planned his initials, since he grew up with carrot-red hair. He’s always loved to draw and paint, and by “always” he means as soon as he could hold a crayon. He began by emulating the style of his mother, an accomplished artist. Then, one happy day Hallmark Cards, Inc. recognized that R.E.D. was an artist, too. His whimsical designs were soon favorites with consumers. R.E.D. retired from his dream job as a Hallmark illustrator after 35 years, only to realize that art is not a job, but a vocation. Retirement didn’t suit him, so he decided to redirect, reflect, and heal by drawing/painting a new angel every day for 30 days, paired with words to capture his journey. Fast forward three years, and he’s still at it. While he sees these angels as being more autobiographical than not, he hopes they will resonate with others. Please visit him on Facebook, Instagram, or check out more of his art at redheartworks.com.

Alarie and R.E.D. were coworkers for nearly 30 years, and she loved his art at first sight. As his Facebook friend, she’s been delighted to watch his amazing host of angels take flight. About a month ago, she wrote “Angel of Showing Up” and asked him if he’d be willing to share the art that inspired it. Thank heaven he said yes!