Catch and Release
A poem of dual truths and gentle resistance | Second in the Crone’s Cairn series
Crone Stone Name: Empathy
Date drawn: 11 December 2023
Cycle: Maiden
Journey: Separation from the Feminine
Author’s Notes
Is there a balance in dualities? In ‘catch and release’?
This Crone Stone belongs to “Dualities”, a set named by its creator, Carol Lee Campbell. “Dualities represent the exchange of specific energy with other beings.”
The stone, Empathy, depicts two figures tugging at each other. Empathy is a core level feeling of spiritual connectivity in this sense.
As I meditated on what this stone meant to me, I continually returned to images of my mother—who struggled deeply with empathy—along with my own struggle to receive her love.
I like to think I made a difference in her struggle before she passed. I think I heard it whispered in her last words to me. At least, that’s how I prefer to remember.
The poem, Catch and Release, is the result of revisiting my mother’s struggle. Is the poem her voice, mine, or a combination of both?
It changes each time I breath it.
CATCH AND RELEASE
let go
not to be held
not to be known
my weakness
hold on
to rebellion
tight
tighter
less
loosen your grip
my soul is my own
your pain
I do not want
close your eyes
see me weep
I hurt you because
what was
because
I can’t
free me
lost empathy
you can’t
let me go
~jlynn
I’d love to hear how Catch and Release resonated for you.
Where do you feel the tension between holding on and letting go?
Is empathy always mutual—or does it sometimes cost more than it gives?
