Poems for tender hearts
and other repairs
November 11, 2024
Hello You,
It’s been quite a week.
“How are you doing?” I ask, in a gentle and kind, Steve-from-Blues-Clues kind of way. I wish I could pour each and every one of you a cup of tea at my kitchen table and offer a generous dollop of honey from my bees to sweeten it. No matter where you are in the world, please know, “I’m listening. I’m here.”
Speaking of hope.
Last Tuesday evening I tried out the chat function for this substack and held a two hour session devoted to the topic of “hope.” I learned a lot (by making a few mistakes in setting it up,) and even wrote a handful of improvised poems along the way. A million thanks to those who logged on and participated! It was so lovely to gather with you online and share some time together. I’ve loads of ideas for moving forward with more themed-chats in the near-future, and would love to have feedback from all of you as to how you might like to see that go. I promise I’ll actually send out an email reminder next time and have a better understanding as to how the whole format works!
election night erasure poem
Knowing human nature as I do, let me assure you:
It takes so much energy to be what you are not.
So discover yourself, rescue a child that is trapped, commit to a new light.
A letter to Mary
Dear Mary Oliver,
There is so much that’s unknowable on a gray November day —
The strength of the sun, the limits of the horizon, the true shape of anything.
But I feel that if you were here you would ask:
What is it that you do know? What’s taking up space in your heart?
Tell me…
but say it as Emily would — spare and slant.
Notes from Destiny, November 6, 2024
Wednesday brought unseasonably warm weather to my corner of the planet, so I decided to get out of the house —away from TV, radio, and online media — and drag myself and a typewriter up to the LookOff above the Annapolis Valley to try to get some perspective. Before I left home, I posted a quick note on my socials to let people know when I’d be there, in case they were in the need of a friendly face and a free poem.
In the past, I’ve left the content of my Notes from Destiny pop-up poems to chance, and simply riffed on whatever conversation might arise between myself and the people I meet while out in nature with my typewriter. This time around I chose to do something different and write each poem based on the answer to a question that I put to each person I encountered: “Tell me about a time you repaired something you didn’t think you could fix.”
I’m a big fan of this question on many levels. First off, it’s an excellent way to get someone to tell you a story. Second, it evokes memories of having overcome a difficult challenge. Third, it often sparks conversation about tools and lessons that may well be helpful in other tough situations.
I should also add that I love this question because I’m a HUGE fan of a BBC One television show called The Repair Shop. If you’ve never seen it, I encourage you to look it up. The show (along with Gardener’s World) truly helped me get through many sleepless nights the last few years. The premise is simple, a team of skilled craftspeople work together in a beautiful thatched roof barn in the UK, repairing cherished items brought to them by people who’d like to see them restored. The monetary value of the items is never focussed on or mentioned. And although many items have historical relevance, it’s not about bringing an object to a state of perfect restoration. What it is about, is the relationship between the objects and their owners/caretakers, and the stories behind them. With every object that’s brought in for repair, a member of the repair team asks - “who did this originally belong to?” “What’s their name?” “Why would you like to see it repaired/ why now?” “What would it mean to you to have it repaired?” And there is always an acknowledgement of the fact that it can be difficult to leave a treasured item behind, whether it’s a wedding band, or a teddy bear, or a rusty old bike. During the course of an episode, we see craftspeople lean in on their knowledge and skills, as well as lean on each other for help and advice. In the end, the owners/caretakers return to collect their items, usually with tears of wonder, gratitude, and surprise.
And so I went to the Look Off last Wednesday, with the spirit of The Repair Shop in my heart, hoping to evoke a bit of wonder with the help of anyone who might come along and want a poem.
Here’s a sampling:
I certainly wasn’t disappointed! I heard so many fabulous stories while taking in the gorgeous view — stories of repairing courage, cottages, friendship, hope, faith, and love. Although I adore the change of seasons, I’m somewhat sad that winter’s approach means I’ll likely not have this experience in the wild again until spring. (That said, Nova Scotia friends with public interior spaces, hit me up if you think a Notes from Destiny poetry pop up might make sense for you this winter, and we’ll talk!)
The Awe Report and Closing Thoughts
This is Rosie, a rosemary bush I’ve been growing for more than a decade. (probably closer to two.) She started off as a straggly sprout from a roadside farmer’s market, and now takes up an entire window in my dining room. She goes out into my garden each spring, to take in sun, wind, and rain, and to spread herself in all directions — from the tips of her branches to the far reaches of her roots. Each autumn she comes inside to keep me company through the winter. Some years have been pretty darn rough on her, but she always comes back, the bark of her branches thicker, the new growth of summer more vibrant and tender than ever. Isn’t she lovely?
Voice of the Moon #3 is coming November 15th for paid subscribers, and with it the return of Dear Destiny. This month’s question for Destiny is about forgiveness, which, I feel, is also about travelling along the road of repair. If you haven’t subscribed yet, I hope you’ll consider it. It goes a long way towards helping me continue writing —from this newsletter to my novel-in-progress.
Thanks as always for reading my words and for your support. Feel free to leave some thoughts in the comments. What have you repaired that you didn’t think could be fixed? What tools served you best? What lessons did you learn?
Until next time, I wish you magic and bliss along your way!
I love The Repair Shop! And your writing, as always.
Thank you, I love your story of Rosie. I can smell scents of fresh rosemary, I have a backyard Alberta Spruce that has required care and attention. Squishy, arrived in a pot heathy and vibrant. Oddly, Alberta Spruce does not seem to do so well in Alberta. She needs to be protected from Winter winds, nursed through Summer drought. I was told by a neighbour that she would not survive yet Squishy is growing taller each year, against the odds. I have learned that giving care and attention gives back to me more than I could imagine. The tools are burlap wrap, water, fertilizer and vigilance. Everyone, take the best of care.