Daniel Henry Rodgers | + Follow Poet |
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Hear Me, and Be Still

Do not build a ladder  
when I fall into the abyss  
I did not call for climbing

The thorn in me  
is not a riddle to be solved, 
nor a window begging repair  
I am thunder — not your project; 
I am rain that needs witness, 
not your umbrella

When I say I’m drowning,  
do not throw me ropes of reason  
Let me sink into your silence  
weightless   unrescued  
yet unalone  
Be the shore that does not move  
as my waves thrash  
        and settle

My pain is not a puzzle.  
Don’t match it to your pieces.  
It is a wild bird  
let it wheel  
      let it scream  
            let it land  
without your cage
on wild earth and 
     broken branches.

You see my storm  
and lash advice like scaffolding,  
but I need someone  
to taste the chaotic torrent  
to say yes — it bites,  
yes — it burns,  
not someone who murmurs  
“you should have stayed inside”

To love me is to shhh,  
to hold space as sacred  
to hear with your cells  
not just your ears

What courage it takes  
to offer no answer  
to let me erupt  
without stapling my wings

Let me weep  
without shame.  
Let me unravel  
without thread.  
Let me fall  
and do not sweep
the pieces away.

These fragments  
are not failure;  
They are a kind of scripture  
not trash,  
but story,
etched into the fabric of my being.

Only when your stillness  
echoes louder than your words  
can I hear myself return

Only then  
can I stitch up with cat gut  
and name it healing.

And when I rise,  
not fixed  
      but found,  
I will turn toward you  
not to repay  
but to remain
to share this journey
And then I will listen deeply.

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John Hamilton Date: 7/27/2025 6:13:00 PM This is so beautifully written you are a true poet dear poet. Login to Reply

Regina Mcintosh Date: 6/17/2025 10:32:00 PM Beautifully done. I so love this. God bless you, friend. Love, Gina Login to Reply

Andrea Dietrich Date: 6/11/2025 4:06:00 PM Finally reading your response to me. I don't normally see comments on my comments unless I stumble across them like I did today. This poem of yours is on the best new poems list. Congratulations Login to Reply

Joe Maverick Date: 6/7/2025 11:11:00 PM Quite a write on the varous imperefections of Existence.? Which stirs my understanding Daniel.' Login to Reply

Susan Ashley Date: 5/25/2025 7:25:00 AM Dear Daniel, I am deeply moved by the depth of emotional exploration of one's wants and needs for finding self-resolution for pain and despair. The desire to have room to learn, grow, heal from these experiences is powerful and expressed in palpable imagery. To have support of a loved one during trying times is important.. yes, it takes discipline for the 'other' not to say "you should have stayed inside” and it takes courage for the 'other' "to offer no answer". The wants and needs of the speaker are soulfully, passionately expressed within the duality of a loving relationship. I adore your inspiring poet's quote too. Warmest wishes, my dear poet friend.. ~Susan Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/28/2025 4:52:00 PM Dearest Susan, Your thoughtful and heartfelt reflection means so much to me. Thank you for truly hearing the struggle, the growth, and the silent courage that love requires. Your insight into the duality of support and space is beautifully expressed and deeply appreciated. I’m grateful for your friendship and your warm spirit for your words inspire and uplift me always. Blessings, Daniel

Bj Legros Kelley Date: 5/19/2025 8:31:00 PM I find myself unable to voice the depth that I find in your words, this poem is like the feelings that cannot be easily voiced, but you did it profoundly. Sometimes there is not a rope to reach the depths, just a heart to understand is all one can desire, and no fixing required for those depths of emotion. I am amazed by your ability to put into words something that I could never express, a fave for me. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/28/2025 4:50:00 PM Dearest BJ, Your beautiful words touched me deeply and thank you for feeling what I often can’t fully say myself. It means so much that the poem touched your heart without needing to fix or explain, just to understand. Your presence and insight are gifts I cherish. Grateful beyond words for your friendship and for holding space with such tenderness. With all my gratitude, Daniel

Deb M Date: 5/17/2025 3:35:00 AM Daniel what can l say that hasn't already been voiced below ….. You are an exceptional poet one that is extremely popular with other poets not only for your incredible words/ poems ( not that l understand them all haha!) but also for your kind and caring disposition towards everyone you encounter….Special! Debx Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/28/2025 4:47:00 PM Dearest Deb, Your kindness and warmth always shine through and thank you for your heartfelt words. It means a lot to me that you see not just the poems but the heart behind them. And hey, not understanding every line is part of the journey, right? I’m so grateful for your friendship, and your unwavering support. You’re truly special to me. With love and gratitude, Daniel

CayCay Jennings Date: 5/15/2025 3:23:00 PM To me, your poem speaks about those who know pain is for growth. Many don't, many don't do emotion which to me is such a waste, it's almost ridiculous. To me, poem says pain storms are not meant to be quick fixed, dismissed, tainted or denied by others, but absorbed raw into your being until a gem-piece forms and is added to your lifes story. Those we love serve our storms best thru validation, availability and patience. I love how you used brevity to deliver so much emotional impact .... CayCay Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/28/2025 4:45:00 PM Dearest CayCay, Your words hold such deep wisdom and warmth and thank you for seeing pain as a path to growth and for honoring the storms we all must weather. I love how you saw that love’s true power lies in patience, validation, and just being there. Your embrace of this poem, again and again, means so much. Grateful for your heart, your laughter, and your beautiful spirit. With all my love, Daniel CayCay Jennings Date: 5/15/2025 3:30:00 PM If I had scooted away rather than scrolling down, I would have denied myself a good laugh. Apparently, no, obviously this is the 2nd time I've fallen in like with this write and had the joy of embracing it. That's the 1 upside of my TBI. Gotta always look for the upside.

Duke Beaufort Date: 5/15/2025 11:50:00 AM Daniel, a very interesting story, which I think explains that we ourselves need to do the work to be who we wish to be. When another person tries to prescribe a solution it might just be inserting a square peg in a round hole. As a therapist, you probably dealt with this all the time, and I'm sure you asked a lot of questions meant to help rather than shape another person. It's funny how we could suggest things to others, but it wouldn't matter since they have to understand themselves and decide how they wish to change if at all. I also see you are generally getting long comments from several people. Seems like you are on to something and your words could be touching many people. That's pretty darn good. Smiles!! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/28/2025 4:42:00 PM Hello Duke, You’ve captured so well the delicate balance between offering help and respecting each person’s unique journey. Yes, as a therapist, asking questions rather than prescribing has always been my way to honor that. I’m humbled and grateful that the words are connecting and sparking reflection in others. Your encouragement and smile truly lift my spirit, thank you! With deep appreciation, Daniel

Andrea Dietrich Date: 5/12/2025 12:09:00 PM Wow. So profound. A fave. By the way. Why cat gut? Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 11:11:00 AM Dear Andrea, You few words carried more weight than a paragraph for it landed like a quiet hand over the heart. Thank you, dear friend, for letting the poem reach you and settle in. It means a lot that you not only faved it, but paused long enough to ask the question that tugged at your curiosity: Why cat gut? Ah, the cat gut, well it’s such a visceral phrase, isn’t it? It slipped in as a raw symbol of tension, pain, and how we’re strung up by things that once were alive and singing. Historically, catgut was used in stringed instruments and surgical sutures because it was tough, sensitive, and pulled taut. I thought of it as the line between vulnerability and resilience, art and wound. Spring Blessings, My Dear Andrea, Daniel

I Am Anaya Date: 5/12/2025 11:15:00 AM Yes! One should never be subject to the storms and rough seas mitigated and riled up by other's interference. Well intended or not, we must be true to ourselves. We are many personas, caregivers, doters, loners, each and everyone are useful. it may take a walkabout, a retreat, a hike, a new routine. We are found when we share, in a moment, i found serendipity in nature. someone will listen, while God is witnessing. And this above all, to thine own self be true--Shakespeare. Loved it, Dr. you are a sparkle in my soul and a poet friend ~ Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 11:08:00 AM Dearest Anaya, Your words swept over me like the hush of twilight settling into the trees so wise, soulful, and gently luminous. I read your response slowly, savoring each phrase like a warm sip of something sacred. Your insight into our many dissociative selves, the caregiver, the wanderer, the seeker of solitude was beautifully affirming. Yes, sometimes we find ourselves on a hike, sometimes in a quietness of prayer, sometimes in another’s presence. And always, God is witnessing. That line of yours stayed with me. Spring Blessings, My Dear Anaya, Daniel

Hilda Greenhough Date: 5/11/2025 4:51:00 PM I love this. I have somewhat a similar view that one must fashion his own life. Thank you for this lyric. I'll fav it. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 11:05:00 AM Dear Hilda, Thank you, truly, for taking the time to share your heart with mine. Your comment felt like a quiet nod from across the table, where two kindred souls acknowledge that, yes, this road we walk is one we must shape ourselves. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

CayCay Jennings Date: 5/10/2025 3:50:00 PM I have read countless poems today, many very well written ones, but this is by far the best high my poetic-senses have inhaled today. From start to finish, to me, it is exceptional. I don't need anyone to agree with my words or proof them for errors, just to validate my right to feel just as I spoke (right?) Being silly. Soooo good ... CayCay Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 11:01:00 AM Dearest CayCay, Oh my, how your words lit me up like moonlight on still water. What a joy to be met so enthusiastically, so playfully, and with that unmistakable CayCay spark that makes even the deepest truths feel like they’re wrapped in sunshine. And yes, yes, yes, you nailed something so true: sometimes it’s not about editing or agreeing or debating but it’s simply about the sacred right to feel as we feel and speak it plainly. Thank you for reading so fully, for dancing with my words instead of just scanning them, and for giving me a response I’ll hold dear. You're not being silly, but you’re being beautifully, fiercely you. And I wouldn't want you any other way. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Valsa George Date: 5/10/2025 8:51:00 AM Dear Daniel, you have approached the subject in a unique way. You don't want anybody to come with solutions, but be a silent listener. I would certainly prefer someone with words of healing or a person who suggests a way out..... may be because I am weak. Be a silent and compassionate listener, be a shore, be a shoulder to lean on ... that's is more important in your eyes. That itself is so curative. "To love me is to shhh, to hold space as sacred to hear with your cells not just your ears". How beautifully and powerfully you have expressed your mind in these lines. You have your own distinct stand and a philosopher's bent of mind. Excellently expressed. Into my FAVE. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:58:00 AM Dearest Valsa, Reading your words felt like being gently hugged by understanding and wisdom. You always offer such a generous heart and a deeply thoughtful spirit, and I thank you for truly hearing the quiet beneath the lines of my poem. I so respect your honesty in saying you might seek healing words or guidance first, which is not weakness at all, dear friend, but a beautiful openness to receive light wherever it may come. And still, you extended grace to the idea I offered that sometimes, silence can be the most sacred kind of love. Your support, your friendship, your FAVE… I don’t take any of it for granted. Thank you for standing beside my words with such steady grace. Spring Blessings, My Dear Valsa, Daniel

Victor Buhagiar Date: 5/10/2025 2:20:00 AM Self healing needs resilience. In my case I always managed it. Yet to be alone is no fun. So I have a death wish. Still God decides. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:55:00 AM Dearest Victor, Your words went straight to my heart, raw and unguarded as they are. Thank you for sharing something so personal and deeply felt. It takes a quiet kind of courage to speak pain so plainly, without pretense. You’re right that self-healing demands resilience, and from what you've shared, I can see you've walked through valleys most wouldn't dare describe. I honor the strength it takes to keep moving forward, especially when the nights are long and silence feels like a companion. And I hear the ache behind your words about being alone for I truly do. Spring Blessings, My Dear Victor, Daniel

Sotto Poet Date: 5/9/2025 7:43:00 AM Dear Daniel, In times of emotional distress, this beautifully crafted poem delves into the need for genuine empathy and creating space. It stresses that the speaker's suffering is not an issue that needs fixing, but something that can be seen and carried. The speaker wants to be understood and connected without feeling pressured to find a solution to their pain. The use of dramatic imagery, such as "abyss," "thunder," "wild bird," and "chaotic stream," allows you to portray deep emotions. The speaker's experiences are heavy on the reader because of the unedited and honest language. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:52:00 AM Dear Sotto, Your response truly moved me. Thank you for taking the time to sit with the poem and draw out its deepest pulse and your reflections show such care, clarity, and empathy. You saw right to the heart of what I hoped to convey with that suffering, in its rawest form, doesn’t always want answers but just a sacred space to be. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Heidi Sands Date: 5/9/2025 7:40:00 AM WOW!!! I was led to this and can completely relate to it. I could not have Saud it better !! One of the best poems that I have read! A Fave for me. Excellent! :) Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:50:00 AM Dear Heidi, Wow, you truly lifted me. Thank you for sharing how the poem found you… or maybe how you were led to it. I believe that happens more often than we realize and is something waiting in the quiet, ready to speak into our own story. Spring Blessings, My Dear Heidi, Daniel

Crystol Woods Date: 5/9/2025 7:14:00 AM So perfectly stated! A true poet expresses ideas we didn't know were there, much less how to relay them to others... you've accomplished so much here! Such truth. Often the nurturer in me tries to fix and protect when I should allow the lesson room to breath. I love this and fave it too!! May I share a well on my fb? Xoxo Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:48:00 AM Dearest Crystol, You brought such a smile to my soul and thank you for receiving the poem the way only you could. Your gift for empathy, for naming what stirs beneath the surface, always touches me deeply. You said something that struck a chord in me: “Often the nurturer in me tries to fix and protect when I should allow the lesson room to breathe.” That’s such a beautiful truth and it’s one I know well. It’s hard, isn’t it, to just let things be… to trust that the ache has its own sacred work to do. But you saw that in the poem, and that insight humbles me. To hear that you “fave it too” and want to share it, Yes, Crystol, I’d be honored. Your heart makes everything you touch a little more meaningful. Spring Blessings, My Dear Crystol, Daniel

Kim Rodrigues Date: 5/9/2025 6:03:00 AM Absolutely love the quote! I am a facilitator of Griefshare these last months. Some things are too hard to share with the world and must be reconciled with the heart. … What courage it takes to offer no answer…It is the most important answer to heartbreak. Hugs. Fave! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:45:00 AM Dearest Kim, Your words wrapped around my soul like a prayer. Thank you for receiving the poem with such empathy and depth. Knowing that you’re walking alongside others through GriefShare adds such weight and beauty to what you shared and what a sacred calling, and how tenderly you must hold their stories. You’re so right… some things are too heavy for the world’s noise, and must be carried inward, where only the heart and God can wrestle with them. That is the very crux, isn’t it? To sit in silence with someone’s heartbreak and resist the pull to fix… that is love in its purest form. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Ink Empress Date: 5/8/2025 11:51:00 PM Dear Daniel, What a powerful subject youv written on in such a soulful manner! I cant help but agree with everything youv said! I always wanted to write on this and youv done an excellent job! Expressing it all with lines such as "Let me weep without shame. Let me unravel without thread." the problem with many in this world is when they see someone weeping or expressing they are quick to give advice or try to fix things or maybe give their opinion, while the one in distress all they need is a listener, one that wont judge or wont be quick to fix, but one that soulfully and sincerely would just sit in silence, being the shoulder for one to weep on! Not that hard when you realize, the importance of being just a listener! this is a big fave for me! Pleasure reading! Thank you for sharing! Sending you light always Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/14/2025 10:40:00 AM Dear Empress, you have left me still for a long while and I thank you for receiving the poem not just with your mind, but with your spirit. You understood the heart of it, completely. That longing not to be fixed, not to be explained away, but simply heard and you named it with such truth and tenderness. You’ve always had a gift for hearing between the lines, for being that rare kind of soul who doesn’t flinch at another’s unraveling. Spring Blessings, My Dear Empress, Daniel

Paige Hind Date: 5/8/2025 11:27:00 AM This is so beautiful, Daniel. So much said, with your amazing language. I am priviledged to read your work this morning- sort of its own light. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/9/2025 6:01:00 AM Dear Paige, How could life be without the sweet notes from Paige! I feel blessed. Thank you! Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Mystic Rose Rose Date: 5/8/2025 10:14:00 AM wow you brought tears to my eyes Daniel, definitely a fav for me. I understand this to so so many levels. I thank you for writing it, and sharing it. Its beautiful. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/9/2025 5:56:00 AM Dear Rose, Ahhh, thank you, my dear Rose! Many times I feel this way, that I want to just share and have the special friend just sit and listen to me and when I am healed or most of the way, then I am willing to take the advice. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Lin Lane Date: 5/8/2025 6:48:00 AM Understanding a grieving heart is in every cry of your poetry, Daniel. It's the need of a friend to be that shore, waiting for you when tears of grief are like fingers from the sea. Let them come in waves until your storm is calm. A lighthouse, strong and ever present is your safe harbor, but you must decide when you swim ashore. Silence, not words, for there are no words to stitch your wound. It must bleed to heal and unravel until nearly threadbare, waiting patiently until you reach out. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/8/2025 9:35:00 AM Dearest Lin, I love your ability to validate the words and feelings of the poem. I wrote back in SM. Over the years I have become a much better listener and try to be less a fixer, which is hard to do sometimes. I recognize that space must be given to the one that needs healing or needs to be heard and less about what I have in my bag of tricks today. You are always the best! Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Anne Winter Date: 5/8/2025 6:40:00 AM Dearest Daniel, your words are a balm to an aching soul's bruises. Sometimes, all we need is just a shoulder to cry on and just to be heard. Just to be heard. Not everyone can love messy people and accept their pains and cries but the ones who can love them are true human beings. Your poem is very deep and emotional, My Dear Daniel. With love and respect always, Anne Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/8/2025 9:33:00 AM Dearest Anne, I am so happy that you are out reading others' poems because they can be the great teacher of poetry and writing in general. You are so right that many times they just want to express their feelings and get validation in return, knowing that someone understands them. I am always happy to see you in your writing. Spring Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Tom Woody Date: 5/8/2025 6:36:00 AM Fascinating poem of self healing without the need for external aid, though from a practical standpoint I'm not sure it's a workable solution. We need each other in times of crisis. Nevertheless, the desire for space and time to be allowed to grieve freely may be warranted for a bit. I know you've been through a lot lately. This feels deeply personal Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 5/8/2025 9:29:00 AM Hello Tom, Thank you for your note and insights, which are highly appreciated. You are right; there are times for fixing and times for listening. When I wrote this, I saw that many people want to be fixers and not enough people want to be listeners and validators. I know that our Lord, our God, is the great healer and can fix many things. But I also know that the Bible points to times that trials and tribulations with no immediate solutions are ways to grow us. I think about Job, who was given no reason for all the trials he went through. God was showing that even in disparity with no answers one can grow and move forward. His friends and wife were not very good at helping him. It is a deeply personal poem coming off the heels of loss but I thought about this much broader and thought a person cannot be fixed until they are ready to move forward. Thanks as always, Tom! Spring Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

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