Publication of poems in Dodging the Rain
A couple of weeks ago I had two poems published in an online literary journal, Dodging the Rain. I’d like to say a few words about both of these poems to give you some background.
The first poem, Milk, is a true memory from my childhood. It does feel important to say, however, that this was not a common occurrence. My parents separated when I was young but I was in the fortunate position that they remained good friends, all the way to the end of my father’s life. We even all went on holiday together. I’m sure one of the reasons why this memory is so vivid is precisely because it was so rare. I didn’t grow up in a violent household and whilst my father could lose his temper (which human out there doesn’t?), my mother was really calm and I don’t remember her often raising her voice.
The second poem, How to Stay Awake, is inspired by my challenges at night I often have in sleeping. I’ve wrestled with chronic insomnia now for almost two decades and it’s often when it’s quiet and still at night that my mind, frustratingly, comes alive and starts thinking about niggles from the day, world events and personal situations. I often sit up in my bed and meditate to try and regulate my mind back to a state of equilibrium – sometimes this works but often it doesn’t.
War seems to be a constant in this world, but I can’t deny that the current conflict in Gaza has disturbed me hugely and doesn’t help me rest easy at night. In this second poem, I remember a conversation I had as a young person with my grandmother about the Holocaust and why she didn’t do anything when she knew what was happening. The parallels are both ironic and heartbreaking. It’s worth stating that I am of Jewish heritage, so I’d like to say #CeaseafireNow and #FreeTheHostages
Thank you for reading this blog post. Complement it with reading my poem about refugees and asylum seekers, Beneath the Same Sun & my prize winning poem, Tripoli Dreaming, which charts memories of an elderly immigrant’s earlier life in Libya.
The post Publication of poems in Dodging the Rain appeared first on Rebecca Stonehill.
