A Plucky Poem of Resilience

February 11th, 2015
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When I open my personal email early in the morning, one of my favorite things to see is an email from my son.  I don’t get them as much I did when he was in college because now I receive more text messages.  But still, receiving an email from him always makes me smile.

sun in the hand

The email that I write about today arrived over the weekend and in it my son wrote that a friend of his had seen the poem featured below and wanted to pass it along to me so that I could post it on Cry Laugh Heal and share it with my Resilient Readers.

Wow!  I love it when people share resources that they think will help others!

So here goes…….I was not familiar with this poem but upon reading it I found sentences that jumped out for me and illuminated the courage and emotional strength it takes for all of us to do the work of transforming our lives after a loss and finding the change that moves us forward.

As you begin your day, perhaps this poem will give comfort and help you continue to find your own healing place.

Advice from La Llorona by Deborah A. Miranda : The Poetry Foundation

Advice from La Llorona

By Deborah A. Miranda

—a found poem

Each grief has its unique side.
Choose the one that appeals to you.
Go gently.
Your body needs energy to repair the amputation.
Humor phantom pain.
Your brain cells are soaked with salt;
connections fail unexpectedly and often.
Ask for help.
Accept help.
Read your grief like the daily newspaper:
headlines may have information you need.
Scream. Drop-kick the garbage can across the street.
Don’t feel guilty if you have a good time.
Don’t act as if you haven’t been hit by a Mack Truck.
Do things a little differently
but don’t make a lot of changes.
Revel in contradiction.
Talk to the person who died.
Give her a piece of your mind.
Try to touch someone at least once a day.
Approach grief with determination.
Pretend the finish line doesn’t keep receding.
Lean into the pain.
You can’t outrun it.

Deborah A. Miranda, “Advice from La Llorona” from The Zen of La Llorona. Copyright © 2005 by Deborah A. Miranda. Reprinted by permission of Salt Publishing.

 Source: The Zen of La Llorona (Salt Publishing, 2005)
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