There is a brokenness
out of which comes the unbroken,
a shatteredness
out of which blooms the unshatterable.
There is a sorrow
beyond all grief which leads to joy
and a fragility
out of whose depths emerges strength.
There is a hollow space too vast for words
through which we pass with each loss,
out of whose darkness we are sanctioned into being.
There is a cry deeper than all sound
whose serrated edges cut the heart
as we break open
to the place inside which is unbreakable
and whole
while learning to sing.
The Unbroken
Since the early dark days of December, I have been waiting for a poem to arrive that would speak to the place I have been in, that might offer comfort and direction. This seems to be the one.
Rea tells us that out of brokenness and shatteredness, come their opposites: the unbroken, the unshatterable. So I ask myself, is this indeed possible?
She tells us that sorrow can lead to joy, that strength emerges from fragility – again illuminating the contrasts that may be hidden from us, shrouded as they are in grief.
With each loss, and by now there may be many for you as there have been for me, we are shown a deeper aspect of ourselves, an encouragement to step into a greater whole.
By allowing our hearts to break open, we reach a ‘place inside which is unbreakable‘. This apparent contradiction is necessary to truly experience our wholeness which of course includes all of these dichotomies.
And yes, all the while, we are learning how to sing, how to live fully, without reservation.
Heart Poems 