Wishing Poem

By Sue Ellson

I decided that I
Would like something better
So I grabbed pen and paper
And wrote myself a letter

Dearest Universe
I’d like this and that
I wrote in great detail
All matter of fact

It didn’t seem unreasonable
I felt it was what I deserved
For I had been working hard
And didn’t feel heard

Surely if it was in writing
My intentions would be clear
And surely my wishes
Would be here this year

But as I kept writing
My heart filled with dread
My wishes revealed
My manipulated head

Were these wishes
Really mine
Or had they been planted
By society’s sign

The one that said
You must go this way
For then you’ll be happy
On a future day

But then I thought
Who’s choice was I making
Was it actually mine
And what was I forsaking

For if I wished
For a future fate
I’d miss the present
Of what is already great

I’d ignore my blessings
And dismiss my achievements
I’d forget the strength
From past bereavements

For every loss
And disappointment
Provided growth
Despite the torment

It tempered my soul
And inspired my healing
It gave me the chance
To focus on living

For that is the joy
Of positive and negative
The rollercoaster ride
Delivers a reckoning

To surrender in faith
To truly be humble
To vulnerably release
My every fumble

So I tore up the list
Of random wishes
I’ll focus on this moment
And roll with the punches

I can still take action
Explore and create
And live in harmony
It’s never too late

I don’t need to wish
For anything more
Than the very next breath
And to be true to my core

I live in a world that involves spending quite a lot of time on social media, for both professional and personal purposes. Naturally, it is very easy to be drawn in to ‘wishing’ that certain things were in (or out of) my life.

However, I am extremely conscious that when I focus on what I am ‘wishing’ for, I am missing what I have ‘already got.’

Some of the beautiful aspects of my life right now took a lot of effort to achieve and it could be easy to forget that in the daily grind of life and living. So this poem pays homage to just stepping back for a moment and reflecting on what is already in my life and valuing it differently. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂

#wishing #SueEllson #SueEllsonPoem #poem #poetry

Photo was taken in the garden at Heronswood, 105 Latrobe Parade, Dromana VIC 3936 on 18 January 2026.