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To Our Family (A Haiku)

By Seth Haines 9 Comments

There is great sadness in our country this holiday season. Things unimaginable have taken form and cast a shadow over us. We–all of us–are at a great loss.

In moments like these it is difficult to know exactly how to respond, or whether to respond at all, outside of quietly offering our thoughts and prayers for the family of victims. Certainly, there’s no single right way, but for those of us who scratch words, meager as they may be, poetry can provide an outlet for working through it all.

I.

Silent night, holy.
All is calm within darkness.
We hear them, even still.

There is a lowly
pushing from the quiet wind.
We bow together.

Each in our own time.

II.

The days have shortened.
I feel them, gathering close
as if edges could touch,

as if stars might shine.
Instead there are only lost
pinpricks pulsing here.

A falling of legacies.

III.

Reckonings feel trite.
Potential is mournable.
Better hopes do spring

eternal in us.
Good people hold each other
close as promises.

Phoenixes of hope.

Today, I’ll refrain from issuing a poetry prompt. But if you’d like to pen your own tribute, or if you already have, feel free to share it with us in the comments below.

Original photo by Squeezeomatic. Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Seth Haines.

_____________________

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Seth Haines
Seth Haines
Seth Haines is a writer and photographer who loves the Ozarks, his wife and four boys, and a good collection of poems. He's the author of two books, both of which touch on addiction, sobriety, and spiritual formation.
Seth Haines
Latest posts by Seth Haines (see all)
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Filed Under: Blog, Haiku, Poems, poetry, Themed Writing Projects

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About Seth Haines

Seth Haines is a writer and photographer who loves the Ozarks, his wife and four boys, and a good collection of poems. He's the author of two books, both of which touch on addiction, sobriety, and spiritual formation.

Comments

  1. Jessica Y says

    December 17, 2012 at 8:45 am

    http://www.russellmoore.com/2012/12/14/school-shootings-and-spiritual-warfare/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MooreToThePoint+(Moore+to+the+Point)#

    Reply
  2. Maureen Doallas says

    December 17, 2012 at 9:10 am

    http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2012/12/imagine-light-poem.html

    Reply
    • Maureen Doallas says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:12 am

      Yesterday, I listed the names of those who died.

      http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2012/12/thought-for-day_16.html

      Reply
  3. donna says

    December 17, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    i have nothing but rage

    and tears

    Reply
  4. Joan Barrett Roberts says

    December 18, 2012 at 12:04 am

    Shadowleaves: Oh, These Wires We Place for @dVersePoets http://shadowleaves-joanie.blogspot.com/2012/12/oh-these-wires-we-place.html?spref=tw

    Reply
    • donna says

      December 18, 2012 at 4:55 pm

      Joan, stunning piece. Really stunning.

      Reply
  5. donna says

    December 18, 2012 at 4:57 pm

    A dropped green snap pea
    Bouncing on linoleum
    Assumes the patter

    Of Lost feet come home
    And bounding up the back stoop
    Where a mama’s glance

    Offers emptiness
    And I wonder how she’ll live
    Inside all these sounds?

    Reply
    • donna says

      December 18, 2012 at 5:19 pm

      This poem, titled A Mama’s Glance, appears on my blog as well. http://thebrightersideblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-mamas-glance.html

      Seth, thank you for this quiet invitation. Day by day my feelings loosen and separate so that they can each be seen. I love your poem. A falling of legacies… that sticks in my throat even though I am not reading it aloud.

      Reply
  6. Elena Johnston says

    December 19, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    For this there are no words,
    but only groanings.
    Still, we must speak;
    we must speak on behalf of the silence.

    Words are wind or of the wind;
    explanation is a vapor.

    Yet not a sparrow falls
    unseen, but the unseen wind
    still broods upon our void,
    and with deep groanings speaks our silence.

    Reply

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