Welcome to another of my poems to help.
This one came to me quite quickly.
I wrote it in a moment when I truly needed it.
It helped me a great deal to find relief and to soften.
And that's why I want to share it with you.
It helps when we understand where anger begins.
It can rise from not being seen,
From being misunderstood.
From the need to be in control,
Or from frustration with others,
But mostly from ourselves,
Perhaps taken out on others.
Most of us have felt all of these at some stage.
We lash out at the world,
At ourselves,
Sometimes simply trying to prove our strength,
Our worth,
Our right to be recognised.
We know there's more within us,
Yet we can't always express it.
As we grow and begin to unravel and understand these shadowed parts,
Anger becomes less of a teacher and more of an old companion whose work is done.
In this way,
Reactions that stem from anger can remain present simply out of habit,
To become nothing more than a service that is out of date.
Let's take this time now to find a place where you can sit in comfort.
I always suggest to raise your sitting bones slightly on a cushion,
Allowing your spine to lengthen,
And your body to feel supported.
Take a gentle breath in to settle,
And out.
Make any small adjustments you need to now,
So that you can remain in stillness,
Present,
Aware,
And at ease.
Take a moment to recognise that anger once helped you to cope.
Perhaps it made you feel capable and resilient when faced with discontentment.
It was there to protect you,
To give you the feeling of strength when you needed it most.
But you have found ways to recognise and soften these reactive states,
And the service of anger is no longer called for in the same way.
When anger visits again,
As it will from time to time,
Meet it with gratitude.
Take a deep breath with me now,
And as you exhale,
Allow your understanding of this to settle.
Allow anger to drift away a little more with each outward breath,
Letting each breath soften its edges a little more,
Until all that's left is calm inside,
You at peace again.
And whenever you feel it rising,
Speak softly to it.
Dear anger,
I know you only want to help.
This poem is a gentle message to anger,
Almost a prayer asking for relief.
Let the words settle your wild beast down,
Let them soothe,
And as you rest in stillness,
Simply listen.
Dear anger,
Let go of me.
I can see your flare draw near.
I can feel your grip.
Leave me to walk on this whole day,
The whole day,
Without the burden of your ache that wants to break me down.
Into my pillow I press my head,
Asking sleep to take me away,
To melt my brow,
So I may wake without another ache from you.
Knocking on my heart.
Dear anger,
Release me.
Bear your own heavy load.
Your dance of damage can only twist the empty stomach that I own.
You're free.
Run from your gambit.
Run from your gambit.
The honour you provide is out of date.
Watch the malice of your rage dissolve.
No longer reduce me to this sorry state.
I thank you.
I see you.
I love you.
I let you go.
If you find frustration beginning to bubble up,
Maybe something at work,
With a friend or a family member,
Resist.
Resist the temptation to react.
Instead,
Take a seat on your imaginary cushion and just breathe.
Breathe until you realise you no longer need anger to speak for you.
And in the same flash that it arrived,
You can watch it go.
You'll feel so glad you didn't react in the heat of it,
Because now you can respond beautifully,
Calmly.
And from that calm comes a much better result.
Your day will be sweet.
Gently bring your focus back into your body.
Become fully present in the room.
Thank you for practicing today with me.
