It’s been a hard week. After learning that Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown, won’t have a trial to hold him responsible for his actions, many of us are hurting. We’re reminded of an ugly truth we’ve known about for a long time, which is that black lives are often treated as disposable. I find comfort in knowing that so many of us are connecting with our rage and heartbreak and declaring that #BlackLivesMatter.
I’m struggling to face what all of this means for my community, and I’m in need of healing. For anyone else who needs healing, I’m sharing a writing prompt you may find useful as you follow the wisdom of your emotions in this troubling time.
And if sun comes
How shall we greet him?
Shall we not dread him,
Shall we not fear him
After so lengthy a
Session with shade?
-from “truth” by Gwendolyn Brooks
Read the poem “truth” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Sometimes the truth is hard to face, and yet at the same time, it nourishes us to stand in the light of our reality, rather than hiding in fear and shame. Think of how your truth, or one part of it, fits this description. For example, it’s painful for me to consider how dangerous this world is for me and my loved ones when a police officer can be exonerated for killing an unarmed black teenager. But acknowledging this truth gives me the tools to speak up about it and help create a different reality.
Write about your truth, and how bringing this truth to light nourishes you.