(This is also a book on my Summer Reading List, so you’re getting a 2 for 1 update!) David Gate’s essay and poetry collection “A Rebellion of Care” is beautiful. Gate writes from the heart, giving readers pieces of himself as he contemplates his life and loves. He reminds us that “joy is an act of rebellion/against the established order,” and urges his readers to “Make art & music/ because music & art/ are love letters to the living/ addressed to us all.”
I printed his poem “Stardust” to hang over my desk to remind myself to sparkle each day, and Part 5 of his collection, titled “I Pour Out the Contents of my Notes App in an Attempt to Create Connection” is wildly creative (and I admit I want to try a similar form myself).
Gate tells us that laughing with old friends is living in the truest sense. Perhaps the most profound takeaway I took from his book (besides “Stardust”) is this reminder: “You may not be responsible/ for the source of your pain/ but you are responsible/ for everywhere it goes.” As someone with childhood trauma, I want to keep this reminder close to me. I don’t want others to feel my pain and anger; I want them to sparkle as I am learning to.
I urge people to read this beautiful book. It will touch your heart. You may cry, you may become angry, or you may pause in your reading to ask yourself what care you need to give yourself. Listen to what your heart says.