Lagniappe

when I drop a pebble into a pond

ripples spread out in concentric circles

undulating and widening and melding into the water

becoming one with the whole

yet still apart from 

when I drop another pebble

soon after the first 

but in a separate area

the ripples cross one another 

shared space

like mother nature's very own venn diagram 

today I see this in my life 

circles of people 

crossing paths

shared yet separate 

experiences that touch us 

individually and collectively

"No Man Is An Island" 

wrote John Donne centuries ago 

there is such beauty in the 

connections we experience in life 

the venn diagram aspect of 

our individual lives 

connections and 

overlapping experiences that are gifts 

Lagniappes 

today I find myself experiencing an overwhelming 

emotion

of 

gratitude

for each of you who are 

a part of the ripples 

my tiny pebble is

creating in this pond of life


~ Ellen Apple 5/4/2016