Mid-Afternoon by Robert F. Yelton

Robi, the majority do not know what you are going through. I feel so ashamed to have mentioned my small health problems. it is nothing compared with what you are going through.
I would like to feature it for everybody to read . You must be a very evolved soul, in order to go through so much pain and sufferring and still keep your head up and have compassion for the whole world.
love and light my dear friend

Robi,
You are a dear! You know how I feel and I am just a hop skip and a jump away from you.
~This is beautiful~

♥
Jackie

Dear Robi, Marlnela pointed me to your poem here and it is very well written and expresses so much pain and aching for healing. I hope you find the relief it is so apparent you desire. If you would like to talk to me personally and if I could in any way help you, please let me know.

Dear Robi, great lyrical piece, there are numerous phrases that captured my attention, "Whispers across the breeze", "I see the birds soar on thermal drafts way above", "No let him sleep for all to soon the shades of night will awaken him from slumber", "I cast my nets to the wind to catch this carefree soul and land me in a land where no pain exist" and "I rest in the wings of Earth." There are many more but it seemed like I was quoting your entire poem! It is a powerful piece spoken from the depths of pain yet still desiring to see beauty. Bless you.

Such a perfect piece for Marinela's group, Robert. You have a lot of talent.

Thanks also for publishing to Famous Firsts and Not So Famous Firsts, Robert.

You are very talented.

Robi
Your words are moving. You describe the outside world with the passionate interest of a young boy.
I know how the pain intrudes. I'm going in for a back op and so for a moment I share your agony. Let the words in your heart be your statement. Say to the world that you love beauty. Teach us what love of beauty really is.
Bless you Robi. I'll pray for you.

As tears run down my face I am so overwhelmed by each of you and your compassion, oh my I am practically speechless in expressing my heart here. Thank each of you so much there is no word in the English vocabulary to say it but each of you know it, all of you are such wonderful people. Fred if you can avoid the surgery do so, that is one of my problems stemming from surgery, 3 herniated disc at 23 yrs old 43 now.

Beautiful descriptive images! Marinela pointed me in this direction. I hope you can get some relief of the pain you are in and fly in the wind like your words do.

Wow, this is so beautifully written, touching the heart and soul. Physical pain merging with inner peace, a knowing that this life is fleeting, and one should always be forward looking in their spirit. Blessings on you Robi!!

Very nice -- the words and images simply sweep you away! I would like to try my hand at such a free association kind of poem -- you have truly perfected the art. I truly believe that God created this world to nourish and sustain us in the highest way possible, so we can use our wings to find the sun. You are in our thoughts, and just let me know anything I can do to help. I have triumphed over most of my health challenges, and can definitely do the same for others. Thanks for the transcendent poetry. Have a wonderful, healing week filled with light and joy. Take care!

Robi, this is truly a beautiful piece of work. Goes right to the heart. I thank Marinela for telling me about it. I hope you find relief from the pain you are in.

Great expression, I only wish it were not reflecting your own painful experiencing. Yet, even the pain cannot rob your soul of recognizing and experiencing the beauty.

Robbi, this poem has beautiful imagery and a message all can identify with. It is powerful sharing - which is the way out of darkness and into the Light.

:-)

I am glad Marinela directed me here. This a very powerful prose poetry. Despite all odss, one is still so positive. That's the message one gets here.

Poignantly beautiful...

I was directed here by my friend Marinela. She never leads me astray.
A truly heart felt piece of writing.
Thanks for sharing

a touching poem mr. yelton and one that is very well constructed. it is the type that evokes plenty of emotion in the reader ... all of the agony and sorrow -- and also the courage necessary to face life's great challenges.

I send my love, light and positive thoughts your way...
You are a talented poet to be able to convey your feelings, thoughts, emotions, etc. in such an elogant, yet descriptive way.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful view of life in spite of your struggles. I wish I had your strength and stamina. This roller coaster of life is just too much sometimes. Bless you and keep you.

And thank you Marinela for sharing this article with me and so many others Robi has touched with his poetry.

Thanks Marinela, for this new introduction!

Well the prose poem is really so positive that touched inside! And besides this as a healer i also have some thing to put here for you, Robert! If you have a faith on healing energy and the process of that... I mean I am a Reik Master and Healer, So i can atleast send you healing energy surely I need your permosion tfor that as well as one photo so i can work out distance healing process. This energy is positive and effective. I want to know also about the sickness details if you can provide!

Thanks for nice poem and positive attitude of life and for life too!

This poem is filled with compassion. Hope and sadness seem mingled into a fantasy. Maybe I'm mistaken, but this seems like one of the many Hindu types of thoughts concerning journeys into meditation. I wish you had of put in in stanza form, so I could get a good feeling of that you wanted to stress within the timing of emphasis. The words paint a vivid imagery.

William I wished I could call this fantasy but it is my life, never have studied Hinduism should I? How do you do the stanza form? thanks everyone I can not tell you the wonderful feeling I have that my words have touched so many wonderful souls, my thanks and prayers are with each of you and if ever there is anything I can do for each of you please let me know, All of you are very important me I can not stress that enough. Bless you all so much

Beautiful poem, and by coincidence I read it at exactly the right moment to help me find some objectivity about my own situation! Thanks for writing this!

Even aside from the emotions and objectivity expressed, you are a wonderful writer!

To be able to recognize beauty even when there is pain is a blessing. You have told us much in so few words. May you find peace and a reprieve from your pain.

This speaks to everyone who has a chronic illness or pain - that nether world between breaths you visit that are totally without pain - few and far between - where you are able to see straight into the heart of humanity, sigh, breathe again and find a feeling of complete harmony with the universe.
Thank you for illustrating that for those who stand at our side.

Robi - while I understand that this stems from living with physical pain, it really can be applied to much of the human condition. Well expressed thoughts that resonate with many.

Beautiful prose that exudes peace and communion with nature. Thanks, Robi and Dewayne, for sharing. Thanks to Marinela for the lead.

Beautiful words!! Thank you for sharing a piece of you with us.

Robi- This is very beautiful. I cannot even attempt to try to understand all that you are going through, but I believe these words will reach out and touch everyone for many different reasons.

First I want to thank you all for reading and sending your love to our friend Robi.
Some may think this is fantasy, but it is not; unfortunately this is something so real and so sad that I personally do not know many people to go through so much suffering.
I want to thank Barin M. for offering to send spiritual healing. Even a nice warm thought full of love can make miracles and this is what all of you are doing in here.

Janet T is wondering what Robi is going through and as I know that Robi is too humble to talk about his health problems he has to deal every moment of the day and night, I did ask his permission and here I am again telling you about Rob's story. When I heard about what he has to go through, my heart went out to him and I really felt small and told to myself: " Marinela this came to your attention at the right time, when you thought that your own health problem is already too much".
Reading his story, I thanked God for sending Rob on my path. In this way I have learned a very precious lesson. There are many around us going through worse situations and they are even braver then we think we are.
Robi is not even complaining; he just told me what his probles are because I insisted on.
Here is part of the real , sad truth that makes Robi so special:
He has Crohn's disease which is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may sometimes affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus; as a result, the symptoms of Crohn's disease can vary between affected individuals.
The next on the list is Diverticulitis which is a common disease of the bowel, in particular the large intestine.
He is also an Insulin De-pendant Diabetic and has Spine problemsin the same time.
As it was not enough , he has also the Brittle Bone disease: this is a genetic disorder usually resulting from abnormalities of the genes that control the production of a protein called collagen; which is the main protein in bone and essential for its strength.
He has also another condition called Hydradenitis Suppurativa and Arthritis in 80% of his body.

I don't think it is necessary for me to go on. Each one ofyou will understand the size of the problem. I have tried to explain a little bit what each condition means. My daughter who is studying Molecualr Biology has helped me to understand and explained to me in detail and the more she was telling me the more I felt that I should share with you.

Thank you for listening to me and I also want to wish Fred Hose an easy operation. May the spiritual guides and helpers be with him during the surgery.

love to all

Robi,
You know, you have a lovely guardian angel in our Marinela. Peace be with you and yours on your journey. All of us should take a moment to ponder "But for the grace of God, go I"
I suppose I will have to quit grumbling about my little aches and pains, as they are but dust in the wind compared to what you live with. God love ya!!!

I agree Marinela is a Wonderful Angel, I am very blessed to have come to know her!

Sending peace and love to you.

Robi,

Thank you for the poem, and yes it does touch us all in different ways. May God bless you!

Dear Robi, I have heard of and know people who have 5 of the 7 conditions that Marinela says you suffer. However, none of them had them all at once. My heart goes out to you. You are such a brave soul. I only have two of them. I'll try to stop complaining. May the good Lord ease your pain.

Robi, ya know, I have been in such a blissful place and I too wanted to stay ... but what will be will be and if nothing else we still have a reminder of what is eventually to come for us ... rest in peace when you can.

Robi thank you for sharing. My thoughts are with you. I too suffer with chronic diseases and pain. It is not an easy road so I gladly hold out my hand to you as your travel on yours.

This is a beautiful expression of the true appreciation of the wonderful things there are to be enjoyed. I pray for you, that you find freedom from the pain so you can again be free. Thank you.

Robi, I wish you well. This is a truly beautiful piece of work.

Thank you for pointing this out, Marinela.

Hi Robi, This is truly a magnificent piece and a wonderful glimpse of what awaits just beyond this realm. I know pain and I can see a place where it does not exist nor is understood. God Bless, YOU!

Thank you for sharing Robi. It is a beautiful piece.

Love and light to you.

wishing you laughter and healing

..
U

Back again to say Hi and send some more healing rays in your direction. Hope you are having a good day.

Chronic pain and suffering should be visited on no one with a gentle spirit. The poem is very good, and I wish you relief from your suffering, both mental and physical, Robi.

Wonderful writing, so expressive and filled with such imagery. I wish you the courage to sustain you and laughter. Moya

Robi- Healing vibes are on the way, brother, and here's a joke to cheer you up. It's not totally hilarious but it's the best I can do right now.

After having dug to a depth of 1000 meters last
year, Scottish Scientists found traces of copper
wire dating back 1000 years and came to the
conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone
network more than 1000 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that
followed, English scientists dug to a depth of
2000 meters and shortly after headlines in the UK
newspapers read: "English archaeologists have
found traces of 2000 year old fibre-optic cable and
have concluded that their ancestors already had an
advanced high-tech digital communications network
a thousand years earlier than the Scots".

One week later, Irish newspapers reported the
following: "After digging as deep as 5000 meters in
a County Mayo bog, Irish scientists have found
absolutely nothing. They have, therefore, concluded
that 5000 years ago, Ireland's inhabitants were
already using wireless technology".

Robi, all explanations aside, your poem is beautiful and timeless. It lifts me up. My thoughts and prayers will be with you.

Robi, I have another friend with HS, actually both she and two of her brothers have it. I know how difficult life can be with that alone, and as a retired nurse I'm aware of your other problems too. Bless you, Big Guy, and keep a positive attitude. It really DOES help, I promise you.

Heartfelt .............. and heartfelt.. and I pray
Take care.

May the universe calm you and keep you in peace...may the spirit of God surround you and strengthen you...
May the many blessings and positive energies you are receiving heal you...
Wishing you well.

Dear Robi, I am thinking of you with warm thoughts and lighting a candle for you. Peace, friend.

Beautiful writing.

Healing thoughts, wishes and energy.

Hi Robi,

Marinela brought your poem to my attention. I think it is a masterpiece, and like oen of our friends said above, I wish you had broken it up into stanzas so that it would not be mistaken for an ordinary prosaic offering.

Having lived in India, all I can say is that 'Power Of The Prayer's can wring miracles, I have written a detailed article on this topic, just go thru' my archived articles please. Last year in August, my younger brother had been paralysed due to an overdose of anaesthesia whilst removing a tooth. Nothing worked on him except our prayers, and within weeks he was back to normal.

John F. Walter, one of the best scholars and criticism experts, plus a profound thinker had reached stage four of throat cancer last year. We all prayed, and he not only recovered, he is right now traveling far and wide.

I shall pray for you Robi, with great focus and ask the Almighty to bring you back amongst us. You are precious.

Cheerz!

peace be with thee, but take me with you-- I wish to leave this world also.

" am already there, here upon my pillow I rest in the wings of Earth, feeling the fibers that hold us up each day.Please sweet rest let not me tumble from this blissful"

This is a beautiful poem. I pray for God's presence for you. Lovely.

I was brought here by a picture from Jackie F. Robi, I wish you many blessings of healing and good health. You've written a beautiful poem, and I hope your positive attitude comes back ten fold to bring you peace.

Thanks to Marinela for bringing this beautifully written, heartfelt piece to our attention. Robi, I pray for your continued courage and for healing in all areas. mind, body and spirit. Keep blessings us with your words.

Mary Mc

There's something to be said about spiritual healling in joining up with fellow healers. So Robi, it seems that we all are working together to help heal your soul and body. Sacred Blessings from a far.

have you any idea what an astounding piece of writing this is?

Whitman would yawp your name and peer with you upon that pillow examing feathers which stuck out from the corners.

Namaste dear poet

Wonderful piece. Such lovely and poignant words. Susan Marie, I love the image you have us of Whitman. I remmember how he used that word in his poetry, and loved how he never stuck to conventions, he simply made his own style, even vocabulary. I love the word "yawp". I had forgotten about it. This is a great reminder.

Such a wide range of emotions, eloquently expressed in spite of the pain you're enduring.

"but my God I am still alive to breath one more moment" - my husband could've said this. He lives with chronic pain every day, but life itself is so precious he breathes through the pain to partake of all its blessings.

Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful poem with us. It just takes my breath away.

To each and every one of you I thank you for your prayers and well wishes. The last few days have been really tough medically, one thinks that the body will implode or something but, then I read these most incrediable comments and tears just wash down my face, thank you just does not suffice I truly am overwhelmed by each of you. I amm also praying for each of you more then you know.

Can not figure out how to publish this poem with out gather messing up the way it was written. HELP

You write with power and I hope this power will give you strength to deal with the challenge. Much of what is going on for you is stuff you cannot control. However, when we can control a part of the chaos in the midst of total chaos we can find ways to deal with it. That is to say cahnge what we can, accept what we can't and hopefully know the difference.(courtesy of Rienhold Neibur)

Robi, pain and I are old friends, though my own personal Malady of the Month Club list differs somewhat from yours. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome gave me early-onset degenerative arthritis, the result being that my knees and shoulders are bone on bone with no cartilage left. It used to only hurt when I walked, but as things go, so did the remaining cartilage. My balky pancreas makes my tootsies numb and Raynaud's gives me frozen toes, finger, and nose even in warm rooms. I've had fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue immune disorder for thirty years and I'm a cancer survivor as well, and let me just stop there...you get the idea. There are lots of us who live with chronic pain and I have benefited from mutual online support in various venues like Gather and LiveJournal.

Here is what living with 24/7 pain has taught me: Patience with myself and with the pain. Having learned to meditate back in the sixties when yoga was groovy, I've found that certain kinds of pain can be put on the back burner, because I know they are of short duration. Thus it is I can do medical procedures that are painful without a reaction...I put the pain somewhere else. Impressed the heck out of my oncologist, who asked if I could teach it to his other patients. All it takes is finding your center, calming your fears, and lowering your body's ability to "scream" when it hurts by voluntarily cutting back on the adrenalin response. Can it be done? Yes. Can I do it every time? Nope, but I keep trying. Even the trying is worth the concentration and centering, because I think it makes me stronger, and not a victim of the pain.

It's the non-stop pain that is my biggest trial, as I'm sure it is for you. On good days I manage to get around...in my electric wheelchair...but on the bad days I huddle in a ball on the bed and do everything I can to put the pain away, and some days I resort to narcotics as my rescue medication and float away enough that I can tolerate the pain monster.

But, and I know this is true for you because of the depth and wisdom in your wonderful prose poem, there is much, much more to us than merely reacting to physical stimulus. There are hidden blessings in the torment of chronic pain, for when we look within and without ourselves, being sensitive to the wonders and beauties around us, we find that we are growing new coping mechanisms. We are moved to serious contemplation of the glory of a songbird, the fragrance of springtime blooms, the sighs of a sleeping loved one, the comforting touch of a cat who must lie down "on" you and knead the sore spots because somehow they know you hurt. The pleasure and wonder of appreciating the beauty around us can work like Percocet never can, taking us outside of our physicality long enough to soothe our pains, our discouragement.

So, yes...I do know at least in part what you face every day. I challenge you now to be open to the prayers, healing energy, and love that is sent to you by perfect strangers, for strangers are simply family that we have yet to get to know.

I worked online on CompuServe running an international forum in four languages for almost eleven years. The day I announced that I was stepping down as Executive Sysop because I had cancer, and asked for the prayers and energies from the 50,000 members of my forums, I really didn't catch onto what was happening until the next day. I woke up and didn't hurt...not anywhere! And I felt like I'd had a gigazillion cups of coffee...totally buzzed! "What the heck is going on here?" I asked my husband. "What's wrong?" He shrugged. "Didn't you announce to 50,000 members that you needed prayers last night?" I nodded dumbly. "Well, why are you surprised when you're mainlining pure prayers and healing energies. Just sit back and enjoy the buzz, darlin'" (He is a wise man, my sweetheart of over thirty years).

I also worked hard at guided imagery, forgiving my female organs for getting cancer, imagining the prayers and energies which had me buzzed going to work in my womb, killing the cancer cells, until my abdomen was almost HOT with the energies at work. My the time I had my surgery, several weeks later, the pathologist said that the lesion had shrunk considerably, with dead and cancer-free scar tissue surrounding the cancer. "You were lucky. Your body fought the cancer really well." I replied that it wasn't luck; it was the body/soul connection. He nodded in understanding. I have found that with physicians who treat cancer, most have a healthy respect for the mind-body connection and alternative healing adjuncts to conventional medicine. I was pleasantly surprised. After the surgery, with nothing in the lymph nodes or ovaries, there was no chemo, no radiation needed. That was seven years ago.

Mama didn't raise no fool. I thank heaven every day for my life, even if it is a challenge some days. When I sit there having a pity-party, I remind myself that there are people who don't even HAVE knees, and would put up with any kind of pain just to be able to gimp around like I do, duck-style. Silver linings.

Thank you again for letting us read this gift of your heart, and my thanks to Marinela for telling us about you. Gentle hugs, dear Robi! Be well.
-Annina

Beautiful poem Robert, thank you for sharing.
Annina Anton, you are an inspiration to us all.

Thank you, Heather. I share like this with people in similar straits because I know how much I was helped and encouraged when I went through my own peril. I always welcome the chance to "pay it forward." :-)

First, thank you Marinela for sending me here.

Robi,
You're an amazing person to be going through so much and still be able to write with such feeling and beauty. I too know what chronic pain is like and my heart and prayers go out to you.
Gentle Hugs,
Marilyn

Robi, do you have anyone to do meridian massage or healing touch for your chronic pain?

You dance with your words. Thank you.

I do not, but do know alot of people sending positive energy my way, thank you for your concern

Thank you for sharing your heart and soul with us, you are a great teacher, I will think more often before I grumble about anything.
God Bless you, I pray for you.
You are a beautiful person I feel blessed to have read your words.
Thank you again.
Bree

Robi,

Please know that my thoughts are with you right now in your time of need. I hope things begin to go better for you.

You have chosen to not be altered by your pain, instead to extend beauty thru your wonderful poem! Pain does not bossyou, you remain yourself. Wonderful! Elen B. God Bless and I am here if the two of you need any thing!

Hello :o),

I just wanted to say I am finally going through what is now under 6,300 pieces of gather new mail that is in my inbox on here. So with that in mind I have finally come to a piece of mail that was addressed to me in regards this article submission you have created to share with the gather community. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your piece with us here at gather. :o)

And I hope you have a Happy New Year... in 2009 :o)