Poems Addressing Emotional Pain

“Wait” by Galway Kinnell and “After Great Pain, a Formal Feeling Comes” by Emily Dickinson are two poems that address the experience of great emotional pain.

In both, the person in pain is numb to the point of death. Both poems paint the external signs of that internal pain, that emotional crisis– the numbness, listlessness, inertness, and lack of interest in the world. The physical body shuts down to protect the aching heart and the chaotic mind.

In Kinnell’s poem, he encourages the person in pain to “wait,” to believe in the healing power of time itself. Be patient and life’s vitality will re-emerge, the narrator seems to say.

Dickinson’s poem seems less hopeful: the images of death and formality persist to the end, raising the question of whether we can ever outlive the pain of great emotional shock.

Poems by Mary Oliver and Naomi Nye

“Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night" by Mary Oliver 

I am lucky enough to have a dog and also lucky enough to know Mary Oliver’s collection Dog Songs. Those poems remind us that our dogs teach us philosophical lessons about how to live a good and full life and about what matters most in our lives. What matters most, they tell us continually, is love. They love us unconditionally and in so doing teach us the purity of loving. What could be a sweeter arrangement, indeed, than giving and receiving love? To do so enriches our lives and the lives of those we love. Oliver’s poem, “Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night,” ends with a reminder of the magic of that reciprocal giving and receiving. “… He puts his cheek against mine/and makes small, expressive sounds./…/“Tell me you love me,” he says./“Tell me again.”/Could there be a sweeter arrangement? Over and over/he gets to ask./I get to tell.”

"Kindness" by Naomi Nye

In Naomi Nye’s poem “Kindness,” sorrow and kindness figure as two sides of one coin – or perhaps more accurately, as a cause and effect relationship: “Before you know kindness as the deepest thing/you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.” Your own sorrow connects you to the pains and griefs of others and bulks up your empathic muscle. You come to know sorrow, the poem says, by losing the things you once counted on, by “feeling the future dissolve in your hand.” Once you know that desolation, you are in a better position to understand the “tender gravity of kindness” and how much it matters. Henry James, when asked about the important things in life, responded, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; the third is to be kind.” We would be wise to follow his counsel.

Manuoso Manos to Instruct Three-Day Iyengar Yoga Session in L.A.

As an award-winning educator, Cissy Lewis received the Distinguished Teacher award twice during her tenure at The Castilleja School, California. She most recently served as interim head of school at the Palo Alto, California, school. Among her outside-the-classroom interests, Cissy Lewis enjoys practicing yoga, particularly Iyengar yoga led by instructors Manuoso Manos and Osha Hanfling.

Iyengar yoga was named after B.K.S. Iyengar, who began doing yoga as a teenager in an effort to improve his health after suffering from tuberculosis. He began teaching yoga in 1936, with his method rising to prominence in the 1960s. As a result, he became one of the first teachers to instruct yoga to westerners until his death in 2014. His method, which is a form of hatha yoga, primarily focuses on the body’s physical alignment. He believed there is a correct way to do each pose, and each student can achieve that through practice. In addition, he used props, such as pillows, chairs, straps, and blocks during his sessions.

Manuoso Manos, who is a senior Iyengar yoga teacher and studied with B.K.S. for many years, teaches Iyengar yoga at numerous locations throughout the year. His primary location is his studio in San Francisco, the Abode of Iyengar Yoga.

San Quentin Prison Helps Inmates Earn AA Degrees

Lifelong educator Cissy Lewis served most recently at the Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. Cissy Lewis is now teaching an introduction to literature course at San Quentin Prison through an accredited program from Patten University.

Patten University offers special extension classes at nearby San Quentin Prison, where inmates can earn an associate of arts degree. To complete the degree, students must earn a minimum 61 credits and pass core classes.

Classes at San Quentin are introductory-level, making them accessible even to inmates who are behind in their academic training. These courses include introduction to reading and composition, introduction to literature, U.S. history, and art or music appreciation.

Elective course options are available as well. Students who would like to transfer to University of California or Cal State in the future can use elective credits to fill transfer requirements. Meanwhile, courses such as introductory Spanish and pre-calculus can help inmates prepare to earn their BA when they leave prison.