Monday, April 6

Writing from the Heart

Tonight was my third writer's guild meeting and I'm glad I went. There was quite a bit of news and we did a writing exercise on writing from the heart. To be more specific, the exercise was to be on grief. We were to write something about a person or a pet that had passed on.

I have had many stories published that were based on life experiences, including grief. Writing from the heart is the easiest form of writing for me because I have lived, breathed and felt it. We had twenty minutes to do the exercise. This is what I wrote:

An Ode to Aunt May

We talked, we laughed, we were always close.
We shared good times and bad,
We held each other up
When we faced difficult times.

Then...breast cancer
You were diagnosed.
Every woman's fear and I feared for your well being
After surgery, the doctors said it was beaten.

Two years later...excruiciating pain and they said sciatica,
You knew they were wrong, but they wouldn't listen.
It was bone cancer...stage four by the time they found it...
A trying time for everyone concerned.

Throughout your ordeal for the next two years,
We talked of life, things you'd experienced
Your childhood
Happy times of long ago.

We talked of death
How we felt about it...
What we believed...
What we had been taught.

One day you said to me,
"I wish it was over."
I told you that it was your choice...
That you had suffered enough.

The next day, you were admitted
To Pallitive Care.
I fed you your last spoonful of food
And gave you your last sip of water.

Everyday for ten days,
I visited you, talked to you.
Your only reponse
Was to open your eyes occassionally.

I held your hand
And you knew I was there.
Then finally, it was over,
You slipped away and went Home.

This week you would have turned seventy-six.
I thought of you and wished it could have been different.
I remembered...you haven't been forgotten.
I will remember you with love throughout eternity.
And as long as you are remembered,
Your spirit will never die.

The exercise was done by all the writers present and about half of us read them. All the stories and poems brought tears from many of the members of the group, but it was one that was necessary. It was our way of celebrating Holy Week with a tribute to a loved one who had passed. ~Blessings, Mary~

18 comments:

  1. Very precious my friend, love you.

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  2. I am so pleased that you had a chance to do such a beautiful tribute to Aunt May. Well done!

    I would love to have a chance to be in a writing class or group.

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  3. THAT is such beautiful writing- thank you- I find that I cannot write if I do not write from my heart- I am a bit naughty as I forget commas and capitals and etc. but that is just the way I am- I talk like too- (wink) papa hubby learned to understand my language- and listen fast---------
    sometimes I wish I was more poetic when I write and then I realized that this is the way God made me to write- soft hugs and blessings- and again - what a wonderful tribute and so well written-
    hugs from Meme

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  4. That's beautiful Mary, Aun May sounds like quite a lady!

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  5. mary...thank you once again for sharing your lovely gift! How blessed you are to have known Aunt May, and how blessed she was to know you!
    ~AM

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  6. Absolutely amazing. Touched my heart strings.

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  7. You're right. It's from the heart. It's real. It's meaningful.

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  8. Beautiful tribute to Aunt May. I know how much you loved her and can tell that this poem is from your heart.

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  9. Such a lovely tribute to your Aunt-and unbelievable that you wrote it in such a short time frame. You do have a way with words Mary.

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  10. So heartfelt... such a great tribute to your Aunt!

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  11. That was beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. You are very good at writing down what you feel.

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  12. You're definitely a gifted and talented writer.

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  13. You write so beautifully, dear Mary, and one can tell it was straight from the heart! Such a heartwarming tribute to Aunt May...how proud she would be of you!! xoxo

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  14. beautifully written, a lovly tribute to your Aunt May. Thank you for sharing it with us Mary...

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  15. Mary...I am a very open and blunt person...but sometimes when it comes to grief i can't express myself in writing or in words.

    This really touched me tonight... and you express your raw feelings so well...

    How wonderful of a gift you have.

    Love you
    Jess

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  16. I am back to catch up a little more.

    Oh, Mary, this was a wonderful tribute and definitely written from your heart! It brought tears to my eyes....made me think of my dad. This is Holy Week, and we do think of our loved ones at this time probably a little more than we normally do. You are certainly gifted when it comes to words! I know you are doing treat in your class! Keep up the good work!

    Happy Easter again!

    Love you! And ((( HUGS )))
    Nancy

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