THIS THING
There is this thing called choice
that we value so highly.
Free will, some call it,
all our decisions
left to ourselves.
There is this thing call freedom
that we value so highly.
Live free or die trying,
all our purposes
set by our own hand.
There is this thing call rights
that we value to highly.
The right to decide, to protect.
Everything sits upon it.
There is this thing called us
that we struggle to value.
Us eclipses my choices,
my freedom,
my rights.
Us means it’s harder, more complex, unknown.
– Gretta Vosper –
Take a Deep Breath, 2019
I first met Gretta Vosper in autumn of 2019 when she keynoted an event at which I facilitated a session on creativity. An ordained minister of the United Church of Canada, Gretta is, paradoxically, a self-professed atheist. Unlike most in the gathering that weekend, I was completely unfamiliar with her and her reputation for a radical, fierce commitment to justice. But like most present when she spoke, I was deeply moved, to tears actually.
Recently re-reading her self published chapbook, Take a Deep Breath: A Poetic Pursuit of Justice (2019), I came across this poem which shimmered with remarkable prescience and current relevancy.
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A Wabi Sabi Life 
Thank you for this Katharine (Gretta). Shimmers for me too.
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Thank Katharine. Gretta has been a hero of mine since I first heard her speak — at Emmanuel College at U of T — in 2008.
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