Sometimes it can be hard to choose what to share on my blog. When I’m struggling or trying to work through something heavy, lingering in that space in my writing can help me. Having a sort of distance from the maelstrom of my emotions allows me to process them from a safer vantage. I still feel the impact, but I’m exploring them with an eye toward expressing them. I can’t explain it well, but it works for me–even if the results typically just live in my notebooks. But when is something too personal or perhaps worse, overly sentimental? Sometimes when I’m in the thick of something, I lose my objective eye and it’s hard to gauge that. Today I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit, sharing two poems that carry a lot of emotional weight for me right now.
Landslide
Under the weight
of their accumulation
the years have finally
given way.
An avalanche
of aches and pains
pummels his frame.
After each strike
he staggers
struggles to regain
his balance.
Braces for the next blow.
©Molly Hogan
There’s a Hole in that Bucket
We step carefully
along the path
into the cancer center
as if we can sense
the scattered debris
of dreams and wishes
swept away
in a slow flow
of inexorable loss.
©Molly Hogan
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Matt Forrest Esenwine at his blog Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.
Nix the comfort zone 
I’m glad to see these poems here. You express so well the emotion of losing control and living with the pain of illness. Prayers continue as you navigate this difficult time.
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Thanks, Margaret.
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[…] Molly Hogan is stepping outside of her “comfort zone” by sharing two very personal, emotional poems. […]
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My thoughts & prayers for you, Molly…it’s not easy to deal with things like this, and your’e doing as well as anyone could.
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Thanks, Matt. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Thanks again for hosting.
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These are full of love, Molly. Sadness drips from the lines. I think you have navigated to a dark place we all fear and remind us to hold on, be ready. I am so sorry. I think all you said about taking these difficult and personal moments and crafting a poem are true. You’ve taken them and woven this pain into the universal. And beautifully.
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Thanks, Janet. Writing has really helped me during this time.
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I’m sorry to read about your hard time now, Molly, and as I do so often with anyone’s pain, wishing it weren’t so. Your “scattered debris” says what many feel, like you, help needed & not really wanting it to be needed. I’ve found that putting words down often helps the balance. Good for you for doing that.
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Thanks, Linda. Putting those words down has been essential for me.
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Sorry to hear that you are dealing with illness and loss. I hope writing these has helped you. I am so glad you shared them. So many have experienced similar losses and find comfort hearing it expressed, knowing we aren’t alone.
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Everyone has a story, right? It does help to share loss and pain with others.
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I thought of you this morning when I read this in ALL THAT SHE CARRIED (p.231): “To tell the story of one’s own life is to change that life, as telling is an action that can revise one’s relationship to the past…By describing…painful events the speaker begins to move beyond them, while not denying that they occurred and inflicted scars.” Thank you for allowing us to walk this difficult path with you and offer our support and love.
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“Telling is an action that can revise one’s relationship to the past…” Such a powerful concept. I think I’m going to need to read that book at some point. Thanks for sharing and for your ongoing support.
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I think I need to read this book.
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The weight of this illness is well expressed, Molly. I’m so sorry for you and for him. I think sharing can lesson the weight a little, and adds to your cadre of support. My best wishes as days go on.
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Thanks so much for your good wishes and support, Karen.
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Oh Molly. My heart is heavy, sharing your sadness and fears. Your poems are both quite brief – yet so much is in them. Your vulnerability is real. When I feel despair, I can’t turn it into powerful connection and raw beauty like you have.
Hugs and love, my friend. Praying for you.
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Thank you, Kat. When I feel overwhelmed, writing has been a place of refuge for me.
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Hannah and I wish your dad all the peace and love his beautiful family bestows on him. Does most of your extended family follow your blog? “An avalanche
of aches and pains
pummels his frame.” Such a powerful image.
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Thank you, Dan. The time we’ve spent together over recent months is treasured.
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Oh, Molly, peace and comfort to you and your family as you walk this difficult journey. I can understand years and “the weight of their accumulation.” Your poems share truth and your pain. Thank you for entrusting us with these gems. Prayers for you.
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Thanks, Denise. I appreciate your good wishes so much.
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I feel the weight you are carrying through your words. I hope that writing through it has lessened the load in your heart. Prayers for you and your loved ones.
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Molly, your emotion-packed poems are understandable realities that I have known and experienced. Writing is one way to release stress even if it is a temporary fix. My thoughts and prayers are being lifted for your family.
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Lovely words to capture a tough time. My best to you and your family. May the writing never leave you.
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My thoughts and prayers are with you Molly. It’s a difficult time for you and these poems express so many emotions. Thank you for being willing to share them with this community.
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Sending support up the coastline to you and your family, Molly. Your poems do, indeed, capture a great deal. Oh, the power of poetry. I, too, have a parent fighting a battle with cancer recently begun. You’ve given me the courage to explore complex thoughts and feelings outside the pages of my notebook where they currently reside. Peace, my friend.
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Molly, your words express the difficulty of the time you and your family are going through, and I appreciate the decision you made to share them. It was only a few months ago that you commented on a post I shared along similar lines. My best to you and your family.
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Sending you love, Molly. ❤ Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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