15 Comments

Beautiful poem! So excited to do this. I’ve written a lot about grief and this is a lovely summation, in a way… Thank you for inviting me to this collaboration, Brian!

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It's my pleasure! Thanks for agreeing to it!

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Beautiful written poem. We share the "fire" imagery -- as I wrote about my son who died. I'd love to have your thoughts of this piece: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/lifeboat

So, little is written about grief--as we get told to "move on!"

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Much love to you. I'm very sorry this happened. Your essay is a stunning collection...

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Oh, goodness, thank you--and so is your poem!

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Dear Mary - This is beautiful! You've shared some of your grief writings with me before when I wrote about grief after losing both my parents. I am with you in how we must free up our expression of grief. I am so glad you shared your words here Take care.

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Loved the last lines. To join the place among the gods...no, be seated among them. There is no difference in Sufi and some Hindu philosophy between the God and the Beloved. Reminded of the lines of my favorite Punjabi poet Amrita Pritam. "Again I thought of you and kissed the fire. Again I begged a sip from the poison cup of desire."

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Now that is a line! Thanks for reading!

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Beautiful! Anurag please post a link to that one with your translation if you have it.

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“A step towards, step, and a step back

through the threshold of the story I have built …”

This poem is lovely and so captures, so wonderfully stated in these two lines, the back and forth of grief.

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Thanks LeeAnn! I was going for a feel of tripping to some extent…

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This feels aptly timed, Brian, though no doubt it was written some time ago.

An arresting and beautiful poem.

I am captured by this stanza. For me, it could be an entire poem itself.

If I survive the terrible forest

and the hills do not break my body

and I arrive at the fire that fuels

the dance through these hills,

I fear what one becomes

for in fire the physical is consumed,

trunk charred then limbs blackened

and all brought low to earth and ash.

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It was written in June and July…but yes the timing is wild, in the same way the kinship series with so much focus on the land and water was just after hurricane Helene…though I suppose when you invoke nature in writing in this era, how could you not bump up against its strain.

I’m glad you liked this piece!

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Brian! i feel your words deeply.

To the point of tears.

The timing of this third series is as prescient as the Kinship series. Until tomorrow, katharine 🌱🌿💚

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Thanks Katharine. It kind of is…to those in LA., much love ❤️

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