| |
MY FRIEND'S HOUSE
(a birthday gift to my friend Miriam Ebeltoft )
Theresa Catharina de Góes Campos
Out of thousands, there it is:
MY FRIEND´S HOUSE.
It is the largest I know
(I feel like it is...),
the most beautiful
and well decorated,
the best of all!
Yes, it seems to me...
it is the biggest in the whole city...
Never mind what the legal papers say
about its size.
I tell the world, with all my heart:
she has a lovely house,
small only to fit in my heart,
big enough to fill my hands,
to warm my arms
with its endless abundance.
Whoever comes to the tree
pointing friendly to the door -
the most inviting and welcoming entrance -
my friend leads to the warmest place:
one where the heat does not come from
the furnace or the kitchen stove.
It is warmed by the welcoming heart
and the busy hands.
It is heated by the listening soul
and the sincere smile.
There, Christianism shows up
not in words
but in the practice of hospitality
(a forgotten skill, nowadays).
There, no one ever feels lonely or neglected,
no one feels small or worthless,
no one leaves still in need.
It is such a blessing
to be with a friend!
Once, at the kitchen window sill,
a clay pot was holding two violet leaves.
Just two tiny leaves...
(a gift from a common friend)
hoping for more company.
Soon, a miracle would happen...
a violet bloomed
to greet every visitor
with its message of quiet determination
(fragility is strong after all!).
A special violet to be owned
by a very important person
in her very special home.
A house shining in the darkness
through its " kind thoughts " windows
and welcoming open doors.
A house so special
it inspires poems to be sung
from family generation to generation.
A place where time is a daily gift
to share,
not an individual possession where to hide
in order to avoid giving or sharing.
My friend´s house combines
the best of everything:
it is old fashioned and modern,
both styles at the same time.
A home so reassuring
as a lullaby,
so relaxing as a fireplace
someone lit just for you!
Beautiful as music and silence,
my friend´s house bears sweet remembrances
like the rainbow;
it spreads joy and hope,
it harbors moments of kindness.
Who can afford to forget a favor?
And kind gestures, words and thoughts?
No one can! Nor should...
A friend´s house is more than a home
or a shelter or harbor.
It is a true oasis,
a lighthouse of Christian charity.
Theresa Catharina de Góes Campos
Ottawa - Ontario, Canada, 1981.
From: Luci Tiho
Ikari
Date: 2008/12/26
Subject: Re: Amiga Vera (Profa. Vera Lúcia
Farias Corrêa Teixeira):
sempre achei que este poema, MY FRIEND´S HOUSE,
escrito no Canadá, se
aplicaria também àquelas visitas que eu fazia a
você, em sua casa aqui
em Brasília, tão agradável!
To: Theresa Catharina de Goes Campos
Parabéns, Theresa Catharina:
Você escreve muito bem, tanto em português como
em inglês. É uma
qualidade inata só de você, que consegue
expressar em palavras todos
os seus pensamentos, sentimentos e bondades.
Luci
From: Jude
Cameron
Date: 2010/6/17
Subject:To thank you for your kind e-mail, I am
sending you this poem...
To: Theresa Catharina de Goes Campos
BEAUTIFUL, Theresa!
Thank you!!
Jude |
|
