Tag: poetry

I went hiking this morning and it was exactly what I needed.

Hiking in the Rain

I lace my boots tight
Inaugural outing

Pack loaded up
Ready to buckle on again

Butterflies in my stomach
Excitement and nervousness

What if the woods don’t feel like home anymore either?

But the trees canopy over the trail
Like a big green doorway

And the tree branches wave hello
As the wind rustles their leaves

And Mother Nature welcomes me
As my boots crunch on the trail

My whole body sighs
Tuning in and tuning out

Every exhale
Distractions fade

Every inhale
Senses sharpen

All that is important surrounds me in this moment

The birds singing to each other
Hidden in the safety of the boughs

Little frogs hop on the trail
I’m mindful of each step

A doe startles in the long grass
Flicks her tail in irritation as she bounds off

Delicate flowers blossom on trail’s edge
Small delights to the observant few

It starts to rain
I tilt my face up to the sky

Raindrops mingle with tears
The thirsty earth and I soak up the rain together

And a million eyes witness my baptism
As I spin slowly feeling reborn

This is where I belong

I’ve decided that the word I hate most in the whole English language is “just”. I hate it even more than “moist”….lol. Now the word “just” has a bunch of different definitions and can be used in a whole slew of different contexts. The one particular usage of it that I detest is one of it’s adverb forms. A quick Google search defines “just” in this form as “simply; only; no more than”.

In the past almost 23 months I have been told I “just” need to do this or that. And let me tell you…when someone is going through something big, emotional, life-altering, etc. the last thing they want to hear from anyone is “just” because it totally downplays the immensity of the situation. It makes it seem like there is a simple solution, when in reality there is often no solution.

Here are some examples of things that I have been told I should “just”.

• Be grateful for what I have
• Remember all the good times we had together
• Move on
• Trust God
• Get through today
• Look forward to all the great things our kids are going to do
• Be happy that Jason is in a better place
• Keep busy
• Try
• Reach out
• Live because Jason wouldn’t want me to be sad

I apologize for that little bit of a soapbox. Maybe it seems like it came out of left field, but it’s been stewing in my brain for awhile. Especially more now that we’re approaching two years that Jason has been gone. It’s a harsh world out there for people who are grieving…filled with judgement and “just”.

I haven’t posted a poem for awhile. I’m not one to necessarily get all excited about signs…but this cardinal spoke to me this morning.

Cardinal Love

Gazing out my window
Cup of coffee in my hand
On my desk a piece of paper
Blank-waiting for my plan

Words jumble in my head
I can’t get them to behave
And then a flash of red
A cardinal catches my gaze

He perches on the wire
Right outside my window pane
I feel like he can see ME
A moment impossible to explain

He visits just a moment
Before gliding to the feeder
I keep looking for his mate
But I don’t see her

Maybe she’s back in their love nest
Sleeping in this dreary morn
Perhaps she was awake all night
Protecting their brood from the storm

The cardinal flits away
In his clenched beak some seeds
A doting mate and loving father
His family he works to feed

And as he flies out of sight
My parting thought is this
I’m jealous of that lady bird
I blow her mate a kiss

Jason’s nephew got married on Saturday. It was the first family wedding I’ve attended since Jason died. I knew it would be hard, but it was important to me to be there with the family celebrating. I gave myself a pep talk beforehand that went something like “Marie…you will not lose your shit at the wedding” over and over again. And I was doing fine…chatting….visiting with family that came from North Dakota…dancing…only a little teary. And then reality hit me like a ton of bricks…and I was NOT fine.

The only good thing about losing my shit there was that I was with people that understood…let me have my moment…and then got me back out on the dance floor. Granted I was pretty much on the verge of tears the rest of the night, it was important to me that I be there. Love is always worth celebrating….even when it hurts.

To complete my unraveling…because why not?… I decided to really pull an “Alice” when I got home and went down the “rabbit hole”…pulling up pictures and videos from Jeremy and Cheryl’s wedding two years ago. Our last family pictures. Our last dance together. Hearing his voice. I miss him. And that’s not fixable or figureoutable.

Once Again

And I’m sitting in the corner
Vision blurred
Wishing you would walk in
Grab my hand
Pull me into your arms
For just
One more
Dance

And with my head on your shoulder
I love you’s in my ear
Swaying back and forth
The world
Would right itself
And start to make sense
Once
Again

The past week was a busy one. Levi had his last band concert on Monday evening I’m grateful to my friend Jen who always lets me sit next to her at band concerts. Ugh those things are hard for me to go to solo. Levi also played singles in sectionals this week. He lost in the second round on Wednesday. He’s been having some trouble with a pulled ab muscle so he’s going to heal that up and then he’ll be right back to training for next year. His Dad would be so proud of all the improvements he’s made to his game since last year at this time. Seth and Anna were busy working. I’m so proud of them and happy that they have jobs that they love, but the house just keeps getting quieter and quieter.

Last night my sister Elizabeth and her family came over. Hanging out with them is always relaxing. We had our first “real” fire of the year…wood burning vs gas burning…and enjoyed the always popular pizza pudgy pies and smores. My nephew is a very cerebral kid and it is always interesting hearing what he is up to. The things that come out of his mouth often crack me up.

This morning I had breakfast with my friend Vicki. I love it when our Sunday mornings work out so that we can meet. Then I found myself at loose ends…out of sorts and floundering with what to do for the rest of my day. I’ve been pondering “fine lines” a lot. The fine line between feeling relaxed and feeling bored. The fine line between freedom and loneliness. The fine line between keeping busy and avoidance. The fine line between feeling your feelings and stewing.

In two weeks I’m going to a wedding for Jason’s nephew. I decided to get out of the house today and go find a dress…and then I needed new earrings. And the whole time I’m out I’m turning “fine lines” over and over in my head. Does this happen to other people? Like, I’m out shopping and I’m not really all there. I’m up in my head thinking. Watching other people. Knowing that I am really only out because I’m bored and every other fucking thing I can think of to do I really only want to do with Jason.

So I come home. Make a little nest of everything that I would want on my deck…laptop, book, snack, remarkable tablet, headphones, phone, gin and tonic, ball thrower for the dog, etc and I write. Because frankly it’s the only thing that feels like anything when the rest of life feels like nothing. Fine lines…grief and depression…anxiety and worry…not wanting to live and wanting to die…so many fine lines.

And I Hate It

I wake up in the morning
Bleary-eyed
Blood stream screaming for
Its caffeine infusion

Stand silently on my deck sipping
Staring out at the yard
Birds sing good morning from the trees
Snacking on the seed and nuts I supplied

Steam rises enticingly from my mug
I keep sipping
Willing my cells to surrender to the sun
Shake off the sleep

As I listen to the song of the sparrows
The fountain babbles unceasingly
I tell myself that I am at peace;
But I hate it.

Driving home from work
Mask slips from my face
Smile fades
Slip into my garage spot

No spouse to greet me
Just dog kisses
Kids wanting supper
Pour a glass of wine

Sit in the yard
Toss the dog’s tennis ball
Douse the plants with water
As burgers sizzle on the grill

I tell myself I am relaxed
I’m strong and in control
The scene seems stress-free;
But I hate it.

Evening comes
Solitary hours
Outside feels easier than in
Start a fire

Watch the flames flicker
Swat the mosquitoes
Birds fly in for a few more seeds
Before they settle in silence

Night falls slowly
Stars blink into existence
Darkness blankets the yard
Sleepiness creeps in

I tell myself I love the fire
The dogs snuggled next to me
Serenity in the darkness;
But I hate it

Douse the flames
Close up the house
Slip between the sheets
Dogs cuddle at my side

I tell myself today was fine
The hole didn’t feel as heavy
The hurt so sharp inside
The loneliness so constant

But the lies are laid bare
By the tears in my eyes
The emptiness in my arms
My insides churn with grief;

And I hate it.

I’ve managed to string together a few “pretty good” days in a row. Anna was home this past weekend. We had coffee with my sister on Saturday morning. Then she potted all of my outside flowers…in between rain showers and having to run and get more dirt…we grossly underestimated the amount needed. On Sunday morning I had breakfast with my friend Vicki and then Anna and I headed down to Red Wing for a wedding shower. Jason’s nephew is getting married next month. My first Great Nephew was also at the shower…nothing can beat two week old baby cuddles. Yesterday, I got it in my head that I wanted to plant some elevated beds with veggies. My sister-in-law helped me with that project.

Sometimes people ask me how I write my poems. A variety of ways really. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to write until I sit down at my desk. Sometimes something in nature inspires me…like “Tree of Enchantment” or “Fall”. I wrote a poem for my friend Terri after I was at her house and we were talking about how we hate it when people say we “lost” our husbands…like they are a missing sock or something. Sometimes my poems come from a phrase I have been turning over in my head….”Fairy Tale” was the result of thinking about “happy endings” for days.

Often my poems are emotions that I’m trying to make sense of by putting them into words. That’s how the two poems I wrote tonight came into being. One of the things that I struggle with is being able to “appropriately” celebrate other people’s happiness and big life occasions….babies and weddings being the most difficult. Of course, babies and weddings are happy occasions and I am happy for the people that are celebrating them…I LOVE babies and weddings…but they also are very sharp reminders to me that those days are over…I will never feel that happy again. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to share in those occasions…but I will also be sobbing later.

So I sat down and thought I was going to write a poem about that emotion. I even wrote “Yesterday” at the top of the page and then this poem came out of nowhere.

Looking Down

Heaven is said to be the
Ultimate goal

When you breathe your last and
Release your soul

They say it’s a place of
Beauty and peace

Where God gathers you close and
All your pains cease

But what do you do all day
Without your family

Your daughters and sons
Do you miss me?

What are you thinking
When you look down from a cloud?

I hope you see our kids and
They make you proud

Anna leads the way
Strong and confident

Following her passions
To every continent

Seth is finding his path
Winding as it may be

Struggling with his own grief
He still takes care of me

Levi watched the way you
Loved me for years

That love he shows his girlfriend
Never causing her tears

Our brood is finding their way
I wish you were here to see it

To enjoy them next to me
Not just in spirit

It was definitely an “I’m not really sure where that came from” moment…but it worked, so there it is. I immediately finished that one, renamed it…and then wrote my “Yesterday” poem

Yesterday

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday I met a guy
A tennis-playing computer nerd
Something about him caught my eye

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday we kissed for the first time
We were in his brother’s dorm room
After that I called him mine

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday we went “all in”
Said our “I do’s”
In front of family and friends

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday we grew our family
A daughter and two sons
A perfect Fregien trilogy

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday we laughed we loved
Cried and fought together too
But always rose above

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday we had date night with friends
Holding hands, laughing, meeting each other’s eyes
Anticipating night’s end

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday our heads shared a single pillow
Whispering our dreams
Our plans for tomorrow

Let me tell you about yesterday

Yesterday my soulmate died
The world kept on marching
Taking tomorrow in stride

But I just want to tell you about yesterday

Three years ago today Jason had his first MRI…of what would be many…and we got the call that he had a brain tumor. The very next day we met with Dr. Hunt, the neurosurgeon, and heard the word “Glioblastoma” for the first time. And that is “the day everything changed”. Coincidentally, May is also Glioblastoma Awareness Month and Mental Health Month.

Grief has five pretty well-known stages…denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance….that in my experience are pretty much bullshit. While I have felt all of those…they definitely have not been in that order…and I go back and forth and around and around with them all the time. Kind of like they are all there in the background, but at any one moment I feel one…or even a couple…more strongly.

Anger is one of the hardest ones for me to handle. I know that I am angry for a lot of reasons. I’m angry at circumstances. I’m angry at God. I’m angry at my loved ones. I’m angry at our health care system. I’m angry at society. The list goes on and on. Most of the time, my anger gets tamped down because I don’t feel like it fixes anything. I draw it into myself…spend more time by myself…go “radio silent”…until I can “deal” again. Mostly, it’s when I’m sleeping that my anger comes out.

Anger

Eyes snap open
Jaw clenched tight
Teeth begging for mercy

Heart pounding
Blood throbbing in every vessel
Lungs fighting for air

Brain and body working tandem
Rescuing me 
Anger pulling me under

Red so hot and dark it blackens
Like the hottest coal in the fire
Or the pits of Hell

The coal sparks
Ignites
Strengthens in my dreams

Morphs into a ball of fire
Uncontrollable pain
All-consuming

Unable to contain it
My mouth opens
Raining flames of fire and hurt

Mindlessly burning
This world that has
Deserted me

But I live in another dimension now
Even as a dragon of pain and anger
In my unconscious

The world is protected
Doesn’t see me
Doesn’t feel my heat

The dragon lets out one more roar
Tears of molten lava run down her cheeks
The fire banks

But the ember remains

The return of the dreary, cold weather here in Minnesota has been really tough on my mental wellness. The week of warmth that we had did so much to perk me up. I was getting excited about spending time in my yard…and now I’m back to restlessly wandering around my house…staring out windows…playing piano…reading…feeling frustrated and lonely.

Yesterday after work I actually hopped on my treadmill. Only make it about 25 minutes before my “Alaskan Trek” got to be too much for me. Maybe I should have started with a flat walk through the desert or something…lol. I was reminded of how dreadfully out of shape I am…but also how good it feels to sweat….so that’s something.

The usual Saturday rhythm had me dropping Levi off at Svea’s house at 8am. I decided that I was going to try to give myself a better start to my day and I stopped at Curiouser Coffee on my way back home. Ugh. It’s so hard to find things “out in the world” that I find enjoyable doing by myself. I envisioned sitting with my coffee, my tablet, and my book…feeling all cozy…maybe writing…maybe reading…instead I wrote while I people-watched. What’s wrong with that you say? Well, I was literally the only person that was there solo…and that started to feel shitty pretty quickly…and my poem about getting coffee on a Saturday morning took a turn. I’m going to try again, but bring earbuds so that I can be less distracted.

Saturday Morning Coffee

Sitting in the coffee shop
Sipping
Saturday morning brew

Wet and cold outside
Winter lingering
Won’t let go

Sitting at my table
Solo
Soaking in the atmosphere

Watching as others
Wander in
Wipe the wet from their faces

Solidarity in our quest to
Secure our
Sweet morning elixir

Wishes
Whisper
Wildly 

Spinning
Swirling in my
Skull

Wet eyes
Wistfully
Watching a

Senior couple
Shuffle in
Stars undimmed in their gaze

Wife leads the
Way
While husband follows

Smooth and easy together
Symmetry developed
Seamlessly

Widow
Widower
Words blessedly unfelt

Lucky them.

I did treat myself to a new plant at the coffee shop. Her name is Judy Bloom. She is a monstera who hasn’t swiss-cheesed her leaves yet (the leaves get slits in them as they get more sun)…so I’m anxious to watch her.

I think my house has been feeling very empty and quiet and buying plants is my way of filling it with life and beauty. There are worse things I guess. I have a few in my kitchen that are blossoming right now…and a cactus that is on the verge.

Seth has been making an effort to spend more time with me…which I appreciate. Usually we watch tennis together. There wasn’t any on tonight so we started watching the Netflix Series Breakpoint…which highlights some of the players on the tour. I stayed awake though three episodes…so it must be pretty good!

After Jason passed away I received a few books from family and friends. I made it through a few pages and then threw them across the room…every…single…one. Some of them I just read the biography of the author and that’s as far as I got. “So and so’s wife passed away in 2010. They have since remarried and are living a beautiful and happy life”….blah…blah…blah. Maybe…someday…way in the future…remarrying will seem like a viable possibility. How can I say that it 100% won’t happen? But I can 100% say that it is an unfathomable idea to me right now. Jason is still my husband.

Well, last night in my wanderings around the house I came across those books and decided to give them another whirl. Still nope…as they hit the wall a second time. Every single one of them is written from a religious perspective…and just comes off as sounding like utter bullshit. Even though God has some big grand plan that humans cannot begin to understand (hmm…really?) none of the bad things are his fault, they are humankind’s fault (how convenient) and only through God can we find healing (even more convenient). And we should not question and just need to have faith that everything will be fine…everything happens for a reason…our loved ones are in a better place…etc

I can’t get behind that. I do believe in God, but I will never believe that Jason dying was for the best in some larger scheme….nope. I think we give God way too much credit, because if we were to face the truth…that bad shit happens and this world is out of His control in so many ways…that would be a truth that most people don’t have the strength to face. So we push our emotions down…because how can we feel sad or upset if we believe God is in control?….and slog on…because we have Faith.

And there are good things in this world…don’t get me wrong. I spend hours every day either outside or looking out my window…marveling at nature…and that is where I find my hope. In the seasons…in the birds…in the flowers…in the plants that fight to find the sunshine…in the freaking squirrels that keep terrorizing my dogs. I also find hope in my people…my Tribe. They are the good.

And I realize that right about now many of you want to get in a theological discussion with me…or send me the perfect book that will make me understand. Please don’t…I have enough dents in my wall. God and I have our own thing going. I’m pissed at Him…and probably will be for a good long while…but that’s our relationship to figure out.

Reality

It’s not like in the movies
Or in the romance you read
Where the widow falls apart
Pulls the covers over her head

The tissues pile up
Take-out containers rot
While she’s checked-out
The outside world forgot

And then a friend comes over
Drags her into the shower
Says some magic words
That heal the hole inside her

But those words don’t exist
And the hole never heals
She’s just learned to hide it
The world’s uncomfortable with feels

At night she roams the house
Sipping wine from her glass
Looking for his ghost
Wondering how long she can last

This morning Facebook reminded me that 8 years ago today I was watching Jason play tennis. I would guess from the picture that it was a USTA match at Baseline. Man how I loved watching him play…especially once the kids got older and I wasn’t trying to keep them occupied and quiet on the sideline…lol

Today, I got to watch Levi play in the first match of their season. He is playing 2 singles for Eastview this year. I love to watch him too and can catch so many glimpses of his Dad in the way that he plays, although Jason’s game was doubles! Jason’s Mom and Dad came to watch the match and one of his friends from school. After the match, I turned around and one of Jason’s tennis partners and a friend from way back was standing behind me…Barb (the one standing on Jason’s left in the picture below). I was so stunned. I know I gave her an awkwardly long hug….like I could feel her try to let go at one point, but I just wasn’t done yet. I had been thinking about her just a few days ago for some reason, and then there she was. Made a trip down from White Bear to watch Levi. I did okay chatting with her a little bit and then just started to lose my shit…can you say hot mess? I shooed her away before we both became real disasters, but it was so good to see her…and I hope I didn’t scare her away. Levi won BTW 6-1, 6-0.

I got to spend some nice time outside after the match. And got to writing a poem about one of the ideas that has been rolling around in my head the past few days…happy endings.

Fairy Tale

Everyone wants a happy ending
The fairy tale
The ride off into the sunset

Then tragedy hits
The prince is gone
And darkness falls

Loneliness overwhelms the princess
Alone in her tower
Befriending the plants and the birds

Unrecognizable to herself
Her kingdom in shambles
Her crown tarnished and tilted

The plot twists
A cliffhanger
A new chapter

But the princess is lost
In the fog of grief
Without her prince

The weight of the kingdom
Heavy on her shoulders
Paralyzing her

Her most trusted advisors
Tell her to leap
But her trust in the world is shaken

Her poor kingdom has suffered enough
One more blow
Means permanent decimation

So she withers
Like a grape
On the vine too long

Her full potential
Yet to be written
The pages left blank

Waiting for the princess
To write her
Own ending.

I dipped down to one of the lowest points I have been in awhile this past week. It was one of those times that it was not the never-ending physical loneliness that cut me down, but the emotional loneliness. The knowing that there is not a single person out there who honestly understands how I feel. There are people who can come close…like my friends who are widows…but even their circumstances are different. Just like I don’t know how it feels for my husband to die quickly and unexpectantly, they don’t know how my experience feels. Do I want my friends and family to know exactly how I feel? Of course not! They know how losing Jason feels to them, but it is a different experience than losing the love of your life. I’m not saying that their grief is not as deep or as painful as mine…just different.

Of course, those lowest points always hit in the middle of the night…when the physical loneliness is also at it’s worst and the empty side of the bed feels like it is the only thing that matters.

Tears at Night

I need your arms around me
Your thumbs catching my tears
Whispering I love you
Erasing all my fears

The tears are pooling on my pillow
As I pull the covers tight
And fears are running rampant
In the dark of night

I’m a hostage to my sobs
Attacking with no mercy
Emotion beaten down too long
Is nothing if not messy

The sobs have run their course
Release me from their grasp
Flip the pillow to the dry side
Wish for sleep to find me fast

And then the alarm goes off the next morning…and the last thing that I want to do is function…but I have to…and I’m still teary-eyed when I get into work…and it takes me longer than usual to get in “work mode”. I’m grateful for my tribe who are at the other end of a text or phone call at times like that.

Yesterday this flower opened up. I think just to remind me that I’m still capable of “creating” beautiful things. I have gone from single-handedly decimating all of Anna’s house plants about a year ago to not only keeping them all alive, but keeping them all thriving…and flowering. I now have over 60 plants in my house that I am constantly “babying”. I think sometimes even Anna thinks I’m whacked when I facetime her just so I can show off a new leaf. I started thinking of names for them…and then decided that was crazy.

Today we woke up to 8 inches of snow on the ground…not exactly a welcome sight…but I’ve had a really good day today. Seth…who has been an immense help lately…cleared the driveway with the help of the neighbor’s snowblower. I don’t think ours would have stood a chance with this wet stuff. I put a huge pot of chili on the stove. Made chocolate chip cookies…which Levi enjoyed especially. Practiced the piano with the help of a new online program I invested in. Talked to my sister on the phone. Watched the snow melt and the birds at the feeder. And thought a lot about resilience.

Resilience

Woke up this morning
To a world blanketed in 
White

Unwelcome snow
Crushing spirits in
April

The winter has been
Hard enough
Why now?

Don’t we deserve the 
Green life of
Spring?

I look out the front window
My poor birch tree
Flattened.

The weight of
Snow and ice
Overwhelming

My first instinct is to
Go out and
Help

Knock the snow off
Her branches
Rescue her

But what if her branches
Are encased in ice and 
Brittle?

And helping ease her
Weight will cause them to
Snap?

So I wait with
Bated breath
Hopeful

The the sun’s warmth
Will bring her back to
Life

In her own time
She will stand tall
Again.