I clearly remember the first time I used poems as an outlet to process my feelings. It was in 2010. My father had passed away 1.5 years earlier, and I wanted to finally work through the grief I was still experiencing with the help of something that would capture my innermost emotions adequately. I wanted an outlet for these feelings. And our fast-paced society did not offer me a meaningful one. Writing my feelings down in the form of poetry was like a catharsis.
dare to feel your feelings again
So when I rediscovered these poems in October 2018, I again felt inspired to reintroduce this creative outlet as one more method to work through my feelings. As a life coach, I see a lot of people who are scared of their own emotions. They are afraid to sit still and to feel what is going on inside of them since they are scared of the pain that this might cause. However, I think that we are only deceiving ourselves by not feeling our feelings. The pain is already there. It is inside of us. We have just numbed or distracted ourselves enough so that we needn't be aware of how many unresolved wounds we are carrying around. That does not make them have less power over us, of course. The only thing that reduces the power of our (childhood) wounds over us is to look at them consciously, to feel them, without judgment, and with love and kindness.
be curious about your feelings
I am convinced that we need to stop running from what we feel inside of us. If we don't pay attention to all of our feelings consciously, they will only tend to come out sideways. Next thing you know, you will experience a spiritual awakening. These spiritual wake-up calls are nothing to be afraid of. They are there to awaken us to what is not serving us any longer. They are reminding us of beliefs, feelings, and patterns that we can finally transcend.
All of your feelings are telling you a story about yourself and the belief system you have been holding on to. So if you are courageous enough not to run but to be curious about emotions that come up in you, you can learn so much. And what you learn in the process will make you grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I want you to feel safe with your emotions again. Let's not be afraid to consciously feel all of our feelings any longer. Instead, let's be willing to learn what it takes to live a fully conscious life.
Only Love
POEMS ON DEATH, LIFE, AND LOVE
Life is a journey from darkness back to light.
My short collection of poems on death, life, and love depicts the story of my coming to terms with the loss of my father. If you just had to say good-bye to a loved one and trying to make sense of what happened: These poems are dedicated to you. May you feel encouraged not to run from your emotions of grief, despair, and sadness that come with this experience. Death is nothing we should simply push aside. This kind of loss has something so valuable to teach us. May we finally learn again to resist the dominant way of dealing with uncomfortable feelings: Ignoring, numbing or distracting ourselves.
Readers say:
"Peri, I finished your poems tonight and got to the light! That was beautiful. Really! The journey you take people on through the pages is really touching. Through all of it, I really felt as if I could feel your emotions. YOU have a gift."
only love
God i’m here
walk me through
this moment
with utmost care
this time i’m ready
to go all the way
be free
of this pain
that has had
power over me
far too long
darkness
of my being
let’s finally
bring to light
so i can be closer
to my truth and Thine
all it takes is
one breath deep
a miracle
to trust, to see
to be willing
i can be free
dark shadows
are cast out by
golden light
not my doubt
and no fear
only love can
heal me now
only love