poem: a season of loss

poem: a season of loss
feeling the deep sting of loss
in this dark, wet, cold,
season of mid-winter

and yet, what personal hubris of one’s self
would tell someone to worry about the comfort
and safety of their own ego

only in the dark night of the soul
are we liberated from old attachments
and compulsions so that we love more freely

only with suffering can we
awaken to the deepest
compassion and wisdom of life eternal

and only in healing can one
know the complimentary, both/and,
unitive, full process of suffering

yes, here and now in the second half of life,
it is time to put away our childish ways,
and spiritually discern our falling upward

Herb Stone
here&now working poetry
January 27, 2023

photo by author “Home”
author’s note: the second line of the last verse is from 1 Corinthians 13:11. 
Richard Rohr has an excellent book titled, “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the 
Two Halves of Life.”

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