Posts Tagged ‘writing to heal’

Mary Oliver mended Everything That Was Broken with her loving poetry

February 11, 2025

This simple yet profound little poem seems to indicate that Mary Oliver was in a very good place when she wrote and published it later in life. 

Everything That Was Broken
by Mary Oliver 

Everything that was broken has
forgotten its brokenness. I live
now in a sky-house, through every
window the sun. Also your presence.
Our touching, our stories. Earthly
and holy both. How can this be, but
it is. Every day has something in
it whose name is forever.

Felicity: Poems (Penguin Books, 2015, 2017)

Mary Oliver eventually overcame her damaged psyche. She found love, creatively expressed her deep appreciation of nature, and manifested her destiny as a great, beloved poet. Her poetry inspired, instructed. Brokenness transformed into wholeness. She lived a fulfilled life. 

Devoted fans forget their brokenness when they read Mary Oliver’s transformational poetry. It heals. See a related love poem, Coming Home.

Discover more about America’s best-selling poet in this memorial post: RIP: Mary Oliver. Thank you for sharing your poetic gifts with us. They are a national treasure!

Another favorite poet wrote daily to repair his life: William Stafford’s poetry lightened his life having woven a parachute out of everything broken.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Literature, Mary Oliver, Poetry, William Stafford, Writing | 3 Comments »

A tanka remembering Sali and her gift to me on the one-year anniversary of her passing

October 1, 2017

During difficult times, and Sali’s final days, we were helped by the kind staff from Hospice Compassus. After Sali passed, they continued to offer me support with their bereavement program throughout the year. On the one-year anniversary of her death they sent me a letter and a brochure, Journey Through Grief: Looking back at your first year. They encourage “Grief journaling and all forms of writing as an important and helpful tool for healing.” They offered helping prompts to those grieving to get started with these two Reflective Questions.

As you look back at the past twelve months:

1. When thinking about the life of the person that you’ve lost to death, what — of themselves — have they given you to help you move through the rest of your life?

2. During your walk through grief, what have you learned about yourself that will assist you in moving forward?

I had been writing in a journal all along, and posted some entries and many poems. After reading these questions I was moved to write a haiku, then extended it to this tanka. I will give more thought to these questions and write something later, but wanted to post this tonight to mark the one-year anniversary of Sali’s passing.

Tanka for Sali
A remembrance of you and your gift to me

What you did for me
Was draw Love out of my heart
And into our lives

It completely transformed me
To become a better man

Oct 1, 2017
One year after Sali’s passing
© Ken Chawkin
Fairfield, Iowa

This entry, 9 months after her passing, reviews our relationship and what it meant: For Us—a tanka honoring Sali and what we shared. I also updated the entry Celebrating the Glorious Life of Sally Monroe Peden, which contains newer descriptions about Sali by friends who spoke at her Memorial Service. There are many beautiful tributes there, and now, halfway down, you’ll see today’s date, October 1, 2017, with new entries from David and Rhoda Orme-Johnson, Kate Ross, and later Rannie Boes.

This new post, added November 12, 2017, is relevant: 1st anniversary of my India trip to spread Sali’s ashes on the Narmada River, visit Bijouri campus and Maharishi Vedic Pandits at the Brahmasthan.

Eleven months are her passing I posted: ‘In Our Loving Eyes’ a poem by @kenchawkin remembering a special love with Sally Peden.

Added June 28, 2019: Poem for Sali—An Undying Love—heals the heart.

— Written and compiled (citing sources) by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles, My poems, Poetry, Sally Peden, Writing | 10 Comments »