~Sondra Rueter
I wrote a book about the Holocaust, which certainly made me cry while I did research but also taught me a few things about altruism. Why were some people altruistic in those frightening, harrowing times? What is the connection between bravery and altruism, you wonder (because I am surely circling around to talking about bravery). I think feeling brave is more likely to make you willing to do altruistic things. Wanting to do something altruistic can galvanize courage. One can feed the other. What do you think?
I decided to kick off my Brave year by collecting people's poems with an element of bravery in them and sharing them as a pdf. One poet will receive a $50 Bookshop gift card. Are you interested? I hope so!
What are the parameters? Please write a new poem, any length, which has a kernel of bravery in it, and send it to me by January 12th. Maximum of two. I will compile them by January 20th.
Today's poem is Thanksgiving Hymn by John Paul Davis.
You'll want to read or hear the whole thing, but here's an excerpt:
I saw someone fall from a bicycle
only to be surrounded by strangers,
one checking for wounds, another offering water,
a third testing the bike itself, the rest waiting
to see if they’d be needed, if there was any
way they could help. For decades
I did not say aloud the name of the hand
of love I could sometimes feel myself bumping
against as I clumsied & improvised
my way toward today, but all along it was a second
heartbeat in me, a breath underneath my breathing...
read the rest here
*******************
The Heroic Imagination Project ("We believe ordinary people can do extraordinary things.") has lesson plans and Heroism 101 articles, if you're interested.
A Word Edgewise has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Linda!
5 comments:
Thank you for sharing Thanksgiving Hymn - so beautiful and heartfelt, and good luck with the contest. There is so much bravery in the world - little things that might go unnoticed.
It feels to me that bravery can come from so many aspects of our lives, Tabatha. I read your post a while ago this am & wanted to think about it first. The poem shows his journey, feeling alone, then realizing that all along, he had the 2nd heartbeat. So, after thoughts of this, & then his story of the accident, the crowd, it feels like knowing (doesn't have to be reality either) one is not alone, buoys us up with courage, to be brave. I've read many historical stories about the time of the Holocaust & remember that people kept going, even from the wink of an eye, a quick pat on the shoulder. Thanks for the idea of a collection! It sounds as if everyone will find their own courage from it!
Tabatha, thank you for the information on the Brave Poetry Project. I read the hymn and listened to it. I don't think of myself as a brave person as in newspaper and history books. There is much to say about the word brave, especially in many forums of this mixed up world.
ooooh, what an interesting invitation for poems...I've read holocaust books since 6th grade. I can't remember what the reason is that kids are drawn to them--something about being able to conquer fear. Anyway, you wrote one? Yikes and Wowsa! That is impressive. I don't know if bravery is tied to altruism. I have to think on this. xo
Thanks for linking to your post from last week, sounds like an ambitious and brave undertaking and we need to muster up as much bravery and pass it along too. Most of my news reading comes from the NY Times and it's heavy like Rios' paper… Powerful poem, especially the ending. I'm thinking on your call, hope to send a poem in. Thanks Tabatha, and especially for your bravery and many altruistic actions!
Post a Comment