The Solace Of Suffering Poem by Diana van den Berg

Sometimes,
in whatever form,
it freezes me solid
or ignites my panic,
but often,
it is great fun,
like playing McGyver
making things happen,
or Robinson Crusoe
rationing reserves,
and sometimes it simply dissipates
like mist in the sunshine
until the next time.

All things considered,
I rejoice in my suffering
though I have so much
less bullet to bite
than most,
and it has taught me so much
and fashioned my soul
and challenged my spirit
and motivated my actions
and birthed my compassion
and inspired my resilience
and enriched my thoughts
and enhanced my sensitivity
and taught me to fly
against the wind
and love its tingling embrace
of my face
and made me skylark-joyous about,
and quiver-grateful for,
my bountiful blessings
especially
the fragile, ethereal, littly ones.

(21 October 2012)