A poem about grief and love…
“Say Yes! to life”
It’s one of my highest aspirations
But how do I say Yes to an 18-year-old shooter killing elementary school kids?
How do I say Yes to heedless, needless death?
How do I say Yes to polarization and righteous action?
How do I say Yes to white supremacy? climate change?
And the fact that half of us don’t trust the other half?
I sit still,
heavy
Slowly, I fold my heart
into the aching hearts
of those suffering
I take a deep breath
Trusting this “say yes” tenet
And feel for the Yes inside myself.
I say Yes
to This
Because they can’t say no
They can’t change what is
Their babies gone
So, I say Yes to feeling this pain
a tangible thing left
of their love
I say Yes to their eternal parental love
reflected by our collective grief
I sit still
in
That
The pine trees move gently in the breeze
A/C runs in the background
And I feel other Yesses rise up
I say Yes to supporting gun control
I say Yes to taking action
I say Yes to feeling inadequate, but sending money anyway
I say Yes to the politicians and poets who,
more poignantly than I,
speak and write
about this tragedy
Like Amanda Gorman,
whose poem ends
“The truth is, one nation under guns.”
I say Yes to what we have become—Lost
Because until we accept we are lost,
we cannot find our way home
This.
This grieving, blood torn community
This is what is
So, let’s call it what it is
Yes: we are violent
Yes: we are righteous
Yes: we hurt each other
Yes: we are afraid
Yes: we don’t know what to do
Yes: we can’t find common ground
Yes: we point fingers
Yes: we love our children
Until we say Yes
to What Is
Right Now
We cannot help ourselves
And each other
change into something better
(Photo by Pawel Janiak on Unsplash
Dear Marijke,
Like you, I am deeply touched for the tragedy of 11 children, 2 teachers killed by a teenager. How terrible and sad.
What can we do? First, as you said, accept that it happened, feel the horror of the situation and send our deepest condolence vibrations to the families, the school, the town.
Then we can think of actions we can take for that symptom of our collective sickness to stop.
Beyond that and really our deep personal responsibility is how we can help to turn the tables around contributing to the development, the evolving of us, human beings, by living consciously, when we are working, at home, relaxing or having fun. Always! That will make us an instrument for peace and wellbeing and it will have ripple effects, some we can see, and others we don’t have a clue.
The great news I want to share with you is the unexpected, rewarding feedback I am receiving from readers of my book everywhere. They said how helpful has been to make a change for the better in their lives. Some are using it as a study book! I want you to know that, as you were a vital part in its writing. Thank you again and again. And, knowing you, wherever you are and whatever you do, you are making a difference for the betterment of humanity.
I am grateful, dear heart, for who you are, and the difference you make not only in mine, but in other’s people lives. I am honor to call you my friend.
All my love,
Nere
Nere- I love your response and your encouragement to shift our deepest responsibility back to living consciously ourselves so that we can become instruments of peace. I wholeheartedly agree. I love to hear about the feedback you are getting about your book and the positive impact it has been having on others! (I have been liberally recommending your book to others!)
Let us all making becoming an instrument of peace our highest aspiration! Thank you dear friend for holding steady to the possibility of peace, even amidst anguish.
Our society desperately needs wise mentors for our young people to guide them on how to process their pain and unresolved emotional issues. The same holds for our afflicted adult population. Every opportunity to demonstrate the “source of life” flowing from within is one way to approach this challenge. I hope each of us can BE such a source of light and comfort to those in need. A part of me wants to pretend this horrific event didn’t happen. It’s one way to try and cope with the overwhelming sense of grief and loss always accompanying such demonstrations of inhumanity to the human race. May each of us be filled with love, forgiveness, peace, and pleasantness.
Wonderful words Jack. Thank you for reading and sharing your own heart. Here’s to BEING a source of light and comfort to those in need.