Pesha Joyce Gertler isn’t a Pulitzer-Prize winning poet but I couldn’t let this month go by without sharing one of my favorite poems with you. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you know that I’ve recently celebrated my 30th birthday. When you’re in your early 20s, 30 seems like a “long time from now”. I could say that 30 crept up on me but that’s not true. I saw it coming but it felt unreal. Now it’s here and I’m wearing it like a coat. “The Healing Time” is a poem that reminds me of all that I went through in my 20s and how bright everything looks.
The Healing Time
Finally on my way to yes
I bump into
all the places
where I said no
to my life
all the untended wounds
the red and purple scars
those hieroglyphs of pain
carved into my skin, my bones,
those coded messages
that send me down
the wrong street
again and again
where I find them
the old wounds
the old misdirections
and I lift them
one by one
close to my heart
and I say holy
holy.
That’s a great poem and it is prefect for making it to 30. Congratulations.
That is a great poem, and happy 30th
Great poem for passing the threshold of 30. Congrats!
This is a really evocative poem for one’s passage into their 30′s. I have learned so much since I turned 30, and truly learned what kind of person I am. I hope you have the same experience!
Happy birthday! I have been enjoying my 30s; I hope you do.
Happy 30th Birthday, Vasilly! Love the poem.
A big happy birthday! And thank you for the blessing that is that little poem.
That’s lovely — perfect for those big round birthdays! Happy birthday! I turned 50 this year and it works for me, too.
Great poem, and you are correct that it is perfect for that transition between your 20s and 30s. I should keep it in mind for my 40th, which is now closer than 30 is anymore.
Happy 30th birthday!!
Wow, what a powerful poem; powerful for me because I’ll be 30 in two years. The thought itself is unreal, though I’m not afraid. I’ll keep this poem close to my heart from now on. Thanks for sharing.
Happy 30th birthday! I really can’t think of a better way to commemorate this moment than with this poem. It truly is lovely. Thank you for sharing!
Please allow me to join the chorus in wishing you a happy birthday. One of the blessings of aging is that even though our skins may fill out, sag, and wrinkle a bit, they actually grow to fit more comfortably. And the poem is so apt. Thank you.
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Oh Natasha! I love this. The twenties are a tough decade with a lot of personal changes (and sometimes crises) and though I’m just a year ahead of you I have a feeling that the 30s will be a much more self-assured ten. Happy birthday to you!!
Thanks, Trish!
Love this one and I can totally relate to the sentiments myself as I get closer to my 50th birthday!
Kathleen, I’m glad you enjoyed this poem. I’ve been holding on to it for years.