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Quote by Theodore Roethke

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Straw for the Fire: From the Notebooks of Theodore Roethke

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Author

Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke

Theodore Roethke was an American poet known for his deep emotions and rich imagination. His poetry often explores themes of human emotion and the natural world, enjoying great popularity among readers. more

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“I can almost understand why people leap from bridges, Why they stand there, hearts heavy with fissures. In a world that screams and shouts, Yet never hears the whispers of despair that drown out. The weight of silence is a killer, A noose that tightens, makes the soul a thriller. On the edge, they see it all: The shattered dreams, the pain that stands so tall. What’s it like to feel so hollow, To search for hope in darkness, but only find sorrow? They look down at the water, reflecting a void, Each ripple a reminder of joy that’s been destroyed. In that split second, freedom feels so close, But the leap isn’t freedom, it’s an escape from the ghosts. A flight from the struggle, the hurt that won’t cease, A heart breaking open, longing for release. But oh, the stories left unsaid, The cries that echo in a mind full of dread. So many standing on that edge, feeling alone, Wishing for a bridge to carry them home.”

“To be an American is to recognize the sacrifice of the widow and the orphan; it is to understand the weft of tent cities expecting caravans, and the heft of a child in a camp not meant for children, or sitting before a judge awaiting judgement. What do we say to the native whose lands we now inhabit? What do we say to our immigrant fathers who held certain truths to be self-evident? Do we now still pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor. There are no kings in America. Only gilded men we can topple again and again.”