What I have learned from my grandfather

An alchemy of tenderness and fierce strength

I’m very temporarily bringing The R-Word out of hibernation as an archive, in order to introduce you to my dear friend, Anneke Eberlei, of Germany, whose poem is so courageously and tenderly enacted (rather than performed) in the above video. Anneke and I have for a long time been interacting in the forum which is Deep Transformation Network. Recently, it became apparent that we’ve been friends all the while, and not just acquaintances. At least for me, that is. I was slower than she to realize this. And now I consider her among my dearest of friends, even though we’ve never met in a face-to-face context, and even though there is a literal ocean between us.

This poem works a subtle and gentle magic, but it is unmistakably fierce and profoundly courageous. This stark contrast is the very essence of the poem. It begins with a metronome-like clicking which uses a pen as its instrument. (That the instrument of the poem, beyond Anneke’s voice, is a pen, is important and telling — symbolic and metaphorical. Deeply poetic.) And then there is a fiercely tender rendition of an uptight, old school librarian shushing: Shhhhh! Here we know right away — in our bones as it were — that poetry emerged in relation to music in the ancient of days. And this is a poem with many layers, like the Grand Canyon’s record of deep time. Time measured by the clicking of a clock and of music.

Please savor this magic and share it widely. Anneke does not beat her own drum or toot her own horn on social media. She’s not a self-promoter. She’s too subtle a magician to do these things. But I’m not so subtle. Anneke has called me a bit of a loudmouth. (You know it is true!) And she’s right. I’m also tender and fierce, as she is, but my fire often sweeps a room or a barn. I’m not very contained in my energy. It’s a fault, actually. My fierceness is less merged and alchemically integrated with my tenderness than that of Anneke, whose above poem really should reach a vast audience.

Let’s make this video “go viral”. Then maybe the people of Germany will begin to wake up from the click, click, click of silence.

This article can be freely shared and republished, so long as a link is provided and credit is given to the poets involved. Please do your magic now, and get this poem out in the world.