Turning Sadness and Grief Into Action...Through Poetry?
Poetry does what it does best
These days. I’m trying to deal with feelings that are overwhelming me right now. Water is crashing across the bow. I feel like a small ship heading into the wind, riding on emotional heavy seas.
I’m realizing this is more than sadness. These are feelings of grief, of sorrow, of loss, of mourning. All of these feelings are coming from what’s happening in our country. What’s happening to our country.
Grief is different. Sadness is a feeling that comes and passes, but grief stays with you. Grief is something you carry. This grief is coming to me from watching a tragedy that’s playing out in America. This grief is where I am. Like so many of us. These days.
That led me to try to capture “where I am” in a poem. I have a natural bent to write poetry about the positive, the beautiful, the wondrous. I know that I tend to avoid writing on “down” themes. But this time I wanted to go there, to be where I find myself, to know it. Here it is:
long-distance swimmer
the swimmer
was asleep now awake
in an ocean endless night
no star no moonlight
all eternal dark and deep
all unknown all unseen
the swimmer
sea-lost marooned long ago
rising waves all between
in an ocean drowning slow
afloat adrift alone apart
the swimmer
longs for distant shores
the silent tempest roars
sinking hope breaking heart
the aching sky
rains down and down
until grief surrounds
the swimmer
and yet
the earth still turns
the moon still moves
good tides will return
keep your compass
wait and learn
until then stay afloat
until then stay on tack
until then swimming swimmingTrue to myself, I started underwater and found the surface.
So where do I go from here?
As the ever practical person I am (yes, I’m a project manager, I am), when I feel something, part of me wants to ask, where do I go with this? As bad as this might be, what can I do with it?
As a past Poet Laureate of my town, North Andover, Massachusetts, I’ve organized poetry events, and hosted a monthly feature/open mic event for many years. Recently, I had stepped away. Taken a break. With this turn in America, I see the need to re-engage. That’s what I’m doing now.
Starting in January, I’m going to host a Sunday morning “Poetry Hour” at the North Andover Historical Society café. Casual time to share a poem, a coffee and a danish. Join us.
Diane's Café at the North Andover Historical Society
PS. DM me if you live in the Boston North Shore area!
