“ When you get quiet inside, the right words come a little easier.” — Maya Angelou
Crashing
Imagine being born into a world
so loud
and bright
everything moving fast
toward us
away from us around us
our only defense to shut
our eyes and wail.
We only get a few days or months
if we are lucky
of hands holding us gently
stroking our cheeks worshipping us
smooching us feeding us keeping us warm
after just a blink of our tiny eyes
we are hurled out of the nest
expected to understand
this strange place where we have landed
among strangers
to know how to read their lips
to remember the words to their songs,
to toe a line when all we want is
to be loved to be welcomed
with open arms and
shown the way.
What we get instead is a daily lesson
in how to be frightened,
how to hide,
how to hurt ourselves and
others, to fight back,
to lose,
to not care,
to hate, to give up,
lessons in how to live by shame alone.
Weighted down we careen from
place to place hitting walls,
crashing into angry people,
falling down, getting up again
alone and scared,
keeping going on and on when
all we want is to be held and
all we need is love.
Poetry Books Available for Purchase
Who Knew? 23 Poems on Aging
Who Knew? is a new collection of twenty three poems celebrating the joys and sorrows of aging. Through unflinching and loving attention, Victress Hitchcock shares her journey of discovery through the sometimes hilarious, often heartbreaking, always surprising world of getting older.
“This little book of poetry is an intimate and insightful exploration of aging.
- Frank Ostaseski author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully
“What fun, sharp, a little outrageous but undeniably true and just liberating poetry!!”
- Johanna Demetrakas, director of Feminists What Were They Thinking
Available for purchase on Amazon
Whoosh Stripped Bare
“In the spirit of Mary Oliver, whose poems helped me forget my day-to-day problems and connect with the magic of existence, Victress Hitchcock’s new poetry book brings me pure joy, like chocolate for my soul.” – From the foreword by Anam Thubten author of No Self, No Problem and Choosing Compassion.
“Vivid, moving, and wise, this collection of poems offers an abundance of delights and surprises.”
- Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, author of Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories & Teachings
“A heartful, fluid appreciation of life in and as radiant glimpses.”
- Reed Bye, retired Chair of Writing and Poetics at Naropa
Available for purchase on Amazon
Hello Honey: Eighteen Poems from the Path
A joyful collection of poems and images that celebrates fifty years of being on the Buddhist path.
“As if harkening to us through the title itself, “Hello Honey”, author Victress Hitchcock lovingly invites us into a sweet and intimate tapestry of reflections, poetry, and images.” — Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, author of The Logic of Faith
“A sweet and intimate tapestry of reflections, poetry, and images.”
- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, author of The Logic of Faith
“The poems trigger an awareness and longing that is truly precious.”
- Lama Tsultrim Allione author of Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine
Hello Honey is now available at Blurb Bookstore.