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Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Writing My Anthem

 


I write my anthem in ink,
full of sorrow, ethereal dancers
on the periphery of my vision,
shape-shifters
from the other-world,
beckoning.
I write full of gratitude
for all the small joys:
song of the mockingbird,
peace of an old growth forest,
the gaining and losing of dreams,
the brightness of morning.

I write my anthem by tapping the keys,
pecking, as crows do, searching for
just the right return. Ghosts of
my past selves dance by,
that old masquerade, smoke and mirrors,
until I emerged onto a wild beach
and turned into my Self.

I write my anthem with tears
for all I have lost; with thankfulness
for all the gifts given;
not least, this world full of poets
on the other side of the screen: all of us,
tapping and tapping together,
writing to say we were here
through all
the journeying years.


for Shay's Word List, where we are celebrating the wonderful Susie Clevenger, and remembering our years as Toads.


8 comments:

  1. My goodness, Sherry, this is stellar. it is really is an anthem, and it could apply to any one of us old Toads, I think. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

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  2. Another one that teared me up, Sherry. You are writing so well. I love this anthem, to the past and present and what little we can see of the future-- "the gaining and losing of dreams,/the brightness of morning..." caught me especially. The days at Toads will always be in our hearts and in our voices.

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  3. This is so beautiful Sherry. It is full of history, of longing for vision of the future, a better future. I am so grateful I was asked to be a Toad. It literally changed the path of my writing. I will forever be a Toad.

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  4. Incredible poem Sherry. I sure miss Toads; it was an amazing place for inspiration.

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  5. Poetry as a journey, from other selves to Self, from Other to others who meet and connect, "tapping together." Oh, Sherry, this is so good. Thank you for sharing this and reminding me again, we are not solitary "on the other side of the screen."

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  6. This poem is a true anthem of life loss and the remembering in ink and verse! I love this so much Sherry! It is a beautiful reflection of your tender and hopeful poetic heart my friend!

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  7. "tapping the keys,
    pecking, as crows do" - excellent.

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  8. This poem is so moving, Sherry. It was beautiful as I was reading it and then that last stanza and the way it ends made me feel quite emotional:
    "writing to say we were here
    through all
    the journeying years"

    Beautiful work <3

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