SHELBURNE — How many tyrants were abused as toddlers, tweens, or teens? Historically, many. My friend, fellow poet, and former Governor, Madeleine Kunin, wisely noted years ago that the problem with cliches is the truth behind them. Misery loves company.
Are there tyrants making you miserable? Write a poem. Place it where you will see it regularly during the day. Share it with friends. Send copies to testy tyrants. April is National Poetry Month. Poetry is legal and life-affirming. You took the time to write it, an act of compassion for your inner or outer tyrant or for your current flurry of worries.
I first wrote poetry as a child. Bullied in school, I always looked forward to vacations. One of my summer assignments was to write poetry in my “Summer Books.” I found mine a few years ago and wish they had survived my downsizing. A teacher once questioned a line. I calmly claimed “poetic license” and got an A, having proved I had been listening in class. I have written poetry ever since.
A poignant poem is healing when someone dies or when something catastrophic happens. I laughed out loud when I recently read in Rob Mermin’s book, “Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem, and Magic” that, “Sometimes calamity is the prelude to an experience of profound grace.” I hope Rob’s right.
Poems help me navigate my own heart, and they bring people together. I open board meetings with a poem and two prompts. One invites a personal reflection. The other relates to our work together.
I love Poetry Month and the poetic celebrations it sparks in communities. I wrote the following poem for the 2025 inaugural VerseVillage in Hardwick. For non-natives, HeartBeet Lifesharing is a vibrant Camphill community and licensed therapeutic residence in Hardwick. A diverse community of adults with developmental disabilities (Friends), long-term coworkers, and volunteers share a commitment to social, artistic, and agricultural renewal. HeartBeet is a model for community inclusivity.
Friends
Friends show up
for floods, fires, and fun.
They live at HeartBeet,
in homeless shelters,
in nearby towns,
and in second homes.
Friends listen with their hearts
and offer a hand.
Quakers worship in silence
and love out loud—
their neighbors,
no exceptions.
They call themselves
Friends.
The poem is in the window of the Yummy Wok Restaurant in Hardwick for the month of April.
The theme for PoemTown St. Johnsbury this year is “Belonging.” My poem is posted in the window at Javier Bill’s Almost Authentic, a Mexican restaurant in St. Johnsbury. Every meal needs a blessing.
Beloved Belonging
May all human beings
of all beliefs
join hands in becoming
a beloved community
where everyone belongs
now.
Trish Passmore Alley holds an MBA in Organizational Development and Behavior. A published author and poet, her career has included teaching at the collegiate level, owning several small businesses in manufacturing, engineering, and retail, and founding and operating three social profits in Greensboro, A published author and poet, she posts brief, monthly blogs at gracefulmischief.com/.When her column refers to Grace, it is a presence in her life, and it is capitalized. She now lives in Shelburne.
Trish Passmore Alley holds an MBA in Organizational Development and Behavior. A published author and poet, her career has included teaching at the collegiate level, owning several small businesses in manufacturing, engineering, and retail, and founding and operating three social profits in Greensboro, A published author and poet, she posts brief, monthly blogs at gracefulmischief.com/
When her column refers to Grace, it is a presence in her life, and it is capitalized. She now lives in Shelburne.
