Poem Review: Letting Go

11 min readJun 9, 2024

Note: I thought I would finish this in one sitting — till I faced a situation that I took in my chin, first protesting, but then in silence. It slowly played out, I just stood there, as the spew flowed in the river, towards me, then near me, and then finally past me. I watched it flow without any emotion, letting time act as the guide. But now, it is not in me, or my sights. The water that flows past is now the usual, colorless water, teeming with fishes and life, and as they say — life moves on and flows forward.

The serene tranquility in our lives contrasts with the turbulent yearnings of our hearts, where we must continue without a loved one or a cherished possession. The remnants of the departed person or item remain with us, granting them an involuntary immortality.

Letting go is not a simple process. There are various forms of “letting go” — some we want to hold onto, while others hold onto us. If necessary, we should release with a sudden, forceful act of defiance, whether it involves letting go of a beloved or despised entity.

“I demolish my bridges behind me… then there is no choice but to move forward” — Fridtjof Nansen

However, abruptly and violently discarding memories like hot potatoes would seldom prove effective. Those who remain behind go through a process of grief, guilt, remorse, longing, or continued hatred. Some seldom express it. But in Ponder, I am all for expressing such feelings about letting go as I started searching for poetry that tears us apart and fills us back with tears. The ensemble of such poetry brings the diversity of this complex situation.

a) ‘Away, Slowly’ by Priya Patel where a lover yearns for her beloved who left her in the middle of the night;

b) ‘The Straight Simple Me’ by Shobhana Kumar takes a stoic resolve about life and draws a line of ‘letting go’;

c) ‘I Could Only’ by Sharifah Khan throws an existential dilemma about missing somebody and living on;

d) ‘The Flight Begins’ by Susan LePlae Miller tells us how we need to let go of yesterday to meet the dreams of tomorrow.

Together, we hold a bouquet of verses in our hands, diverse and dazzling, with tears of loss turning into tears of hope.

Poem 1: Away, Slowly

You left me,
slowly
I watched you walk away;
felt the ache
in your kiss goodbye
I saw the briefest hesitation
flicker in your eye
and I wanted to cry,
oh how I wanted to cry
I miss you now
in the quiet of the night
The strength of your embrace
no longer in sight
Where are you
Even my pillow misses
the breath of you
Where are you
I watched you walk away
slowly
~ ©️ Priya Patel 5.21 🕉

Commentary on Poem 1:

One might look at this poem as a simple expression of missing a beloved. But when we unwrap the verse, we will see the worthiness of the words.

You left me,
slowly
I watched you walk away;
felt the ache
in your kiss goodbye
I saw the briefest hesitation
flicker in your eye
and I wanted to cry,
oh how I wanted to cry

Leaving was always challenging. The poet acknowledged her lover’s struggle as she watched him walk away. He walked away slowly, indicating his reluctance to leave. She felt his reluctance as he kissed her goodbye. A bit of hesitation, the little glimpse of his desire to stay back, against his decision to leave her, the little desire like a candle flame, flickering in his eye — for the heart speaks through the eyes and shows that he desires to stay with her, yet he had to live. The difficulty of his decision, without his expression, yet revealing made her want to cry. The force of his difficulty and the weight of his love washed over her, almost setting her in tears.

I miss you now
in the quiet of the night
The strength of your embrace
no longer in sight
Where are you
Even my pillow misses
the breath of you
Where are you
I watched you walk away
slowly

His departure rendered her lonely — the bed was too big for her. The space near her was like the void in her need for him. The bedroom was silent, the rustling of pillows attenuated and magnified his quiet absence. But it is not the silence, it is the sound of his breath on her skin that she missed. The feeling of intimacy — the sounds only they could hear. From her olfactory rendition of his presence, she missed his tactile overtures — his close embrace that gave her solace against this world wasn’t there anymore. She wished he would return, listening to her silent voice of craving.

This poem brings the presence of the beloved through the poet’s pinings, long after he had left. She recalled her observations about the reluctance of her lover, in a sense holding on to his reluctance as a pillar ( I watched you walk away slowly).

The poem brings the delicate feelings about love that wrap around our hearts, hiding in the space between our heartbeats, waking up in the sounds of the beats — turning the little acts of love during the last moments of letting go into hopes of regaining it, which perhaps, is lost forever.

Poem 2: The Straight Simple Me

The current self only seeks peace
and lives the rest of her life in calm and ease.
No unnecessary arguments,
stirring overwhelming sentiments.
Staying away from quarrels,
not wanting to please people for laurels.
Being the straight, simple me,
without an iota of anxiety.
There’s no space for revenge,
I draw a let-go fence.
Neither childish excitement,
nor that teenage lament.
The inner voice coaches silence,
Granting true happiness and abundance.
~© Shobhana Kumar

Commentary on Poem 2:

Poems sometimes stem from personal experience. I read this poem thrice while wondering if Poet Shobhana wrote it with personal conviction.

The current self only seeks peace
and lives the rest of her life in calm and ease.
No unnecessary arguments,
stirring overwhelming sentiments.
Staying away from quarrels,
not wanting to please people for laurels.

The past is tumultuous. But the present is a gift. The amount of clarity that comes after letting go of the struggles of togetherness — call it relationships, results in self-love. Self-love is about protecting your dignity and peace. In a relationship, sometimes we give away too much of ourselves.

Perhaps in her past relationships, the poet had arguments — words that wound, touching some raw nerves and opening new wounds, sometimes overwhelming sentiments turning into overflowing cups of woe.

In many acts of love, the gestures of sweet nothings seek validation from the loved one — but today, it looked so naive to be pleasing him. The gestures and their meanings don’t make sense at all.

Being the straight, simple me,
without an iota of anxiety.
There’s no space for revenge,
I draw a let-go fence.
Neither childish excitement,
nor that teenage lament.
The inner voice coaches silence,
Granting true happiness and abundance.

So, finally, the poet is herself. There is no role that she has to dress up for. No one lives on free rentals in her mental space, covered by a strong barb-wired let-go fence. There is ample free space for peace. There is neither residual anxiety from the past nor any childish excitement or teenage lament. Now, with the dramatic episodes in her life over, she can look forward to silence, true happiness, and abundance.

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

This inner peace comes with letting go of toxic relationships that would have changed who you are. This poem explores the ability to glean oneself from the past, letting go of the person and the memories

But…there is the heart that might never listen to what we say.

Poem 3: I Could Only…❤️

I missed you
for too long
They told me
to let it go
to let you go
Be with the flow
Do you think
I can
will my heart
to stop beating
erase this longing?
I know that
it’s just
a matter of time
I can hold
my breath for
I cannot hold it
forever
I could only
stop missing you
if I stopped being myself
~Sharifah Khan

Commentary on Poem 3:

I tried. I really tried — says the poet. But … letting go creates absence, which manifests as a strong need for presence.

I missed you
for too long
They told me
to let it go
to let you go
Be with the flow

While Poet Shobhana has pursued peace by letting go, Poet Sharifah anguishes at the idea of letting go. The wisdom lies in letting go, that we all agree. The protagonist was advised to let ‘him’ go. She ought to erase his memories and his existence from her life. Life, after a person leaves, still goes on. So, she was advised to let go. But she realizes that she cannot. She misses him — for too long. His absence now manifests as her suffering.

“You can decorate absence however you want- but your still gonna feel what’s missing.”
― Siobhan Vivian, Same Difference

Absence, sometimes is a gift. Sometimes, the compelling aspect of absence is its manifestation as a need for presence. It starts as a lump in one’s gut and slowly grows, rolling up towards the throat, almost choking the living daylights of the person suffering from his absence.

I know that
it’s just
a matter of time
I can hold
my breath for
I cannot hold it
forever

Like the lump in the throat choking her, it is that feeling when she is holding her feelings about him back like a dam holding a vast body of water. The pressure of the held-back feelings is now telling, and it would explode like a volcano at some point.

“It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”
― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

First, everything was normal and peaceful. She was so used to the usual sunshine and the darkness of night. But when he came into her life, it was illuminating — she glowed off his radiance and the time they had a wonderful time… till he left her suddenly. Since then, as others advised him to forget him, and let him go, she had been holding her breath, hoping that such suffering would bring her back to him.

I could only
stop missing you
if I stopped being myself

Now, the void left by his absence becomes an existential question. His presence is her persona as if she is the shadow of his light. It is hard to understand this interdependence when juxtaposed with the independence of letting go.

“But now, I know, how absence can be present, like a damaged nerve, like a dark bird.”
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife

The presence of somebody in our lives sometimes is so illuminating that we lean on them as mentioned, as shadows to their lights, and when they go out, they stick like remnants of those shadows. The shadows need their light, so the light’s absence manifests as presence and illuminates the solitude. Wanting somebody or something and attaching oneself to them, sets expectations and in the same tone, disappointments and anguish.

While we have seen the manifestation of presence through absence when we let go, what if we shake the past, unshackled from its burdens, and fly in the sky towards our life goals?

Poem: The Flight Begins

Taking flight
Or in stillness
Waiting, wondering
Holding back for dear life
Clouds await
Your soaring soul’s
Flight of freedom
Letting go of old stones
Whispering
Songs ripple through
Openly held
Loosening each finger
Memories now
Serving purpose
With new vision
Yesterday releases
And, the flight begins
~ Susan LePlae Miller

Commentary on Poem 4:

The past does not leave us overnight. It stays the logical building block over which we stand in the present. But the present also presents us with the precipice where we must launch ourselves, perhaps leaping off faith and flying like a glider into the clouds.

Taking flight
Or in stillness
Waiting, wondering
Holding back for dear life

So, when our dreams invite us to take flight, soaring in the sky, or do we remain, waiting and wondering about staying on terra firma? The past shall remain in the past.

Clouds await
Your soaring soul’s
Flight of freedom
Letting go of old stones

Birds fly high for a reason. They get a fuller view of life and at the same time, enjoy the free float among the clouds. One needs to be light while taking flight, for the weight of the burden represented by ‘old stones’ — those from the past should be let go. The transition between letting go of the stones and soaring into the clouds is an amazing visual of hope and ambition. So if you were a prisoner of your past, it is time to become the forebearer of your future.

Whispering
Songs ripple through
Openly held
Loosening each finger

The excitement of the future brings songs out of our lips, humming, whistling, and whispering all day. The buoyancy of optimism in her mind is contagious — it flows through her blood, her veins throbbing in excitement, and slowly her fingers loosen their grip from their tight-fisted hold on the past.

Memories now
Serving purpose
With new vision
Yesterday releases
And, the flight begins

The past is now memories and they serve a purpose — as beautiful thoughts, lessons, or reminders. But when you look forward, yesterday releases you today for your tomorrow. That is when my friend, you will fly free, says the poet.

“The greatest weight a bird has to drop before it can fly is fear.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

Not only fear but also the weight of regrets and nostalgia. When one lets go of the past, the future rises in the horizon.

Came Alone, Went Alone — Let it go, and let it be gone.

Life is always on and forward, whether we like it or not. It does not matter if we are hurt or left scorned; it does not matter if we are regretful or poignant; the train leaves the station always and passengers always get down at some point.

“Not forever does the bulbul sing
In balmy shades of bowers,
Not forever lasts the spring
Nor ever blossom the flowers.
Not forever reigneth joy,
Sets the sun on days of bliss,
Friendships not forever last,
They know not life, who know not this.”
― Khushwant Singh, Train to Pakistan

If we treat our life as a train journey, in a box full of strangers, life can be lived easily. And sometimes, you just want to stay on, but in reality, letting go is the only option.