Tell Me a Story

                          A Love Letter to Thyself   Valentine’s Day has come and past—but love and hate are all year, regret and remorse are all year round.  I am not speaking of the relationship between one and his/her/their partner but of the relationship one has with thyself. I have made many, many mistakes in my lifetime.  At times, I have hurt people enormously with my words, I have disappointed those I care most about, I have been selfish when I should have thought of the needs of others as well.   And so I can go one like this, whipping myself like the medieval flaggelants who used whipping as a form of expulsion of their sins. I am religious, so I do ask and often do ask God for forgiveness.  But there are secular ways as well, one of the strongest being self-compassion. Self-compassion-- for me-- is about giving youself the same room for growth and forgiveness as you would (or one day hope to) extend to others.  It is about putting that whip down and taking a breath and

  Lucille Clifton and Other Accomplished African-American Poets I am continuing a celebration of African American literature with this week’s post.  As we move into February, my posts for that month will be about the art of the love letter and we will be writing one together as well!  Black poets will also be highlighted. I am a huge fan of poetry.   It amazes me how a poet, in a few stanzas, can capture an incredible moment in life, the adoration of another human being, a disappointment of life, a hope for something new.   Some people are intimidated by poetry, my first tip is to read it out loud.   My other tips come from a background in teaching/education.   We use these strategies to help our students better understand a poem. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash In general, I read a poem three times.  FIRST READ:   just to read all the way through and get an overview on the piece.   SECOND READ: is a check for understanding.   I might google the poet and learn a little about h