#254: Searching for light in dark times
Dear reader,
The world is sinking deeper into darkness. My heart weeps for those who are hurting, who are seeking the light.
Ironically, Diwali - the festival of lights - is round the corner. But the sound of firecrackers is triggering, and the smoke clogs the throat.
May there be light. Soon. For everyone.
Poetry Corner
5 poems for you this week that explore the theme of light and dark.
1. Holding the Light by Stuart Kestenbaum
for Kait Rhoads
Gather up whatever is
glittering in the gutter,
whatever has tumbled
in the waves or fallen
in flames out of the sky,
for it’s not only our
hearts that are broken,
but the heart
of the world as well.
Stitch it back together.
Make a place where
the day speaks to the night
and the earth speaks to the sky.
Whether we created God
or God created us
it all comes down to this:
In our imperfect world
we are meant to repair
and stitch together
what beauty there is, stitch it
with compassion and wire.
See how everything
we have made gathers
the light inside itself
and overflows? A blessing.
2. Urgent Message to a Friend in Pain by Joseph Fasano
I have to tell you
a little thing about living
(I know, I know, but hear me)
a little thing I’ve carried
in the dark:
Remember when you saw the stars of childhood,
when you knelt alone and thought
that they were there for you,
lamps that something held
to prove your beauty?
They are they are they are they
are they are.
3. When My Friend Asks Me a Difficult Question by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
I close my eyes
as if the truth might rise
from the dark
the way leaves
of water lilies
float greenly at the edge
of two worlds.
When the words do come,
I taste shine in them.
Now I don’t want to speak
in any language
that doesn’t open like lilies,
nourished by depths,
encouraged by light.
I fished alone that languid autumn evening.
Fished as darkness kept coming on.
Experiencing exceptional loss and then
exceptional joy when I brought a silver salmon
to the boat, and dipped a net under the fish.
Secret heart! When I looked into the moving water
and up at the dark outline of the mountains
behind the town, nothing hinted then
I would suffer so this longing
to be back once more, before I die.
Far from everything, and far from myself.
5. Sincerely, the Sky by David Hernandez
Yes, I see you down there
looking up into my vastness.
What are you hoping
to find on my vacant face,
there within the margins
of telephone wires?
You should know I am only
bright blue now because of physics:
molecules break and scatter
my light from the sun
more than any other color.
You know my variations—
azure at noon, navy by midnight.
How often I find you
then on your patio, pajamaed
and distressed, head thrown
back so your eyes can pick apart
not the darker version of myself
but the carousel of stars.
To you I am merely background.
You barely hear my voice.
Remember I am most vibrant
when air breaks my light.
Do something with your brokenness.
Recommended Listening
Started making the November playlist. Noise is the need of the hour.
Links of the Week
Pantographia: A Specimen Book of All the Alphabets Known on Earth (1799)
Lisa C. Krueger on the Shared Foundations of Therapy and Poetry
Memories on a Plate got featured in Harper’s Bazaar’s 5 new and upcoming cookbooks that will liven up your meals list. Thanks, Sarah.
Maria Popova on 17 Life-Learnings from 17 Years of The Marginalian (“Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity”)
David Shrigley pulps 6,000 copies of The Da Vinci Code and turns them into 1984
Journal Person
I’m so proud to introduce you to Journal Person, a venture co-founded by my dear friend Varsha, who pushed me towards the light and therapy. Journal Person believes in creating products together for mental wellness, emotional hygiene and mindful productivity so people can find their flow in life. They recently launched The Journey, a 5-in-1 guided journal to help you find meaning in the everyday, unbottle your feelings and regulate your emotions.
As someone who resists journaling but need it desperately in my life, I love the ease of responding to prompts and processing the ups and downs of my day.
Use the coupon code ROHINI20 for a 20% discount while ordering your copy!
Have you tried Notion yet?
For the past two years, I’ve been the biggest evangelist of Notion. It’s like my second brain, where I brain dump, keep track of my habits, and have a week-wise to-do list that helps me visualise my days. I use it for every new project that comes my way, to archive resources I find, and plan my future newsletters on.
I recently joined the Notion Affiliates programme, and invite you to try this genuinely useful platform for yourself. Also, it’s free!
Sending light to fight the darkness within and all around us,
Rohini