enough to bleed through generations—
aches handed down as heirlooms
listed on wills with invisible ink.
It couldn’t be helped. Then
silence was a virtue
(and here everyone believes that
please scream inside your heart
is just so 2020).
There’s an evolutionary advantage
to all the wild ‘what ifs’
buzzing like discomforted wasps
looking for a target.
At least that’s what I heard on NPR once.
If I have time for NPR,
I have time to consider
all the seasons
the wounds have lingered—
all the thorns in the spring,
all the hollows of the summer,
all the breaking of the autumn—
and what I’m going to do about them.
I hope
that by the time winter comes
some wounds have time to close
and I will know that I have done my part
to pass on what it means
to walk away from legacies
we don’t want to hold on to anymore.
(and here everyone believes that
please scream inside your heart
is just so 2020).
There’s an evolutionary advantage
to all the wild ‘what ifs’
buzzing like discomforted wasps
looking for a target.
At least that’s what I heard on NPR once.
If I have time for NPR,
I have time to consider
all the seasons
the wounds have lingered—
all the thorns in the spring,
all the hollows of the summer,
all the breaking of the autumn—
and what I’m going to do about them.
I hope
that by the time winter comes
some wounds have time to close
and I will know that I have done my part
to pass on what it means
to walk away from legacies
we don’t want to hold on to anymore.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
This poem was created in response to the prompt given at Poets and Storytellers United, Weekly Scribblings #40: Walk Away.
Fascinating reflections. (Interesting to me to find out what NPR is. Didn't realise you had any form of public broadcaster in the US.) And of course your November is at the end of autumn (er, fall) so by winter the election will have been held, and legacies either walked away from or embraced. I don't envy you the choices (but then, I am not enamoured of our options either).
ReplyDeleteI was well into college before I realized NPR was a thing, though I knew about their television outlet, PBS (Sesame Street and Mr. Rodgers was on there after all). It seems like a silly thing, but I remember associating listening to NPR as a past-time of a certain sort of well-to-do type living in New England, with wall to wall bookcases filled with literary masterpieces.
DeleteSo I don't live in New England, and my bookcases are filled with a good mix of both fun and weighty things, but it was funny to me to remember that impression young me had, especially with my kids growing up on NPR.
Interesting association. I think of NPR as the defaul setting for all car radios in Washington. One listens while commuting. Purr-course!
DeleteInteresting association. I think of NPR as the defaul setting for all car radios in Washington. One listens while commuting. Purr-course!
Delete"All things considered..." (sorry) it seems that stark thoughts are the theme lately for us. Aches have been handed down and I've been the target of more than a few wasps lately.
ReplyDeleteMuch imaging here to hold onto.
I am so grateful for NPR One on my computer because I'm not doing much driving these days (how I usually listed to NPR).
DeleteI'm thinking our country will always have legacies of sorts that divide, some bitter and others friendly by tradition. Families have some really bitter ones that won't be soothed, until when a majority walks away, moves away. You tackled a hard topic and did well.
ReplyDelete..
Thank you, Jim
DeleteA brilliant song choice, Rommy, and a deeply felt poem. I love the ‘aches handed down as heirlooms / listed on wills with invisible ink’, and the ‘wild ‘what ifs’ buzzing like discomforted wasps’. And the ‘hope / that by the time winter comes / some wounds have time to close’ is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim. Here's hoping.
DeleteThis avid VPR (Vermont Public radio) listener enjoyed this very much, Rommy, esp: "I hope/ that by the time winter comes/ some wounds have time to close."
ReplyDeleteWe can all hope.
well done.
Hope is what keeps a lot of us going these days.
DeleteYes, silence used to be a virtue. My family never held to that, by my late in-law's certainly did. And the repercussions on the children were not virtues.
ReplyDeleteSadly true. People think about leaving something better for their kids, but often mental health does not come up in that reckoning, to everyone's detriment.
DeleteVery nice. I certainly hope that things will be lots better after this year passes. Doesn't seem quite "normal" right now, tbh.
ReplyDeleteNormal has left the building, along with Elvis. LOL, maybe they're hanging out at area 51.
DeleteMakes me think of that old Simon & Garfunkle lyric -- "Silence like a cancer grows"
ReplyDeleteLOL, I *almost* went with the Sound of Silence for this piece too. Because, yes, that line is very appropriate.
Delete"
ReplyDeleteThere’s an evolutionary advantage
to all the wild ‘what ifs’
buzzing like discomforted wasps
looking for a target."
This is such a on point image of our covid confusion
Happy Wednesday
Much💖love
I hope there will be a relief from confusion soon.
DeleteYes, a lot of, let's say, unhelpful patterns are passed down in families, even or especially without knowing it. It is so important to be aware of those patterns so that a person can "walk away" from those worn paths.
ReplyDeleteExactly. And no one needs hand me down demons to play with.
DeleteIndeed I agree some wounds bleed through the generations ... or karma is in effect. Something instilled terror of water in my mother, and she passed it along to me!
ReplyDeleteWe can indeed walk away from those legacies. My mother also passed on her water phobia to me – and I'm proud that I succeeded in not giving it to my children.
DeleteMy mom isn't a fan of the water either. She did her best to discourage us kids from liking it. LOL, it kind of worked with me as I'm really not much of a swimmer. But I love that my kids aren't scared.
DeleteI think it is so important to create our own world in life rather be herded or shackled by the current fads and woes of life. As for public broadcasters or hungry commercial ones they are but amusement for those that cannot amuse themselves. Central in our minds should always be our loves, families and friends that we love, care and laugh with feeling safe in that circle.
ReplyDeleteFinding that center of love to grow from is so important, yes <3
DeletePublic Radio my go-to for so much .... love how you got All Things Considered wedged in. A most enjoyable write, Rommy.
ReplyDeleteI really love how it's part of my kids' world too. And how they are so much wiser than I was at their age.
DeleteI think we are all having our "come to Jesus" moments in whatever way we believe or not believe in a greater power. Enough is enough, but there are those who don't want to end the status quo.
ReplyDelete"There’s an evolutionary advantage
to all the wild ‘what ifs’
buzzing like discomforted wasps
looking for a target." Love this!
Those fighting to keep the status quo aren't afraid to get dirty either. I have a lot of worries about the months to come.
DeleteHarms handed down like heirlooms. The generational feel and walking away from a legacy is so very powerful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lori
DeleteAlthough I am not part of the Poets and Storytellers prompts, I am very often drawn to your written poetic thoughts. This one is especially deep. As deep as an old farmer's well, which I seem to have fallen into and I doubt, although I will try, that I'll be able to climb out by Winter....or even Spring maybe. Your words did this to me. I cannot walk away from walls/words that give way as I climb. Excellent write.
ReplyDeleteI am so honored that you do take the time to visit me and my words. Thank you. <3
DeleteThe first two lines go right for the heart, for truths that linger (and often boil) in the blood. Some inherited experiences make homes in our hearts and skulls and never leave. And in a way, that is a good thing (when we find strength in the lessons, good or bad); other times, the legacy turns into a chain. Thank goodness for those who keep on showing us that all inheritances aren't fit to be carried around.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The first two lines made me think of your Yuuki.
LOL, Yuuki has been on the brain as I continue to work on his latest (or is it one of his oldest) story. It's hard not to think about the weight of legacies when I'm enmeshed in his world.
DeleteThose first two lines really grab you. I haven't listened to NPR
ReplyDeletesince my cousin passed away. She was tuned into it every morning.
Thanks, Sara.
DeleteAll I want is for us all to live peacefully together. A simple wish but it seems beyond the group ken.
ReplyDeleteA lot of healing and listening needs to happen before that day is even possible.
Delete"Aches handed down as heirloom-" they sound so bittersweet. Here's wishing the wasps are kept at bay for you, all seasons.
ReplyDeleteA season of rest would be lovely right about now
DeleteI haven't yet perfected the art of walking away. I hope that I do someday.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of those skills I imagine we all need to live through several times to learn well.
DeleteThis is a strong poem and I love the way you link the idea of silence with the perpetual present ("...and here everyone believes...").
ReplyDeleteThank you C
Delete"I hope
ReplyDeletethat by the time winter comes
some wounds have time to close"
i really like these lines, and hope that it rings true. i think this is a very positive poem, despite the tone.
great choice of song for our listening pleasure. CSNY were my heroes when i was younger.
I think so too, because (LOL, at least I'd like to think) that I've dropped in the glimmer of hope that things don't always have to stay as they are.
DeleteHappy Sunday.
ReplyDeleteMuch💛love
Have a lovely Sunday too
DeleteI hope by winter, we'll be licking our wounds. Your first stanza just knocked me out!
ReplyDeleteMe too... we could all use a chance to catch our breath.
DeleteGood luck with the elections !!
DeleteThought provoking poem. Some family legacies are wonderful passed down. I suspect those culturally inclined folk who tell vivid stories to illustrate a point, dance gesticulate wildly and smash plates produce imaginative creative progeny...does not really compare to sewing a tapestry of silence is golden to the sound of tick tockof the grandfather clock. Of course this is a politically incorrect statement and I would appreciate it if you do not send the thought police around to my blog to censure me:)
We can certainly use all the luck we can get with the election. It's going to be a wild next few weeks.
DeleteI've done some of that walking away from legacies in my own life. I am hoping this winter our country will be walking back to democracy.
ReplyDeleteWe'll still have a lot of healing to do.
DeleteA very powerful write Rommy! I love the last paragraph!
ReplyDeleteand I will know that I have done my part
to pass on what it means
to walk away from legacies
we don’t want to hold on to anymore.
We heal and grow, so we can walk away!
I hope you've been doing well! Big Hugs!
Thank you! Happy to see you around. <3
Delete