Purpose
And now we who are writing women and strange monsters…
~ May Sarton
In the early quiet of another day
we rise to the task,
bring to the page
whatever odd fragment
of thought bubbles up,
begin again and again.
Our work becomes a way
to release burdens, cope
with loneliness and isolation,
dismiss betrayals and grief,
illuminate and defend
what our world has bequeathed
of beauty and pleasure.
We may forestall fear
or find what was lost.
Yesterday it might have been
an attempt to pen a farewell
for someone we loved,
today an endeavor
to understand mortality,
perhaps uncover
how much is still possible.
Laura Bayless is the author of four collections of poetry, her most recent is Chairs in the River published by FutureCycle Press in December 2017. Her poems have appeared in local and national publications, and anthologies, including Dancing on the Brink of the World, Selected Poems of Point Lobos, Porter Gulch Review, The Homestead Review, and Blue Heron. She is co-editor of an award-winning compilation of stories and poems about the Carmel River – Passion for Place. Her additional creative pursuits are photography, collage, and watching birds.
And now we who are writing women and strange monsters…
~ May Sarton
In the early quiet of another day
we rise to the task,
bring to the page
whatever odd fragment
of thought bubbles up,
begin again and again.
Our work becomes a way
to release burdens, cope
with loneliness and isolation,
dismiss betrayals and grief,
illuminate and defend
what our world has bequeathed
of beauty and pleasure.
We may forestall fear
or find what was lost.
Yesterday it might have been
an attempt to pen a farewell
for someone we loved,
today an endeavor
to understand mortality,
perhaps uncover
how much is still possible.
Laura Bayless is the author of four collections of poetry, her most recent is Chairs in the River published by FutureCycle Press in December 2017. Her poems have appeared in local and national publications, and anthologies, including Dancing on the Brink of the World, Selected Poems of Point Lobos, Porter Gulch Review, The Homestead Review, and Blue Heron. She is co-editor of an award-winning compilation of stories and poems about the Carmel River – Passion for Place. Her additional creative pursuits are photography, collage, and watching birds.