October 8, 2007This Week in My World: I Wrote a Poem
When my friend told me last week that an old friend of his had died, he said, “It should have been me.” How do you respond to something like that? I wrote him a poem.
For Toni,
So many words I wrote today.
Can any of them reach you?
So many things I want to say,
To touch, transform and teach you.
Do words exist to pierce your heart,
So shrouded in confusion?
I seek the words that can impart
A tender love transfusion.
It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. (I’m not too crazy about the “teach you” phrase.) They were healing words anyway.
Years ago I spent three weeks in a hospital with a friend, Cindi, who had terminal cancer. I sang to her each night. I don’t sing that well, but it soothed her anyway. I’ll always remember her asking: “Will you sing the ‘Everybody loves Cindi song?’”
I’m no poet, but I do know that even amateurish attempts can have powerful effects.
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That is a very LOVELY poem. I would love to use it when the right time comes up with my friends. And, your story of Cindi is so very touching - it brought tears to my eyes as I wish I had thought of doing what you did when my best friend past away in 2003. To Cindi and Tammie - they were LOVED VERY MUCH!!!
Comment by Susan — October 9, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
Susan, at the risk of sounding whimsical, I recommend you sing to her now.
Comment by merylrunion — October 12, 2007 @ 12:19 pm
Sometimes we get so tangled up in our own stuff that we just can’t hear “regular” communication. By wrapping your words in a poem, you were able to breach the barriers Toni was erecting and express your heartfelt feelings.
I may be overgeneralizing, but I don’t think many of us read poetry that often. When someone uses poetry to reach us, the effect can be POTENT! I find it terribly difficult to listen when someone tells me how they feel about me. I automatically shut it down and try to interrupt. Sometimes I feel like the other person “is just saying that”. Like they’re just saying the words because it’s expected.
When someone uses another medium of communication, e.g., poetry or song, you can tell that they’re serious and being honest. They have opened up and revealed themselves in a way that “just talking” can’t convey.
I have such a lovely, gentle image of you singing to your friend when she needed you. I can imagine how soothing it felt to hear your love expressed that way. Hospitals can be painfully hostile environments, the lighting, the noise, the temperature, the uncomfortable confinement, the strict schedules, the food, the overworked/overstressed staff, the smells, the machinery, the pokes/gropes, the anxiety — not to mention her having to face her own mortality…How fortunate Cindi was to have you there to ease her suffering. How brave of you to share yourself so openly.
Comment by Cynthia Mueller — October 18, 2007 @ 4:04 pm