Everything Will Be Alright
Everything Will Be Alright
Blood Lines Poem 29
Free your emotions, you don’t need to fight
Thinking of me as you go your own way
Remember, everything will be alright.
Whatever the time, be this day or night
Your saddest thoughts may want to dance and play
Free your emotions, you don’t need to fight
Hold the precious memories, keep them bright
Our happy moments you fiercely replay
Remember, everything will be alright.
Some time or some place, we will reunite
Unspoken words we can easily say
Free your emotions, you don’t need to fight
Wrap special thoughts close, with secret delight
Binding you and me tightly, they will stay
Remember, everything will be alright.
If you truly believe in love and light
I am with you every step of the way
Free your emotions, you don’t need to fight
Remember, everything will be alright.
This villanelle is a result of reading Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle in that good night” which I think is a powerhouse of a poem. My son, Joe, sent it to me when I asked him for poems he liked. Villanelle’s are meant to be obsessive, so this poem is my key message to those I love and know. In particular, I’m grateful to my sister’s Polly and Antonia, who kept repeating to me that “Everything Will Be Alright” as I was worrying about physically not being there for everyone else. I had always supposed I was going to be the “last one standing” and this is probably not going to be the situation.
I have been enormously privileged to meet and get to know many people throughout my life. Almost all of them have been radiant, amazing people with stories, experiences and situations that have impacted on me. Let’s treasure our times together, words shared, memories made! Relationships are all there are. Love you xxx
Flynne’s Barn is a place where young people living with cancer can come together and find connection in beautiful surroundings and provides a range of immersive outdoor and creative experiences. I am sharing one poem per day during September 2022 to raise money for this charity. To DONATE, visit my GO FUND ME page. Many thanks.
Lymphoma Action is the only UK charity dedicated to lymphoma. It’s here to make sure that nobody faces lymphoma alone and is here to help – with free information, support services and opportunities to connect with others.
Favorite line from your poem: "you don't need to fight"
Thomas was 33 when he wrote his version; his own run would end at just 39. I used to share his poem in literature classes with teens. It spoke boldly to their developmental spirit.
It wasn't until I saw my eight-year-old son collapse into the arms of his grandfather who rest in a hospice bed, that I saw Thomas' words in a new light. A light like you shine, Juliet. His grandfather wrapped his arms around my son with out a word. My son placed his head on his grandfather's chest and was held there until the sobs stopped. So peaceful and so beautiful and so much healing from a man whose run would end in just one more day. I said to myself, "do go gentle into the night., do go gentle." What a gift he gave my son -- "Free your emotions . . . everything will be alright"
I don't know if my son recalls that moment as vividly as I do, but I do know it resides within. Now at age 30, he wrote and recorded a song as part of his grief over the loss of a beloved professor. The song eerily emotes Thomas. There is great brilliance in those words, but I so prefer the gentle images of yours. I shall print and clip your poem and place it in my anthology along Thomas' and my son's.
Beautiful poem Juliet. Lots of love to you and your fabulous sisters (love the expressions in the picture ❤) xxx