Dear Poem,
Do you have any deep insights for me?
Sometimes, I come at you with
Unrealistic expectations
As if you are my psychic,
Or psychologist,
And I expect you to
Do the work
To unravel me
To save me
To love me
To lead me.
I do not want to
Trivialize your power,
Reducing you to a sterile collection of words.
Nor, do I want to burden you
With more than I should ask,
Demanding supernatural
Metaphysical
Otherwordly
Truths
That I cannot access elsewhere.
Perhaps,
Dear Poem,
I should just
Let you be
And I should
Listen
To what you have to say.
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About the Author
Julie Wasmund Hoffman is an educator with Springfield Public Schools in Illinois. She is also an adjunct professor in the Teacher Education Program at University of Illinois Springfield. Her research interests include urban education, social and emotional learning, children’s literature, and empathy. Her passion is to help students who have experienced trauma find healing, resilience, and empowerment through their own writing and the writing of others.