Palmer Trinity School

THE EDGE "Come to the edge," he said. "We can't, we're afraid!" they responded. "Come to the edge," he said. "We can't, We will fall!" they responded. "Come to the edge," he said. And so they came. And he pushed them. And they flew. We need to embrace life and its challenges – fear is crippling and shying away from challenges stunts growth and development. Consider taking a chance on something which imbues you with hesitation and unease and by doing so you may be set free to soar to heights unimagined. As in all things in life, we are faced with a choice. Life is full of choices and only the individual can choose their own lives. Let's not be afraid of choice. If we are frightened of committing ourselves to an action we stagnate, we wither – and stasis makes the next choice more difficult. Because fools rush in where angels fear to tread, making a choice takes some time and some thought but a choice must be made, and we must move on without regret of self- recrimination. Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," puts the challenge succinctly. P O E T R Y T O C O N S I D E R Throughout life we will be faced with choices and making a choice implies that we will not experience all life may have to offer. We need to choose and live, and then appreciate that having made a choice we do not live a life tinged with regret of what might have been. Today's problem of people feeling lonely and isolated is not necessarily a new one. Throughout time and all human experience, individuals have felt lost or powerless. While not intending to make light of the challenges individuals might face in this realm, a possible starting point is in poetry – finding and reading poems that can bring comfort or a realization that we are not alone in this world. William Wordsworth regularly turned to a contemplation of nature to settle his soul and find tranquility in the midst of concern. His poem "Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey" in which Wordsworth describes the power and effect of nature on man's soul. Nature has often been a spring of hope and inspiration. Wendell Berry's poetry serves as a reminder of the importance of community, the sustaining power of nature, and the simple beauty of our world. In "The Peace of Wild Things," he encourages readers to slow down, consider their impact on the world, and find contentment in the basics of life. The message is that nature can provide an escape from the chaos and despair of humanity. There, the "wild things" do not trouble themselves with the same anxiety that humankind does. One can find escape and relief there. In answering the question Why read poetry? Harold Bloom says "Only rarely can poetry aid us in communicating with others: that is beautiful idealism … Solitude is the more frequent mark of our condition; how shall we people that solitude? Poems can help us speak to ourselves more clearly and more fully, and to overhear that speaking. … We speak to an otherness in ourselves, or to what may be best and oldest in ourselves. We read to find ourselves, more fully and more strange than otherwise we could hope." (How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom) In "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson, the poet suggests that Hope is an emotion or a feeling that exists in our hearts or minds as a tune that plays endlessly, that cheers when we feel hopeless, which permits us to overcome challenges, and provides comfort and consolation without requiring anything of us. We must choose to hope whenever we are faced with a choice because it is hope in ourselves and in the future that will ensure that we move into our world and our lives confident and sure of the future. The words of this song from "Carousel" offer just that hope and reassurance. YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE BY ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN When you walk through a storm Keep your chin up high And don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm Is a golden sky And the sweet, silver song of a lark. Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, And you'll never walk alone! You'll never walk alone. © 1945, Copyright Renewed, Williamson Music Company (ASCAP) c/o Concord Music Publishing. Let's enjoy life, expand our horizons, and broaden our minds through the uplifting power of literature in all its forms and variations. 34 PALMERTRINITY.ORG P E R S P E C T I V E S

• Cover