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{tangled} #sos

Tangled



i stare
and wonder

a tangled
mess of cords and light bulbs

where do i begin
unraveling the twisted confusion


i stare
and ponder

how this messy web
resembles the heap of resources

articles, blog posts, webinars, books suggestions
overloading my brain from clarity


i stare 
and flounder

not knowing where 
to start unraveling this confinement

knowing i just
need to start doing the work


i stare
and consider

starting at one end
slowing weaving in and out

taking my time carefully
making knowledgeable decisions


i stare 
and admire

the organization
of streamlining of ideas

as the lightbulbs
are shedding light on new understanding




As I was trying to carefully unravel the string of lights for our new patio pavilion, I had this moment of noticing. Noticing the tangle, the mess, the struggle before me. And then connecting it to how I'm feeling as I collect, gather, horde, obsess over all the resources available and being shared (mostly via Twitter for me) on the anti-racism work before me. I forward everything to my email inbox to dive in, to digest, to question, to learn, to understand ... but for later. So my inbox is a tangled mess right now and I didn't know where to begin, and I just continue adding more and more. Through noticing, thinking, reflecting, and, of course, writing, I now know where to begin with my tangled mess.


Comments

  1. The interesting thing with cords and thoughts is that we may get them ordered and then they get tangled again. The moments when we have clarity and order feel good. I like how you build the poem.

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  2. I love your new space and these thoughts about working through a tangle - we do have a lot to process right now and I"m finding going slow with one step and another is okay for me. I"ve had to pull back a bit from all the goodness people are sharing.

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  3. Collecting is where I usually begin too, and writing and talking help me sort it all. I think every step is important.

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  4. What a striking metaphor for the work before us in education. I appreciate the combination of your poem + reflection. I wish I could hang out on that pretty patio with you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I thought(as I read your title) how "Tangled" was a perfect metaphor for many of my recent days. Then I was surprised by seeing an actual tangle of chords. I wondered where you were going and understood in your poem you were describing something deeper, too. The ending is perfect for a Christ follower because it ends as all God's stories do with LIGHT! God never fails to use our struggles and transform them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I loved the structure of this poem and how the verbs changed. I also loved the message. There is much to untangle in our world these days. It will happen.

    ReplyDelete

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