Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s featured poet is Terry Loncaric.
Loncaric lives in Hampshire, Illinois. She said she has three lives: a poet, a journalist, and an educator. And these lives collide through her poetry. Loncaric wrote two poetry books, “Crashing in Velvet” for Finishing Line Press, and most recently, “Poetry in an Age of Panic” for Kelsay Books. She also hosts a monthly open mic of original songs and poetry at Stage Left Cafe in Woodstock.
Here's her poem “Awaken.”
Awaken
Now is not
the time to
hibernate,
to lose faith,
to otherize.
Now is not
the time
to dismiss,
to demonize,
to drop out.
Now is not
the time
to devalue
the power,
the beauty
of one voice.
Now is not
the time
to disappear
inside the
distracting
echo chamber
of dueling truths
and noisy chaos.
Now is the time
to hunker down,
to work harder,
to listen harder,
to find bravery
in beliefs,
to awaken
to the clarity
that is now.
In this moment,
it is time to be
the steady North Star,
to hold high
the principles
of justice for all.
We, the people,
only lose
our power if
we allow others
to unplug it,
if we delegate
our destinies to
political expediency.
Let passion and
purpose be our
guiding
mantras during
this most
challenging
of journeys
in the history
of our planet.
