Whew boy, the ending socked me good -- tears with my coffee this morning. So beautiful, Larry. I love the picture of you building a hidden sanctuary, over the years, where "fury turns to joy, / disdain flows into discovery, / contempt sings into love" -- but I wish your little boy self could have had an outside that matched his insides. …
Whew boy, the ending socked me good -- tears with my coffee this morning. So beautiful, Larry. I love the picture of you building a hidden sanctuary, over the years, where "fury turns to joy, / disdain flows into discovery, / contempt sings into love" -- but I wish your little boy self could have had an outside that matched his insides. I appreciated the trajectory of this poem: how you started with visceral trauma, then brought us into your survival strategy & resilient spirit, then circled back to exactly what that trauma did to you, all personal work aside. I appreciate that the ending didn't let abusers off the hook, as it might have subtly seemed to if it ended on a hopeful note.
Thank you Rebekah, for your thoughtful and compassionate response. The little boy turned adult turned elder learned early on how to present in ways that helped others not see the pain. And, all along the way, there was and is a force of Love that transcends any name, knowledge or label I can give it. And so many places like this, where people care and affirm and share. I am so grateful for this cadre of wonders!
Whew boy, the ending socked me good -- tears with my coffee this morning. So beautiful, Larry. I love the picture of you building a hidden sanctuary, over the years, where "fury turns to joy, / disdain flows into discovery, / contempt sings into love" -- but I wish your little boy self could have had an outside that matched his insides. I appreciated the trajectory of this poem: how you started with visceral trauma, then brought us into your survival strategy & resilient spirit, then circled back to exactly what that trauma did to you, all personal work aside. I appreciate that the ending didn't let abusers off the hook, as it might have subtly seemed to if it ended on a hopeful note.
Thank you Rebekah, for your thoughtful and compassionate response. The little boy turned adult turned elder learned early on how to present in ways that helped others not see the pain. And, all along the way, there was and is a force of Love that transcends any name, knowledge or label I can give it. And so many places like this, where people care and affirm and share. I am so grateful for this cadre of wonders!