by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
crack it open
there are worlds within pages
adventures and mysteries
and the essence of life
contained in history, science, story
teaching, widening memory,
affirming identity, all gathered
in a single spine
in a small collection of paper
so when a day has given
all it can give and there is nothing
left to do or see or glean or learn or try,
there is still
the book.
This is an excerpt from Textbook of an Ordinary Life, Rachel’s fourth poetry book.
(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)
by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
the spiral sweeps you into
the middle of the bottomless ocean
you breathe
one two three
hold release again
the gloomy thoughts
clutter
you imagine traps
snagging them
carrying them into oblivion
The night gets
too dark
you turn on
the light.
This is how
you survive.
This is an excerpt from the book of poetry, this is how you live, available in both ebook and paperback form.
by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
for so long
they’ve told you who to be:
don’t take it too personally
don’t cry too much
don’t dwell on it
don’t worry be happy
keep it all inside under cover
don’t talk about it
stop crying
be quiet
go outside and play
put down that book
put down that pen
get out of your head
listen to me
maybe lose some weight
today you shrug off those expectations
like a fleece coat you’ve been wearing
for too many summers
this is how
you shed the weight of expectation
This is an excerpt from the book of poetry, this is how you live, available in both ebook and paperback form.
(Photo by Brian Ceccato on Unsplash)
by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
sometimes your alarm
will go off in the morning
and you don’t want to
get out of bed and
you have so much to do
that won’t get done unless
you get out of bed and
you will lie there guilting yourself
for feeling too tired
too down
to climb out of bed
when you’re supposed to
climb out of bed
stay in bed
close your eyes
go back to sleep
sometimes we need more rest
before we face the day
this is how
you fight the monster strong
This is an excerpt from the book of poetry, this is how you live, available in both ebook and paperback form.
(Photo by Mattias Abulu on Unsplash)
by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
the wind bends trees;
how much more
will it bend you?
the wind twirls leaves;
how much harder
will it twirl you?
the wind rips off roofs;
how much longer before
it rips off yours?
but trees straighten
leaves come to rest
roofs can be repaired:
remember
this is how
you know you’ll survive
This is an excerpt from the book of poetry, this is how you live, available in both ebook and paperback form.
(Photo by Ben Neale on Unsplash)
by Rachel Toalson | Poetry
at the bottom
you remind yourself
there are
one in four people in the world
living with brain disorders
and mental illness
this is how
you remember you’re not the only one
This is an excerpt from the book of poetry, this is how you live, available in both ebook and paperback form.
(Photo by 𝚂𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚊 𝙿𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚢 on Unsplash)
