Petrichor: a collaborative poem

How we are heartbroken in breaking heart times

Petrichor : a distinctive, earthy odor that arises with rainfall from a combination of volatile plant oils released into the air and ozone. The word derives from ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock’ and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the sanctified blood of the gods.

I wrote Petrichor just after the devastating two-week siege of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. I had taken some time off from my usual duties to rest and do sadhana. The heartbreak flowed, inseparable from the tender communion.

I showed a draft to a group of Jaya Kula community folks who often share feelings and resources related to the genocide. They were inspired to add their own words to the poem.

Here you will find all of our words. The authors are named at the end of each section. We invite you to continue the collaboration in the comments!

With love,

Shambhavi and the Leve-Leve collective

Petrichor

Heartbroken like Mount St. Helens 
when the thistle grows again from
burnt soil.
Heartbroken like an infinity sky after
a category five storm.
Heartbroken like animal sounds 
from the smoking remains
of careless forest fires.
Heartbroken like the sleep that comes 
when you’ve seen everything
you desperately did not want to see.
Heartbroken like when the worst arrives
and there is nothing left to fear.
Heartbroken like the raw intimacy of grief shared.
Heartbroken like the heart harshly broken open.
Heartbroken like millions of hearts broken together.
Heartbroken like God’s petrichor after
a drowning rain.

........................................ Shambhavi

Heartbroken like Gods fresh breath of truth
Heartbroken like knowing I die over and over
Heartbroken like knowing this is all Ma
Heartbroken like Heart breaking open through my brother's and sister's torture and suffering
Somehow finding God
Heartbroken like He is Risen
Heart broke like Joe Biden
........................................ Sahaji

Heartbroken like the first scream and cry of a newborn child
........................................ Ana

Heartbroken like finding out what they can steal (it's a lot) and what they can't steal (also a lot)
Heartbroken like tears that fall unbidden day in and out
Heartbroken like the cracking open that's required to ache with humanity
Heartbroken like the scope of the unfathomable shrinking on a daily basis
........................................ Vidhra

Heartbroken like the bird after the oil spill and the whale suffocating on the beach
Heartbroken like an incarcerated boy calling for a sign
Heartbroken like the unending insistence of your insanity and dead God
Heartbroken like your cold drill
Heartbroken like the choke before the first tear when you’ve forgotten how to cry
........................................ Tania

Heartbroken like the man who is dead with terror on his face, not peace or a smile
Heartbroken like an aid delivery person who wished to help but could not for too long
Heartbroken like a parent who had their dream living situation for their children dismantled
Heartbroken like a kid who dreams of play but instead needs to forage, only to find scraps
Heartbroken like mothers, sisters and their male folk who experience the unsightly horrors of toxic masculinity
Heartbroken like those of faith who wish God's voice be heard by those with closed hearts and inner eyes shut
Heartbroken like those who knew their land through a direct relationship and now see it destroyed
Heartbroken like all the young ones who grow up in lands not their own, without parents or support
........................................ Charandas

Heartbroken like when watering the plants after coming home from a funeral
Heartbroken like lichen growing on rock after a landslide
........................................ Nirmana

Heartbroken like birdsong after a monsoon that wipes away the coastline.
Heartbroken like disappearing kindness.
Heartbroken like baby's stolen future.
Heartbroken like a million voices of people, animals, trees, laughter, tears, and prayers suddenly gone silent.
Heartbroken like seeing the friend you thought was open-hearted who's now crying for more war.
........................................ Leela

Heartbroken like lost sleep
Heartbroken like dust settling on no road home
Heartbroken like the tough stems of unharvested wild herbs
Heartbroken like the earth shaking across the world, a planetary shudder
Heartbroken like the wind smoothing over a razed ground
Heartbroken like the glittering sea which still hosts the color of the sky
Heartbroken like the spring, the sprouting, offering up, and being new in this world
....................................... Tess

Heartbroken like words aching to describe
....................................... Daniella

Please do share your heartbroken words with us in the comments.

with infinite love,
Shambhavi

Please join Shambhavi and the Jaya Kula community for satsang & kirtan every Sunday at 3:00pm Pacific. Come in person to 1215 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR, or join Jaya Kula’s newsletter on Substack to get the Zoom link for satsang. You can also listen to my podcast—Satsang with Shambhavi—wherever podcasts are found.

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