The Grief Cry of James

Two expressions of the mystery: one of sudden joy and arriving, one of profound grief and leaving…

The spirit thrives and is known in that moment of inspiration, of spirit, of breath, of ultra aliveness, brought on by a sudden recognition of the mystery, the magnificent, the amazing… Poems allow us to practice that response. To exercise that most human muscle. I had a friend, James, many years ago who was dying of a brain tumor. When he would laugh during those last six months of his life, at times it also sounded exactly like a cry of grief. It was both. It was how he was leaving. Two expressions of the mystery: one of sudden joy and arriving, one of profound grief and leaving… realizing the ethereal nature of his current expression of James-ness.

Dale Biron

Dale Biron is a poet, author, coach and adjunct professor at Dominican University OLLI Program. He is former poetry editor and board member for A Network For Grateful Living. His longtime friend and mentor, Brother David Steindl-Rast has long inspired Dale’s work with gratefulness and the power of grateful living. Dale has shared his poetry-inspired presentations at TEDx, The Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, as well as non-profit and business conferences nationwide. Dale is the author of a poetry collection entitled Why We Do Our Daily Practices. His latest work is a prose book entitled: Poetry For The Leader Inside You – A Search and Rescue Mission For The Heart and Soul. For more information, visit Dale’s Web Site. For more about Dale's on-demand eCourse, see:  A Fierce and Enduring Gratitude: How Poetry Supports Us in Good Times and Bad

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