Never Too Many Problems

LONG LIVE THE WEEDS
Hopkins

Long live the weeds that overwhelm
My narrow vegetable realm!
The bitter rock, the barren soil
That force the son of man to toil;
All things unholy, marred by curse,
The ugly of the universe.
The rough, the wicked, and the wild
That keep the spirit undefiled.
With these I match my little wit
And earn the right to stand or sit,
Hope, love, create, or drink and die:
These shape the creature that is I.

Theodore Roethke, Words for the Wind

I would like to think that we can learn something even from events as horrendous as the attack on the World Trade Center. Events like this test our strength and question who we are.

We must toil as individuals, and as a society, to come to terms with these “unholy”and “ugly” attacks on the World Trade Center.

In doing so, we truly define who we are and what we believe in ways that we never can when dealing with the ordinary, everyday events of our life.

Like most people, I’ve spent many hours talking about these events with friends and family. Sharing makes it easier to bear the pain of these events and helps to discover how I really do feel.

However, forcing yourself to express your ideas in print to strangers is another step in truly understanding your feelings and coming to terms with them.

Maybe that is why so many people are blogging now. They realize, as I have, that expressing their ideas publicly is the best way to discover who they are.

One thought on “Never Too Many Problems”

  1. i really hate poetry. theodore’s poems could have been more exciting as well as his life. i like the crazy psyco poets that take it to the extreme.

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