Healing through Vers Libre

The Meaning of Life

3/27/2023

As humans we share so many things. One of those things is our lives being unique journeys. Although we can help each other on our journeys, thanks to our commonalities, we must put one foot in front of the other on our own. The lessons I am learning may intersect with yours, but my experiences are unique to me even if you were my sibling living in the same space as I. Thus, the emotions and thoughts that influence my choices won’t be the same as yours.

The Meaning of Life

The meaning of life you are seeking
is not the meaning of life for me.
Our emotions may be similar
but the burdens we carry differ.
The way we respond to life is fueled
by particular circumstances
which inform all our thoughts and feelings.

Love in its purest form is not mine.
Nor is it yours as it’s diluted
by residue from our life events.
Our journeys may reflect similar
mindsets, but your answers are not mine.
Sharing your journey with another
may resonate, but then it may not.
We must be open and receptive
to the sacredness of their journey.

Dogma in whatever form it takes
can never answer all the questions
for which a soul is seeking answers.
Each soul’s journey remains distinctive
with choices made and answers unearthed.
It’s only at the end of our journeys
when what we’ve learned will perhaps reveal
an insight into our hearts and souls ―
the purpose of your journey and mine.

©DWilliamsen

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Leap or Struggle?

3/20/2023

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When working in management, I had no trouble combining my passion and my thoughts to accomplish my ideas. It was only when, late in life, I ventured into something that was centered around a personal passion that it seemed to become difficult to sync my passion and my thoughts.

Leap or Struggle?

The heart leaps forward without concern
while the mind is struggling to discern
if caution is the more sensible pace.
The heart meanwhile continues to race.

Some say you should follow your heart,
but what is passion without thought?
Yet thoughts alone can hold you back
as you seek to discover what you lack.

Passion has no time for such worries.
It is instead open to possibilities,
until it realizes dreams without clarity
of thought begin to unravel quickly.

The heart and mind must work as one,
using the wild creativity of your passion
and the discerning intellect of your mind,
to manifest a life that is one of a kind.

It’s not about whether to leap with abandon
or to struggle to find a leg to stand on.
It’s whether you can commingle the two
to create a more rewarding life for you.

©DWilliamsen

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Defying Loneliness

3/13/2023

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Loneliness can infect anyone. It doesn't respect status. It doesn't matter how many friends you have. However, it is hardest for those who have no sense of purpose in their lives at the moment. This lack opens the door, and loneliness sweeps into their lives.

Loneliness is an insidious state of mind.
As you’re working to fill in the spaces
in your life that have been stripped away
for reasons over which you feel powerless,
it takes advantage by nibbling at the edges
of your life that are now outside your focus:
No friends to hug or join for coffee;
No one to whom you can speak your truth;
No events to which you can look forward.

It’s not that you really mind being alone
for as an introvert, it’s needed for balance.
Still, balance is key. Too much aloneness morphs
into loneliness without conscious intention.
It inexplicably imbalances your physical world,
as well as influencing your emotional world.
Its very insidiousness diverts your focus
by sparking aches, pains, fears, and sadness,
engendering depression for all your troubles.
Loneliness only needs sadness in any form
to magically turn your world upside down.

Strength of purpose will win the day for some.
For others, purpose can be as elusive as the
infamous gold at the end of the rainbow.
Instead, self-pity and bitterness set up house
which only feeds the beast of loneliness.
Despite the heavy burden of our afflictions,
we must first seek a small purpose in our life,
shower it with passion until our ills slip away.
Moments of control will win the day over
self-pity and bitterness and open our hearts,
unafraid of the future and leaving the past behind.

©DWilliamsen

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Healing through Vers Libre

3/10/2023

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Beginning Monday, March 13, 2023, I will be using this space to share the free verse I have written over the years. Most have been in the last decade. As I have mentioned on the sidebar, this is like a diary in verse for me. I can read through one of these, and it will take me back to the emotions of that moment. Of course, now I have hindsight. I can see what came before and what developed afterward.

Even though there have been some emotional roller coasters in the last decade, especially with my husband's illness, I realize how important it was for me to allow these emotions to flow into words on paper. Not only were they a release valve at the time, they have continued to strengthen me on my journey.

I hope you can resonate with some of them. Some are extremely intimate while others deal with emotions that arose from things going on in the world.

All the best on your quest,
Dannye Williamsen

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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.

The Meaning of Life

Leap or Struggle?

Defying Loneliness

Healing through Vers Libre

Dannye Williamsen​A Diary in Verse

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Dannye Williamsen

A Diary in Verse