Relay for Life

  I love my town!  I recently moved to Ypsilanti MI and will write more about my great city in the future.  I live near a park where a lot of local events are held so we get to listen to the music all summer.  A few weeks ago, the Relay for Life came to the park.  I love this event!  If your life hasn't been touched by cancer in some way, you're very fortunate. This is a beautiful fund-raiser that is very community-based.  There was such great music and such a wonderful energy in the park that day!  I watched them into the night, battling fatigue and mosquitoes, walking still when I went to sleep.  I was very moved and went inside and wrote this poem:

Just Before Midnight

  Amid the song of a soulful night bird

and the scent of a damp, happy willow

across the sound of the Huron gliding by

     I watch

On a path encircling the park

surrounded by luminaria

    they walk

They walk for their family,

their friends, themselves

for memory and the chance of anticipation,

for dreams cut short and those made possible

The path beneath their feet,

on any other day  like any other path

is, for this time, a sacred space of healing and unity

it's a circle of community

of shared grief and triumph

of support and understanding

of true empathy

This walk is for warriors

these are people who live life up-close

and with eyes wide open

because they know how fleeting a gift this is

and how graciously given

These are warriors of grace and vulnerability

who know what it means to love ferociously

the strength that takes, and that which it gives

They have come here through moments

of intense contemplation, through new

rearranged priorities, with changed

worldviews, and open hearts

They bring colorful tents and coolers

are served midnight pizza

have music to move them along

but my favorite is the laughter-

that audible evidence of joy

shared one to another

These warriors come here as

humanity at its best

they come to do for others

to raise awareness and give voice to the silent

to celebrate life, having learned what that really means

They come with faith in themselves

and in one another

because they know they can make a difference

and they do.

*Added 6/16/10- If you know anyone who takes part in the Relay for Life, please feel free to copy this poem and share it with them.  It's a small thank you from me to everyone who participates in this great event.