Healing through Vers Libre

The Past Doesn't Own Us

9/18/2023

It is so easy to let the past rule our thinking, our attitudes; in other words, the past can determine our present. Being aware of our past is not the same as allowing it to color every decisions we make, to fuel old hurts. Knowing the content of our past and recognizing the paths we chose and why is important because it aids us in avoiding those which did not serve us. If we don’t, we cannot live in the present or plan our best lives for the future.

The Past Doesn’t Own Us

We often take our daily lives for granted
when things seem to be as they should.
Our routines take over. Our priorities shift.
Worries, big and small, sometimes cause rifts,
binding us together in the worst way,
insidiously eroding the beauty in our lives.
Life shifts. Be it death, divorce, or betrayal,
it makes no difference. The past is gone.
The only answer: wake up to what's important.
Listen to those around us when they speak.
Always give them the benefit of the doubt.
We didn't orchestrate our pasts on purpose,
but we can change our present and future.

©Dannye Williamsen

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The Last Act

9/4/2023

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Losing someone who’s been there for such a huge part of your lifetime is a shock. The grief is coupled with the hardship of learning a new way of life, and it brings up so many questions about the nature of your life going forward.

The Last Act

When you’ve lost someone who’s traveled with you through life,
bore witness to all the many changes that have occurred,
not just changes in your body, but in your very being,
and cherished each and every one of them as precious,
is it possible to find another who can see beyond the scars of life?

You have all these memories that stretch out over years,
memories that hold tales of the paths you took,
of the mistakes and the triumphs you shared
with another who changed alongside you.
Can someone new step into the void that now exists?

Never having to explain the life you’ve had to someone
because they weren’t there, yes, but also to reveal
why all your dreams are still a part of you,
still aching to become a reality, despite your years.
Can another step onto a moving train this late in life?

You’re not an ingénue any longer with a nearly blank slate.
You’ve succeeded. You’ve failed. You’ve dreamed.
You’ve loved another in a way you never expected.
You’ve grieved, feeling your life lose its balance.
Do you even want to step into another person’s world?

Que sera, sera – whatever will be, will be – is the best mantra.
You cannot know what life has in store for you.
Being closed off to change will deny you of gifts
you perhaps never imagined possible in your life.
After all, you are a different person at this point in life.

Perhaps it isn’t a void at all, but a new beginning for you.
You may not find another love, but you may discover
someone whose journey harmonizes with your own,
someone who cherishes the person in front of them.
It’s possible Act 3 of your life could truly be a new adventure.

No matter what path your life takes in the final years of life,
live it with an open heart and an open mind.
Don’t be fearful or intractable. Step into the unknown.
You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Take a deep breath, smile, and dive into life anew.

©DWilliamsen

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The Shades of My Dream

8/21/2023

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Our dreams have this tendency to follow us through our lives if we don’t embrace them. However, if we resist them too long, we may find ourselves bringing along memories of all those times things didn’t go as planned. It makes it harder to unfurl our wings and fly. These thoughts don’t necessarily affect the quality of our creativity, but they can make us more cautious than we might have been in our past.

The Shades of My Dream

I dreamed of writing, using words
to express the feelings of my heart.
I dreamed of weaving exciting tales
to carry people into other worlds.
Instead, I wrote words for others
to help express their hurt, their joy.
The words I wrote for myself
I hid away from the view of others.
Life kept winning out over my dreams.
Half a century slipped away before
I mustered the courage to write
my words, weave my tales, and
share my thoughts on many things.
Still, that old fear of failure lingers,
holding me back from taking chances.

©DWilliamsen

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Surviving the Darkness

8/7/2023

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Dark moments visit us all even those who would prefer not to admit it. Dark moments are not a sign of weakness. They are just an effect of stress or doubts about something in our lives or about a desire we have. We must recognize them as temporary and shift our focus rather than let them sabotage us.

Surviving the Darkness

Do you ever experience those days
when you can't stand living in your own head,
when your thoughts lead you round and round in a maze,
pulling your mind down to a place of dread?
What happens if you can't escape its hold?
Is your life destined to slide further yet?
Does it matter how strong you are? How bold,
or is this the price you owe, your debt?
Is it possible to shake yourself free,
to pull back the shades of darkness from you,
to find a light that will guide you safely
forward until you can see what to do?
It must be true. Others have traveled here
and survived the daunting pull of darkness.
I will be strong, steeling myself against fear,
and believing I can find happiness.

©DWilliamsen

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Time to Resist the Siren Call

7/24/2023

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We are in critical times as a nation. Democracy is on the line, and the loss of it will have repercussions around the world. We have to wake up and with eyes wide open see how the masses are being manipulated.

Time to Resist the Siren Call

Can you hear the siren call rallying its minions?
First they came for the minorities.
Then they came for the immigrants.
Then they came for the women.
Then they came for the LGBTQ community.
Then they came for the elderly.
Then they came for the judicial system
All the while undermining democracy.

Do not be fooled.

White supremacy is only an effective tool
to incite the easily manipulated among us
and those whose dreams have faded.
Look at what stands in front of you.
All those who have come for Americans
include members of all targeted groups.
Why? you ask. The answer is simple.

The driving force is behind the curtain.
On the surface it seems the troubles
today lie at the door of the GOP.
This is what we are meant to believe.
It is a sleight of hand, a misdirection
by those driven by power and greed.
Those in the world with financial power
chose a perfect vehicle for their movement.

What’s better than a conservative party,
a party that lost its way years ago?
Support it with dollars, whisper in its ear.
Promise it the moon and the stars,
and it becomes a servant to the gods of money.
It loses its humanity as the puppet masters
pull its strings to beat down those who would
resist their seductive call to abandon morality.

These legislators across this nation of ours
are oblivious to the dangers they are unleashing.
Blinded by the draw of power and greed,
their view limited by promises of a fantasy world,
where they can “fix” anything that’s uncomfortable,
they lack critical thinking for they are merely minions.
They fail to see that what control they seem to have
is illusory. The gods of money are the ones in control.

The GOP claims they desire law and order, but
the average American is gobsmacked by the irony.
The puppet masters have the GOP and its followers
so overwhelmed tilting at windmills they can’t see
the incongruity of their actions or the consequences.
Trump, DeSantis, and McCarthy are disposable tools
of the forces behind the curtain, serving as misdirections.

Do not be fooled.

Disinformation, misinformation, misdirection, whitewash
are all words that describe what goes on today.
Unfortunately, we’re not looking behind the curtain
at the gods of money who own our legislators.
Until we step outside the storm they’ve created to call
them into the light for all to see, nothing will change.
Time to close our ears to the siren call, stop being complacent,
and open our eyes to the reality of whom we are meant to be.

Freedom is when we recognize our diversity,
allow our diversity, and work together in freedom.
Democracy and freedom only work as human rights
when there is compassion for all persons,
when there is freedom of religion for all persons,
when rule of law restricts the exercise of arbitrary powers,
when legislators serve the will of the people, and
when everyone contributes their fair share to the process.

©2023 DannyeWilliamsen

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Time Moves Forward

7/10/2023

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I just found this free verse I wrote in June, 2020. Interesting that I experienced a moment recently that dealt with my feelings about this very issue. Even three years after the fact, old concerns or regrets will suddenly surface. I am sure the occurrences will be rarer as time goes on. At least this is what I'm told. John and I are soulmates. We served each other's needs, psychologically and emotionally, in this lifetime. We were able to open ourselves to each other in ways we'd never been able to do with others. I am still learning from my time with him. Although he, too, was learning, I believe he was further along on the journey this lifetime than I.

TIME MOVES FORWARD

Time moves forward without a hint of remorse,
dragging me along, ignoring my protests.
I just want to hold onto the moment before ...
before his last breath. Before I lost him forever.
I want to go back and say things I would have
if I hadn't been in such a disordered state of mind.
If I had earlier given up my maniacal hold on hope,
accepted what was and been totally present,
perhaps the memories would be sweeter.
Oh, I said many things to him a few days before
but in that moment of finality, the words fled.
I wanted to pull him back, take hold of a miracle,
go back in time with foreknowledge of what awaited,
so I could be in the moment with him all the time
instead of racing around on an impossible mission.
Sadly, that didn’t happen. Now I must assume
my thoughts today go beyond the veil to him
in whatever form he takes, so he knows that
his death is changing me, clarifying my view
of myself and of the world around me,
pecking away at the walls I’ve built in my life.
When we are together again on the other side
or in another life, I will have grown from this.
You, my love, are still my teacher in many ways
as you say I was yours. We are indeed soulmates.
©DWilliamsen

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People on Edge

6/26/2023

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People on edge describes people everywhere these days. It is a vicious cycle that we must start addressing if we don't want to limit ourselves to the compelling choices by people on edge.

People on Edge

Choices by people on edge: explosion or implosion.

Explosion is a thunderous eruption
that carries all the anger from years past,
anger that provides fuel for the present.

Implosion is a silent withdrawal,
a quietness that is anything but calm,
an internal cyclone that refuses to breach
the walls of decorum to spoil the behavior
others consider to be in good taste.

People on edge are caught in a web,
a web that won’t turn them loose,
won’t free them from their emotional vise.
Other people are cautious lest they become caught
in the clutches of anger or despair themselves.

Unwittingly others feed the choices
for it is the dispassion of others, the silence
that traps those in pain so tightly
into an empty world with no place to turn.
Empty words from others can find no purchase.
They are consumed without notice.

Only listening. Trying to walk in their shoes.
Not judging. Offering to help if you can.
These things can tear down walls and
ease the tensions roused by emotional conflicts.
It can be hard. The edge was not achieved overnight.
It will, however, be worth it - for them and for YOU.

©DWilliamsen

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Hard Times Serve Us

6/12/2023

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Hard times are what most of us fight to avoid. Instead of fighting against them, we need to look at them differently, In other words, search for the gift they offer.

Hard Times Serve Us

Life can turn on a dime
and throw you out of sync
with your world, creating fear.
It’s part of life for all,
even if you feel safe
with your bases covered.
The universe chooses
these times to strengthen us.
Is it pleasant? Rarely,
but it can be if we
understand the reason.
To work through the hard times
offers nuggets of wisdom
to serve us in future
if we’re open to them.
This is the way we grow.
Is there a better way?
Not one as prevalent
in human history.
Tapping into your strengths
is key to stepping up,
which can shift the balance
and make hope your partner
as hard times slip away.

©DWilliamsen

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Cleaning Up the Muck

6/5/2023

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Our daily lives can often feel overwhelming. When they do, it’s easy to make excuses and take the easy way out. Unfortunately, the things we ignored, hoping they would take care of themselves, usually come back to haunt us.

CLEANING UP THE MUCK

Letting go of negative and destructive attitudes
is like trying to clean a metal pan
when the overcooked dish stuck to it.
Getting the muck off the bottom and sides isn’t hard.
It’s the corners and crevices that defy your attempts
to scrub them clean so you choose to leave them.
Eventually, more muck finds a home in the corners
until the only clean spot is right in the middle.
Our lives are like this.
We let go of the most obviously negative attitudes we have
but choose to ignore the more insidious ones
until we wake up one day to discover
they’ve attracted so many more destructive ideas
that it’s difficult to see the positive ones anymore.
Moral: Don’t take the easy way out.
Put in the work necessary to clear yourself
of all the muck in the corners of your life.

© Dannye Williamsen

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Living In the Past

5/29/2023

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Living in the past is not a good thing. This doesn’t mean that we pretend the past didn’t happen. It means that we don’t stop moving forward. We are living in a time where many people are trying to return to the past. This is not good as a nation and certainly not as individuals.

Living in the Past

Living in the past is a recipe for disaster.
If it is full of negatives, that same mindset
finds its way into the life you live in the present.
If it’s full of positives and you choose to live there,
it inhibits your ambition and your creativity now.

Living in the past tends to pull you like a magnet
into a world that played its part in all those lives,
a part meant to offer opportunities for rising above
the struggles designed to make you stronger.
Life is about change, and change requires overcoming.

Progress isn’t about retaliation, reprisal, or reparation.
It is about learning as individuals and nations
from our mistakes of the past so we don’t keep
creating the same circumstances in our present.
How? By not investing all our energies into the past.

As long as we live in the past, fighting for justice
for past wrongs, we don’t create balanced solutions,
solutions that will lead to peace and understanding.
Our intensity creates new imbalances with which to deal.
Focusing on the negative past will never solve anything.

Even for those whose pasts seem to be enviable,
living there denies them creativity needed to draw
from their past experiences and move forward.
Creativity increases as one learns from experiences.
Reliving past success does not lead to more success.

Progress can only be made if the gifts offered
by living are used to improve oneself and
all humankind for we’re all connected in spirit.
Emotions like anger and retribution only serve
to keep the world in continual states of imbalance.

Living in the past often leads to fear of the future
along with other negative attitudes and approaches,
which don’t bring solutions, only more problems.
The true gifts of the past are there if we open our hearts
and choose to use it to create a better future for all.

©DWilliamsen

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Dannye Williamsen

A Diary in Verse

Pablo Picasso said, “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” For me, free verse is like a diary. It serves you by allowing you to release your emotions by setting pen to paper. At times, it helps you clarify your thinking on a subject. Regardless of the motivation, it is an intimate exercise. As a writer, it takes courage to share them with others. The words lay you open to the world.

Life is a purifying process. It serves as our crucible – a place where we can experience the heat of change. Life is our source for opportunities to transform ourselves. For me, writing, particularly free verse, helps me transform my feelings about difficult situations by putting them down on paper. Oftentimes with those verses serving as release valves, I can feel myself changing as soon as I place the last period on the verse.

One thing all humans have in common are emotions. Emotions exist on a complex spectrum, and the spark leading to their expression can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. It can stem from experiences in the past or those in the here and now or even those on the world stage.

I chose to share these in hopes they would resonate with others. I hope some of them can serve you on your journey, if for no other reason than to know you’re not alone in how you are feeling.

Dannye Williamsen​A Diary in Verse

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Dannye Williamsen

A Diary in Verse