Momento Vivere et Mori: dead leaves fertilize trees

By Cayce Burch

From sorrow to hope -

a debut collection of grief poetry. This first published book by the author collects poems written over 14 years, following the winding path from profound loss toward healing and life. The poems delve into the complex emotions that surface - shock, anger, depression, emptiness. They illuminate the ac

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cayce Burch
• Release date: Mar 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869223968

Book preview

Memento

Vivere et Mori

dead leaves

fertilize trees

Cayce Burch

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Introduction

Acknowledgments

Love Thyself

To Be

Microbes

My Notes

Pick Up– and Move

Complicated Simplicity

Perspective

Voice Breaks

Love

Because we could not stop for him

Two

Baltimore

Perfectly Fractured

Face Death

Sleight of Hand

Dogs Without a Leash

Wordless

Sunset Upon Sunrise

Dad

Hatching

You Get Used to It

Dead and Remade

Fly

Bella Ciao

His Words

Oscillations

Refusing to Steer

What is Poetry?

5 Feet Under

The Fall

Bull in the Labyrinth

The Pen and the Sword

Glass

That Empty Bottle

Gloves Off

Two lost souls, swimming

Take a Rest

Keep it Moving

The Greater Me

Fallen

Slight

On the Mend

Friction

Patronizing the Police

Caverns of the Earth

Survived By

Turning into Traffic

Sky and the Water

Writer’s Burn

Again

Time Signature

Air to Dew

Run-On-Sentence

Two in love

Universal

Normal

Elemental

Your Lungs Collapse

Open the Door

Diplomacy

Slide by Slide

Young and Foolish

Dreams

To Love

Empathetic Change

Pen the Paper Anyway

Gold Gilding

Instinct

Revolution

Silence

Puppet Strings

Too Many Choices of Gray

Mind the Gap

Just To—

Connections

Sun Dappled

Falling back in line

Work To Be Done

Laugh

About the Author

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Introduction

There is no more common element in all our lives than living and dying, but the various questions surrounding life and death are often unanswerable. We can image black holes, we can build flying cars, but the most common items elude us. Early on and continuing, I encountered death in any number of circumstances, and sometimes, it wasn’t so literal. I started journaling when I was 14 years old, and over time, journaling turned into poetry. Quite a few of the following selected works are the result of seeking to let go and heal from my experiences. This is my first published book after writing for 17 years.

Memento Vivere et Mori is Latin for Remember to Live and to Die. It is my personal spin on the philosophical concept of Memento Mori: Remember to Die. Memento Mori is a reminder that we are mortal and that we, along with our creations, are not permanent. It encourages us to resolve items that are ‘not resolvable’, to be thankful for the present, to have some perspective, and to remember to be humble. Memento Mori is a Latin phrase, but cultures around the world have some similar views on human impermanence.

I’ve learned over time that there are at least three different forms of death: actual death, character death, and ego death. Actual death is rather final and finite, if not imbued with ideas of thereafter. Character death happens when someone is living but has undergone such a stark negative change that they are no longer the same person. They may be consumed with addiction, self hatred, greed, mental illness, etc. Ego death is the loss of the separate sense of self, and may be caused in different ways. It may be a seemingly permanent change, it may be fleetingly temporary. Sometimes, death is metaphorical.

Remember to Live and to Die as the title and subject of this book is meant to illuminate, not just human impermanence, but what it means ‘to live’. Humans have long struggled, not just with how to live, but with living itself; pain and struggles can make a quick exit seem like the solution. I have struggled with suicide around me and in me throughout my life. I have known quite a few people who have tried to escape pain in any number of ways, through self harm, addictions, or suicide. Since I have also struggled with these issues myself, in various ways, I try to be there for others as much as I can.

It is through these experiences that I journaled out the works laid out within this book. I’ll expose another lens to view this book: Remember to Live and Let Die. Not everything was meant to continue, and we often forget to let go ‘easily’. In that vein: some works are recently written, some are not, some are general works, and some are specific. All of the works were never meant for anyone but myself, but most of them were written so that they could be viewed by an audience.

Take what you like, and leave the rest.

My work has, first and foremost, been reminders to myself to exhume emotions and review insights found within. Most of my writing starts from a general idea and I let my subconscious mind take me on a journey where I don’t know the end. I am not a writer who reviews each word and line for weeks, and I edit my work rarely. Be that as it may. Each item is built on where I was, then, and may have changed and reverted a thousand times since, but I wouldn’t include anything here that I don’t think has merit.

I sincerely hope that the words I wrote to myself aid you in your journey.

Cayce Burch

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Acknowledgments

I want to thank my mom and dad first and foremost. No matter the trials and tribulations we have gone through, they uncovered