A Reason to Look Up

The darkness inside
these days is laden
with loss and grief.
Outside is where I
go to find peace —
birds sing to me as
they dance and play,
trees shelter me in
a canopy of green,
the sky and my ray
of sunshine, a steady
reminder there’s always
a reason to look up.

Notes from the interview that inspired this poem:

“The past year has been marked by new life and a lot of loss,” she said. She told me her son had just turned one a few weeks ago, and that she’d lost her grandmother, great aunt, great-grandfather, and grandfather all in the past year. “It’s hard having to be strong; there’s a lot of isolation, but my son needs someone,” she said. “He’s a good distraction…his jabbering and goofiness. He’s a ray of sunshine.” She was also grateful that her mom lived next door, so she had a place to go when she needed support, or to sit outside and enjoy nature–the birds, trees, and sky. She wanted the poem to be reflective and hopeful.

Interviewee: Anonymous, Medical School Admissions
Listener Poet: Jenny Hegland