What good can come from grief? From the heartbreak that comes from the loss of our loved ones? For Elizabeth Bullmer, her grief drove her to write poetry. Bullmer works as a self-employed, licensed massage and sound therapist in Portage. Skipping Stones on the River Styx (Finishing Line Press, 2024) is her fifth chapbook, and it will be released on February 21st.
“That line, that I am a student of death all my life, comes to me as I was reflecting on a newer loss, a newer grief,” Bullmer says. “It seems to me, when I experience that now, it almost digs up every previous grief, so that I’m no longer grieving just the one thing, but I’m grieving everything again, all at once.”
This new collection, she says, came out of that new and renewed grief as she tries to find meaning in it. It is also a way for her to stay connected to the loved ones she has lost.
“All I’ve written about is death for two years,” she acknowledges. “I just keep writing about it. I think I’m done and more comes, and another layer comes. So it is healing and it does change, but it also never goes away.”
Alongside the grief of losing a loved one, Bullmer says, especially when it is unexpected, is a new appreciation for her own life. She feels the impetus to live a fuller life while realizing how fragile it is.
“Having lost, I can go forward knowing that I can lose and survive,” she says.
Elizabeth Rae Bullmer received her B.A. in Theatre and English, with Emphasis in Creative Writing and Performance, from Alma College. Bullmer works as a self-employed, licensed massage and sound therapist in Portage.
Listen to WMUK's Art Beat every Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.
