Comfort in Times of Tragedy

Where do you turn in times of deep trouble? How do you console yourself when your whole world has turned upside down? How can you provide solace to others, especially children, who have lived through traumatic events like the tragedies of September 11, 2001?

Poet, author, and teacher Georgia Heard tried to answer such questions when asked “to gather poems of comfort to read to the New York City children who witnessed the World Trade Center tragedy.” The anthology she edited, This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort, includes eighteen poems, each one illustrated by a different picture book artist. Many of the illustrators describe their inspiration for the illustrations and their hopes that their contributions might help provide comfort. In an Author’s Note, Heard says, “I tried to choose poems that touch upon our feelings of fear and loss, remind us that we are not alone in despair, and assure us that dreams can be born even from tragedy.” The poems in this wonderful collection fulfill her objective and more.



The title poem, “This Place,” by Eloise Greenfield, and several others address grieving and assure young readers that tears are an acceptable and possibly even a necessary part of the process.

Touching poems about friendship and togetherness include “To You” by Karla Kuskin, which speaks to someone whose company would enable the narrator to “do anything at all.” “A Little Girl’s Poem” by Gwendolyn Brooks describes a child’s wishes for children all over the world: “Life is for us, and is shining. We have a right to sing.”

Both “Hold Fast Your Dreams” by Louise Driscoll and Langston Hughes’s “Dreams” remind readers to hold onto their hopes and dreams so they can eventually find joy. A favorite of mine, “Trouble, Fly” by Susan Marie Swanson, addresses trouble directly and asks it to “Let our night be a night of peace.” “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry describes a retreat to still water to “rest in the grace of the world.” Additional poems describe life in New York City and the resilience of its inhabitants. The publisher, Candlewick Press, and contributors donate part of the proceeds to Save the Children.

I return to this collection again and again, when teaching, in school visits, to comfort myself in difficult times. Of course, poetry alone is not enough to save us in times of tragedy. But it can help lessen the pain of listeners and readers alike by reminding us of our shared losses and strengths.

9-11 Lesson Plan: Stand on Your Head

9-11-01. Man-o-man.

Write a poem for Poetry Friday about it? I tried. But it was sooooooo big, I didn’t know how to get my arms around it.

So I tried looking at it a differently:

IF YOU RUN THE FILM BACKWARDS ON 9-11

two towers
grow out of the ground
and bloom

© April Halprin Wayland

It’s hard for me to write about the big stuff.

Here's a quote from a book by Tim Page called Parallel Play–Growing Up With Undiagnosed Asperger’s:

“Not only did I not see the forest for the trees; I was so intensely distracted that I missed the trees for the species of lichen on their bark.”

Yeah—me, too!It’s easier for me to write about the intimate, the personal, the small stuff. I have to start by writing about my backyard before I can write about war.

So, for example, if I wanted to write about a big hard-to-get-my-arms-around-it topic like LOVE, I might write about the day we brought our dog Rosie home from the shelter.

But what if I stand on my head to look at this topic? Maybe I can write about love by describing what it feels like to lose it.

ANIMAL SHELTER

The lady who opened the cage cried
and the guy behind the counter
reached out to touch your bristly hair one last time,
and the vet came out in her white coat,
held your face in her hands,
looked into your Cleopatra-lined eyes,
and solemnly kissed your nose good-bye.

Then she handed me
your leash
and the thing that
the lady who opened the cage
and the guy behind the counter
and the vet
were about to miss

jumped into the backseat with me
drove home with me
raced around the grass with me
and the thing they are missing
is here with me now
licking my face,
licking my lucky face.

(c) April Halprin Wayland

Here’s another example of writing about something by thinking about what's missing when it's not there:

ON THE DEATH OF A SMALL DOG

Opening the front door,
there is no small sound of clicking nails
on the wooden floor
no bright eyes
no jumping, dancing dog.

I have opened a pomegranate
and found no ruby seeds —
only this
hollow
shell.

published in Cricket Magazine—November, 1999
© April Halprin Wayland

So if you are stuck trying to write something about 9-11 or any other subject, try standing on your head!



Writing Workout / Lesson Plan—
Standing A Topic on its Head

For ages 7 through adult (or younger, with individual help.)


Objective: This lesson teaches writers how to stand on their heads and look at something in a new way.

Instructions:

1) Brainstorm on paper a memory of an event that rocked your personal world. Jot down whatever comes to mind, writing quickly. Don't worry about neatness or spelling or complete sentences--you're making notes for yourself, not anyone else.

You might think about:

when you did something that made you feel grown-up—
maybe you helped paint the kitchen.
Or you did something that helped someone solve a problem.

Or
when something scary happened—
maybe your dog ran away.
Or your parents separated.

Or
when something joyous happened—
maybe your family moved into a nice home.
Or you learned how to skateboard or read.

2) Take a deep breath.

3) Circle one event you want to write about.

4) Now, stand on your head. Think about this event backwards or sideways or if it had happened differently---and how you would be changed as a result.

5) Write honestly. Write with joy!

Maybe that's the best way to address 9-11...write honestly and write with joy.
Out and About
It's nearly Rosh Hashanah!

On Saturday, September 12th New Year at the Pier--A Rosh Hashanah Story will be read on the radio program HALFWAY DOWN THE STAIRS by the one and only Uncle Ruthie on KPFK in Los Angeles & Santa Barbara.

Also on Saturday, September 12th from 3-5 pm: my bricks-and-mortar book launch for New Year at the Pier--a Rosh Hashanah Story, including a playlet featuring elementary school kids(the play will be around 3:30-ish)at Hillside Pharmacy in Manhattan Beach, CA (our local independent bookstore cleverly disguised as a pharmacy)

For more events, check out my calendar!

Wild Rose Reader is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup.
all drawings by April Halprin Wayland