Beautiful Bittersweet Life Poems

Exploring the world of life and grief through poetry.

Category: Transformation

  • Embracing Imperfection

    Embracing Imperfection

    “Perfect is the enemy of good,” attributed to Voltaire

    How did that sneaky voice slip into my head,
    telling me that perfection was attainable?
    Was it years of hearing, “practice makes perfect”
    that stopped me in my tracks when I longed to
    break out of the expected,
    keeping me caged in conformity?
    Could it have been apprehension
    of what other people might think or say?
    It was a slow journey,
    fighting against self-doubt and feelings of not enough.
    I walked with discomfort as I forged ahead
    on this uncharted path.
    Sometimes the vines of uncertainty
    would wrap around me, wanting me to stay put.
    Soon, they held no sway over me,
    and fell to the wayside.
    When I began to let go
    of the noise in my head that sought to contain me,
    I found a fearless voice waiting to sing,
    the shining me that had been there all along.

  • Letting Go, Finding Freedom

    Letting Go, Finding Freedom

    “Letting go is what keeps you alive.” Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, from “When Living on a Tiny Island.”

    I squeezed my hands so tight that my knuckles turned white,
    leaving red moon crescents imprinted on my palms.
    Hoping that I could stop time,
    and everything that lay ahead of me.
    How foolish to think that I had so much power.
    And yet, that was my habit,
    the insanity that I had always employed
    with no success.
    It took time to release my death grip,
    learning from the wisdom of others
    that the only influence that I possessed
    was over my own behaviors and thoughts.
    Frankly, my brain can still be
    the most dangerous neighborhood to visit.
    When I slowly let go of that which I couldn’t control,
    my body began to relax, and I could breathe again.
    I learned that love was holding people in my heart,
    no matter what our relationship was.
    Giving them the dignity to follow their own path
    freed me to follow mine.

  • We Are All Connected

    We Are All Connected

    As the news showed the images
    of the devastation of the midair crash in DC
    followed by a jet crash in Philadelphia two days later,
    my heart ached for the lives that were cut short,
    and for their family and friends who were
    entering a nightmare not of their choosing.
    Having lived through the sudden death of my husband,
    the life I knew was altered, unrecognizable
    as my heart lay on the floor, shattered.
    No longer could I see the tragedies of the world
    as numbers, but as individuals whose lives
    would never be the same again.
    For it was in my awakening from the searing pain of grief,
    that I recognized all of humanity is intertwined.
    That we are meant to be with each other,
    holding each other in compassion.
    I couldn’t sit on the sidelines
    in the face of others’ pain,
    whether it was from the death of a loved one
    or other losses caused by unforeseen life changes.
    I knew I couldn’t take away their agony,
    but I could share the gifts I had,
    hoping to bring some comfort,
    no matter how small.

  • Astrophilia

    Astrophilia

    (n.) rare love and obsession with planets, stars, and outer space

    Transport me to the cosmos,
    Past the moon and the known planets
    To the wonder of the galaxies that lay
    Beyond our Milky Way.
    Oh, to be free of the bonds of gravity,
    The smallness of life that boxes me in
    And the harsh realities that wound my soul.
    The images of space call to me,
    With their majesty and glory.
    Who, in their infinite wisdom, could create
    A paradise of newly forming stars,
    Emitting bright red gases 1,300 light years from earth.
    These offspring are only 100,000 years old,
    Mere youths in the universe that sprang to life 13.8 million years ago.
    As I gaze upon these photographs sent back from deep space,
    I’m filled with hope and wonder.
    That I’ve been placed on this planet, to shine brightly,
    To feel the pain when my worlds collide, morphing me
    Into a unique being, with remnants of the star I was.
    Ever changing, growing, searching for
    My new dwelling place in the world.

  • Blank Page

    Blank Page

    The daunting blank page
    holds an invitation to create.
    It embodies endless possibilities.
    It gives space to the words that
    Have been longing for a place
    To escape their home in my mind.
    It beckons the paintbrush
    That lingers in the air to let go of perfection
    And follow the vibrant colors where they lead.
    The white sheet whispers, “Transform me.”

    I’m that paper, forever being shaped and reformed.
    I may just see the blink, blink, blinking of the cursor
    Demanding to be filled with something, anything
    As my hands hover over the keyboard.
    Sometimes, the colors of my mind are
    The steel gray of a rainy, wind-swept day.
    The promise of life is that it will change
    And bright colors and words will emerge.
    In their own time. Patience, my dear.