Your poetry often touches on tender spots deep inside, Larry...and this one is no exception. I felt it hook into what I carry around the conflicted child-heart and the confusion that comes from being able to hear and sense energies behind words but not grasp the complexities of what's being said. Also the pain of wanting the connection b…
Your poetry often touches on tender spots deep inside, Larry...and this one is no exception. I felt it hook into what I carry around the conflicted child-heart and the confusion that comes from being able to hear and sense energies behind words but not grasp the complexities of what's being said. Also the pain of wanting the connection between loved ones to be one of joy rather than fear and anger, of succumbing to silence as a lesser evil than recrimination, of wishing it were all different even as you accept that it is not.
Thank you Keith. This is very well said. I always chuckle and grimace a bit when religious and/or ideological conservatives speak of family values. I wonder, which ones? The ones in our sacred texts are often complicated at best, and often examples of power abused and misused. The reality across the centuries is that so many have been harmed, emotionally, physically, socially, by their families, I wonder which values they are purporting to promote and foster? Gratefully and sadly, I find so many folks along the journey who carry the harm done in families, all in various states of doing the real work of healing. That's been a comfort and a healing place for me.
Thanks for sharing these reflections, Larry. And for being the kind of person who inquires, "out-loud" about conventional wisdom and tradition that may actually be harmful, or at the very least, ill-fitting (certainly not one-size fits all) or outdated. It's a courageous and generous act! The people I admire most are the ones who see and tell their truth, painful and inconvenient as it may seem.
Your poetry often touches on tender spots deep inside, Larry...and this one is no exception. I felt it hook into what I carry around the conflicted child-heart and the confusion that comes from being able to hear and sense energies behind words but not grasp the complexities of what's being said. Also the pain of wanting the connection between loved ones to be one of joy rather than fear and anger, of succumbing to silence as a lesser evil than recrimination, of wishing it were all different even as you accept that it is not.
Thank you Keith. This is very well said. I always chuckle and grimace a bit when religious and/or ideological conservatives speak of family values. I wonder, which ones? The ones in our sacred texts are often complicated at best, and often examples of power abused and misused. The reality across the centuries is that so many have been harmed, emotionally, physically, socially, by their families, I wonder which values they are purporting to promote and foster? Gratefully and sadly, I find so many folks along the journey who carry the harm done in families, all in various states of doing the real work of healing. That's been a comfort and a healing place for me.
Thanks for sharing these reflections, Larry. And for being the kind of person who inquires, "out-loud" about conventional wisdom and tradition that may actually be harmful, or at the very least, ill-fitting (certainly not one-size fits all) or outdated. It's a courageous and generous act! The people I admire most are the ones who see and tell their truth, painful and inconvenient as it may seem.
Thank you Keith!