Winter is my favorite time of year. Partially because my birthday is in the new year, but mostly because the transition from December to January feels like a much-needed purge. This is when we let go of the old and believe transformation is possible.
At Christmas we dredge up old wounds with family. We think about the new year as a chance to be better. This is a period of resolution, renaissance and rebirth.
In the spirit of this, I want you to think of a person who has hurt you emotionally in the past. A person you have not been able to let go of for whatever reason.
Why do your memories of this still ache, and/or how were things left unresolved? Do you blame them or yourself? Or both?
I am asking you to go where you have refused to go before and to address this person/incident (and yourself) with the most honesty you can muster, even if it hurts.
Rules:
- Don’t specify who this person is or a specific incident, rather describe how they make/made you feel.
- Use a minimum of 5 stanzas/paragraphs, OR, alternately, you can use 5 lines.
- Doesn’t matter if you use a traditional form, free verse or prose blocks.
- Address different questions/aspects in each paragraph/line.
- Paragraph 1: Whose fault was it?
- Paragraph 2: What were the results of the fallout?
- Paragraph 3: Do you still think about them? Be honest.
- Paragraph 4: How hard is/was it for you to love again?
- Paragraph 5: What would you say to them now?
- Does not have to be a romantic relationship. Supplement appropriate adjectives in the paragraph questions.
Here’s my attempt:
liz mcgehee 