Every time a crack appears in the dam that keeps my sea of grief at bay, I am reminded of this David Whyte poem:
The Well of Grief
David WhyteThose who will not slip beneath
the still surface on the well of grief,turning down through its black water
to the place we cannot breathe,will never know the source from which we drink,
the secret water, cold and clear,nor find in the darkness glimmering,
the small round coins,
thrown by those who wished for something else.
Source: David Whyte’s Facebook page, accessed 6 November 2020.
You can watch a video of the poet himself reciting the poem here (also from David Whyte’s Facebook page, accessed 10 January 2022).
I love hearing him tell the deeper story about the bottom of the well, and how he repeats certain lines, certain words, and then the entire poem in entirely different ways!