Poet Jane Hirshfield said "... the feeling I have about poem-writing (is) that it is always an exploration, of discovering something I didn't already know. Who I am shifts from moment to moment, year to year. What I can perceive does as well. A new poem peers into mystery, into whatever lies just beyond the edge of knowable ground."
I bring a different poem to the writing classes each week, not only to inspire but to introduce new poets to the group members.
Brokenness by Randell Adjei
I know too many broken people broke into pieces they think they cannot fix. Like shattered glass They may cut you when you try to uplift slice the helping hands hoping to heal the harm that has happened to them They often hurt in silence smile in your face today and tomorrow You may hear of how their brokenness has escalated into acts of violence Sometimes we judge these broken people and call them names label them, sometimes forget that like flipping a coin, they too can change. But what does it really mean to be broken when it is broken people that have helped mend the world? Realize that in our brokenness is when our true lives unfurl. My brokenness gave me hope again Transformed the shape of the world i knew gave me a new beginning, allowed me to recreate the world i live in Brokenness is a sign of re-creation a sign of growth we fear brokenness because we fear the unknown and uncertainty But brokenness can piece our holes perfectly sometimes permanently After all, If you’ve never known brokenness how will you know when you are whole? If you’ve never been broken how would you measure your growth? ~ from I am Not My Struggles (Lulu.com, 2019)