Wild & Free: Poetry of Living, Loving & Letting Go

By Sherry Sadoff Hanck

This is the third book in the Wild series of poems, which explore themes of love, light and shadow, nature, and finally, living, loving, and letting go. This collection was written during a particularly potent time of impermanence, living through lessons requiring action as well as the discipline of bearing witness. These poems are heart-driven and accessible to a wide range of readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Mar 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982223380

Sherry Sadoff Hanck

Sherry Sadoff Hanck has been playing with words since she realized their power. Her early ambitions led her through the magical worlds of theater and film, dancing through the enchanted landscapes of the Grateful Dead and Rainbow Gatherings, landing naturally on a yoga mat, pen and paper in hand. During her seventeen years in Manhattan, Sherry earned a BFA in acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a Masters degree in media studies from The New School for Social Research, in addition to variety of jobs. Sherry has published several poems and articles for various outlets and continues to write for her blog, Drop & Give Me Yoga! (www.dropandgivemeyoga.com) when time allows. Today, Sherry happily lives, learns and teaches in Bucks County with her husband, three daughters, Isis the cat, and Luna the dog.

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Copyright © 2019 Sherry Sadoff Hanck.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-2321-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-2338-0 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/28/2019

Contents

Wise Words by, Robert L. Sadoff, MD (2/8/1936 – 4/17/2017)

Writing Free

Harmony

Ode to Joe ~ from his Pepper Pot (or The Business of Family)

Uncomfortable Truth

We Know

Stars & Stripes

Sing

In Rogue, Not Vogue

No Space for Hate – Just Space

Uncertain Trust

Grace

Cancer Chronicles

The Mirror

Passing Time

Heavy

Breath by Breath

It’s the Breath

Elf Days

Truth

Free Falling

Sky’s the Limit

Radical Friendship

Believe

Boiling Point

Many Paths

Dig Deep

Callouses

Variations on a Theme

Fire Walk

Seduction

Moon Dance

Ripe, Red & Juicy

Thoughts on Paper

Why Are We Here?

No Bullshit

Auntie EM – [Word Purists Beware] (1:42am)

Wild & Free

Fertile Soil

Namaste

Fiery Sky

Hearts & Hands

On Our Island

Bodhisattva

Heat

Thank You

Light the Way

Watch Hand

Ding!

Past is Present

What’s in a Moment?

Untamed

Who am I?

Body Muse

Guided by Voices

Be Happy, Take Five

Perspective

Wild Thing

Break a Leg

Bleeding

Awakening

Shadow Diving

Political Theatre

Fall

Pocono Lake

The Heart of Beauty

PART 1: Still Life Performance Art

PART 1: Still Life Performance Art

PART 2: Still Life Performance Art

PART 2: Still Life Performance Art

Have Courage

Living Mystery

Book Smart

Tick Tock

Aunt Gail

Capture

Generosity

Love

How to Say It Part 1:

How to Say It Part 2:

Presence

Good Grief

Freedom

Body

-Ism Shmism

Blowing in the Breeze

The Language of Feeling

Don’t Give Your Power Away

Fandom

Love’s Power

Seat of the Student

Enchantment

Union

United We Stand

Three Doors ~ past portals to future findings

Scratch Paper

Love Light

Speak Your Truth & Lighten the Load

(That’s Not) Charlotte

Being Present

Space

Flow

Inspiration

Spoiler Alert

Love (un)Defined

House Blessing

White Coat

Stop

Jezebel

Grisping

Protest Song

Quest

Have Courage

Celebrating a Birthday in Heaven, Here on Earth

Love is…

80/50 thirty years

New Traditions

Spring Snow

Marble

When Words Fail

Shake it Out

What Lies Beneath

High Frequency

Tick Tock

Waiting for Spring

Fuck

Lost in Thought

Role Playing

Breezy

What’s for Breakfast?

Keep Walking

April 17, 2018

Coin Toss

Heaven at Home

Technicolor Life

Water

The Once & Future…

Earth Song

The Gift of Emptiness

Knots

Giving & Receiving

Lighten Up

Nature’s Secrets

What is the Purpose of a Porcupine?

Dedication

Dedicated to my great-niece Ella Rose, the first of her generation. First born of my sister’s first born who was my mother’s first born (who was also first born). And so it begins again …

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge

the profound loss of my beloved father, who lives in my breathing, beating heart

my precious mother who is facing her ending with grace and humor

the challenging moments for the wisdom they deliver

the value of community and importance of solitude

family, friends & pets

good food, great talent & wondrous wanderings

the essential role of laughter in trying times

I acknowledge that love is my foundation and that without its True North, I would be lost

Introduction

This collection, Wild & Free, is not so much about the continuity of themes throughout the poems, rather its flavor is derived from the time in which it was written.

The two years that span the time this collection was composed, were heavy in lessons of impermanence. I saw the inside of more hospitals in this time than I have in the whole of my 50 years.

Living

Loving

Letting Go

This is the cycle we are in from inhalation to exhalation, waking to sleeping, birth to death. Creation as the portal to living – Loving, as an expression of preservation – Letting Go as the inevitable