Today I was reading about Marie Curie:
she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness
her body bombarded for years by the element
she had purified….
She died a famous woman denying
her wounds
denying
her wounds came from the same source as her power.
—Adrienne Rich, from the poem “Power”
How does your power come from the same source as your wounds?
Denying what already is has never been my source of power. Obstinancy breeds ignorance and further damage until the injured part rebels loud enough to make me hear. Embracing what life is, warts and all, has been my truest source of power. Truth is what sets me free.
Wounds can allow a person to realize that because of wounds, they can use them as a source of power, acceptance and accomplishment. Power over one’s self in living a good life is a valuable gift given and should not be squandered.
I have intense emotions and think a lot. These qualities have made me miserable in the form of bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. They have also helped me excel at school (even as they required accommodation…), be an empathetic friend, train my dogs in effectively in a manner we all enjoyed, and write poetry.