Pause. One (with audio)
Pause. The words have been mine,
So much my own they tire me.
I can breathe, others cannot and so
And so...
My words tire me; hear others’ words
To let them breathe. Unpause.
Scream, SCREAM!
I won’t hold my bible up,
I will read it, bow my head,
Roll up my sleeves, do the hard work
It calls me to do.
SCREAMING!
Those others’ who cannot breathe
Are no other than me, are no others.
14 Responses to “Pause. One (with audio)”
A profound poem Stephen.
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Thank you Sadje. I was working on finding my voice in face of the pandemic, now I am confronting my own entitlement as those whose voice has been systemically suffocated rise up. The scream in this poem is as much them as it is the ugliness of the screaming anger of our so called national leaders whose abhorrent racism is no longer subtly infused in their language and actions. My recent silence is as much about me trying to filter through my own processing and that of others as it is about understanding that I have a venue others do not and it is those others who need to be heard more than me. It is one of the most complex issues I have confronted with my own writing. My silence is not about condoning irresponsible and disrespectful behavior; rather it is ceding the intellectual and emotional space to those whose voices demand to be heard… after far too long.
My own spiritual journey will continue apace, my relationship with my faith is not diminished by these choices, rather, the opposite.
If this ramble makes any sense.
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I get you but I think we should add our voice to the other raised in outrage against this cruel behavior
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I do agree with the outrage, for sure.
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👌👌
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I have been processing an essay over the last couple of days as well. Something that expresses my own anger and offers reflection in the manner I often do. Trying to decide if it is a GDG or a Fullbeard post. Either way, working through the content is important to me… to be respectful and to honor the struggle.
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It is important to have the right tone as well as the right words.
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And I respect that as a white male, even as one who has made an effort to listen and understand, my tone and words will still come from a place of entitlement and privilege; hence my struggle.
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The perceptions are deeply ingrained and so are the prejudices. But we can only try.
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Touching and heart wrenching. We are one,
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We are. Thank you Barbara for reading and your thoughtfulness.
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Very deeply meaningful.
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Thank you. 🙏🙏🙏
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You’re most welcome
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