Day 9: a poem a day in the month of may
fear
Good morning friends,
I’m in Lake Tahoe for a few days, speaking at a small conference right on the water. I’ve never been to this area, and as much as I love the mountains, I don’t know a lot about them. So I sit with all the visceral feelings that come with mountain living: the excitement, the courage, and yes, the fear.
Fear.
Today’s word is one that can mean so many different things to each of us, but there’s not doubt that it’s universal. We all experience fear.
I can’t wait to read your take on it.
What is it about fear, this thing passed down generation to generation like a well-tended but never talked about Curse? How have we managed to give it so much life, to allow it to grow and inflame every corner of our tired souls? Fear of the other Fear of ourselves Fear of loss Fear of wanting Fear of change Fear of fear itself Is there an antidote, a way to stop this, to name and remove the poison that plagues even the best of us? Give me your hand place your own hand on your heart put your pen to the journal page grab onto something, someone, and ask what might happen if we let go. And then, let go. Fear can only hold on if we are.
Your poem was about letting go of fear, and I wrote about how I can't😅
Someday,
I will die.
Someday,
every one
I have ever known
will die, and
I can't know
how it will happen, and
I can't prepare
for every scenario.
I will leave things
unfinished, and
I will leave behind
people who may
still need me.
We are only guaranteed
this one life.
We are only guaranteed
the end of it.
What am I to do, then,
but breathe
until I can't?
What am I to do
but beg
these atoms of mine
to hold tight,
just for a while?
I really needed to read this today! I feel like I'm breathing more easily. Here's mine:
.
FEAR
.
A thrum in my chest
Like the background music in a movie when the scene is tense
And you know that any moment
A monster is going to jump out:
But I'm just on my computer,
Or washing the dishes,
Or taking a walk.
"What do you want me from me?!"
I ask my anxiety.
"What are you trying to warn me of?!"
And the small inner voice replies:
"Oh, that part is a secret. :)"