When something sparks a haunting memory, a writer has a choice, either write about it or bury it deeper. Recently I correspondened with an editor who lives out West. It made me think of my dad who lived in Nevada. The memory that came to mind was his funeral. Sad as it was to remember my elderly father at the funeral parlor, it was devastating to ressurect the memory of a teenaged girl sitting in a closet-sized parlor, staring at her newborn in her coffin.
She sat
all day,
alone.
Feeling
her milk dry
her womb shrink
and her heart die.
Fifteen years later, I regret not reaching out to her. To rid the vivid images from my mind, I had to put the images and feelings on paper. I wrote a poem. It is still a work in progress. I'll share with anyone who requests.
The most powerful writing tool you have is not your expensive pen or your keyboard and computer. It is your ability to connect on a profound level with your reader. The shared human experiences, even the painful ones, establish a relationship between you and your reader. So write on!
2 comments:
Wow.
Maybe she was there to give you that lesson.
Wow...that's the first word that came to my mind, too. All of us were different people 15 years ago, so please don't be too hard on yourself, Linda. You were also in the midst of mourning the death of a loved one. Don't let regret become a part of you.
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