Resiliency through Poetry - by Michael Bridges

One of the things that helped me not just cope, but also make meaning and provide hope during this difficult year is poetry. When I was a very young man, I read Theodore Roethke’s poem “The Waking” and the following lines have provided a mantra and guidance throughout my life: I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I have to go. 

Well before the difficult days of COVID, I’ve made sure that I wake slowly, say a silent hallelujah to my first cup of coffee, and then settle in to read poets as diverse as Rumi, Roethke, Rilke, Mary Oliver and others. And then I allow myself to wait until the muse moves me to write what I’ve come to call my “Morning Prayers.” While not great works of art, these poetic ramblings have managed to get me through my days with a sense of purpose and humor. I’ve picked three poems from the past year to share that I hope, at the very least, bring a smile and will resonate with your own journey.    

Mumbling to Myself Becomes a Prayer by Michael Bridges (5/7/2020)

Oh God,

Oh, Great Spirit,

Oh Anyone?

Perhaps just me.

Once again, I’m lost.

So, help me

Find my way back

To this moment.

To all that is holy

In the everyday

In the commonplace 

The sunlight streaming

Through the windows 

The sound of someone

Hammering in the distance

Building something

I’ll never see.

Finally, 

Help me be quiet enough

To hear the song

My heart is singing.

Most of all,

Help me take

Each breath

With delight.

A Kind of Half Ass Carpe diem by Michael Bridges (8/29/2020)

This is where I am 
This is where I be 
Giving just enough 
Of a damn, 
To stay in the moment 
Watching my mind 
Start to flee. 
 
I remain grateful for 
Long dark dreams 
Where I meet strangers 
That read Flannery O’Conner. 
And gray, lush mornings 
Portending thunder storms 
On the way. 
 
The luxury of the moment 
And time to read poetry. 
Akin to the need 
Not to need 
To hurry towards 
The end of my days. 
 
Falling in love 
With the desire 
To seize the moment 
While letting go 
Of any desire 
To grasp it. 
   

Stumbling New Year’s Prayer 

by Michael Bridges (1/1/2021)

 

Let me be small 

      Let me be kind 

              Let me let go 

                     Remembering always 

                     This holy moment to find. 

  

Let me be up 

      Let me be down 

            Let me be empty 

                   Let me be found. 

  

Let me be high 

       Let me be low 

             Let me be less & less 

                    Always, on the go. 

  

Let me finally, 

       Find my way 

                From there 

                        To back here 

  

Again & again & again 

Amen.