This post is doing double duty for Poetry Friday and for Slice of Life. Linda Baie, a teaching friend I met through blogging for Slice of Life, is hosting our gathering this week.
This poem, Holding the Light, appeared in a pile on my desk, copied at some past point in time because it spoke to me. I think one reason I love it is because it begins with the word gather (my OLW in 2023 and 2024). And the poem ends with a reference to gather. Because many of our hearts are broken, and the heart of the world as well, this seemed a good time to share this poem.
Holding the Light
Gather up whatever is
glittering in the gutter,
whatever has tumbled
in the waves or fallen
in flames out of the sky,
for it's not only our
hearts that are broken,
but the heart
of the world as well.
Stitch it back together.
You can read the rest of the poem here at poets.org. May this poem bring solace to our broken hearts and give us courage to "repair and stitch together what beauty there is" in our broken world.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.
I enjoyed reading this. Maybe this poem is just what our hurting world needs right now.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am hoping we all work hard to "stitch it back together", Ramona. What a wonderful poem for healing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ramona. You are a stitcher. xo
ReplyDeleteAs I read "Holding the Light," I thought of the Japanese art repair technique Kintsugi (Golden Repair) , , , and how the broken that is repaired can be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis poem, especially the gathering up and stitching the broken pieces back together is so powerful. Everyone is feeling so broken-time to get our needles out! Thank you for this poem, Ramona!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a lovely piece. ❤️ Thanks, Ramona.
ReplyDeleteThis poem had me at "Stitch it back together." I needed this message of healing today. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn our imperfect world
ReplyDeletewe are meant to repair
and stitch together
what beauty there is, stitch it
with compassion and wire.
Wow... so lovely. Love the sewing metaphor This poem was a soothing balm.
What a gorgeous poem. Thank you for sharing it with us. I especially love, "Make a place where
ReplyDeletethe day speaks to the night."
Ramona, thank your for this beautiful poem with an inspirational quote: In our imperfect world
ReplyDeletewe are meant to repair
and stitch together
I am trying to do this amidst the chaos of life. Today, I am sitting in the stillness trying to make sense of the world and the messiness of life. Thank you for the time you share with me and your wishes to bring solace to my broken but reviving heart.
Thanks for sharing this poem. We need to stitch together as much love as we can.
ReplyDeleteOh Ramona, THANK YOU for sharing this poem. So so many of us need these words right now.
ReplyDelete