Dorianne Laux’s poem “In Any Event” reminds us that in the uncharted depths of all of our hearts, there is love and strength available to help us find our way into anything. Dorianne went through some very difficult experiences growing up and wrote poems to help her survive. In her 2018 interview with Garrison Keillor, she shared that for her, poetry was a craft as well as a life raft.
“I came from an abusive family life, and yes, writing was one of the things that helped me process all I had experienced as a child. What got me through were people: my brothers and sisters, my cousins, teachers, my summer coach, the young men and women who became my friends and lovers, those who made music, art, books, and eventually my therapist and my husband. The writing came to me as a young girl though and that helped as well. Being able to express myself creatively, tell my story and the story of others though poetry. It was a great release, but I also saw that it was an art form, a craft, as well as a life raft. Being able to commune with oneself as well as commune and communicate with others you may never know is the closest thing I’ve found to prayer.”
‘In Any Event”
If we are fractured
we are fractured
like stars
bred to shine
in every direction,
through any dimension,
billions of years
since and hence.
I shall not lament
the human, not yet.
There is something
more to come, our hearts
a gold mine
not yet plumbed,
an uncharted sea.
Nothing is gone forever.
If we came from dust
and will return to dust
then we can find our way
into anything.
What we are capable of
is not yet known,
and I praise us now,
in advance.
Interview on “The Writer’s Almanac” with Garrison Keillor