Solitude’s Promontory

A found poem uncovered in ‘The Art of Solitude: Buddhist Scholar and Teacher Stephen Batchelor on Contemplative Practice and Creativity’
from Maria Popova’s The Marginalian

Solitude is an art –
we must learn to wait in acceptance
of a moment,
          of a piece of music,
                    the polyphony of birds,
                              the patter of rain.

Alone
before a sheet of paper
or a computer screen,

           in silent conversation,

we create the work and then respond
in wordless dialogue.

Kim M. Russell, 27th May 2025

Image by Claudia Lam on Unsplash

Punam is hosting Poetics at the dVerse Poets Pub on this last Tuesday of May, and she has asked us to write poems about pivotal moments that left us with regrets or our journeys to forgiveness and reconciliation.

She was prompted to explore this topic by an article in an Indian newspaper about the rise in grey divorces. “In that article, most interviewed couples were in their fifties and sixties who had hoped to fall in love with the person chosen for them. Some did fall in love with their spouse and some tried to make it work anyhow. But after spending more than two decades together they felt they were incompatible, were drifting apart, or continued only for the sake of kids and now with kids settled, they decided to part ways.”

Punam was aware of the tone of regret: “some regretted not taking the step earlier, whereas others regretted that a seemingly stable relationship in which they had invested so much, had come to an end.” Furthermore, “there was also anger. Especially when the decision was taken unilaterally. Anger that instead of planning retirement, they were planning on a life of loneliness and uncertainty. There was anger at being left high and dry at a crossroad.”

This made me sad, and I wondered what that must be like, to suddenly be alone after so many years. I had recently read an article in Maria Popova’s The Marginalian, in which I discovered a found poem, which I think fits the challenge.

30 thoughts on “Solitude’s Promontory”

  2. I love your found poem, Kim! So much truth in these words, ” in silent conversation,

    we create the work and then respond
    in wordless dialogue”! Just wonderful.

    I agree, it is very sad to be left high and dry in the sunset years.

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  9. A wonderful found poem Kim , and it does not surprise me that you found it in Marginalian, I wish I had more reading time because every dip into Maria’s compendium becomes a deep dive… Despite the love of my step-children and grandchildren, they are off and busy with their lives, Barbara is not present with her depression and so I have to find acceptance in moments of solitude just as you describe…

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    1. Thank you, Andrew. You, Merril and I all subscribe to The Marginalian, which is so often very inspiring. I’ve begun to treasure my moments of solitude.

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  14. Kim, I love the line “in silent conversation,”—it feels like such an honest reflection of the creative act, where solitude isn’t emptiness but engagement. This whole piece seems to echo with quiet presence.

    ~David

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