Summary and excerpt from 'A World of Hurt'

"Just breathe, you'll get through this," I kept telling myself but I wasn't. Time was passing but the pain I felt was overpowering. I thought I was dying and the truth was I wanted to. The life and family I knew and loved for 23 years was dealt a death blow when he said he was leaving. Where was the manual, the "how to" book for this mess I had unwillingly been thrown into? I felt abandoned, ashamed and was despairing inside. When would I be able to simply breathe and feel normal again? Then it happened…out spewed a gut retching vomit of devastation through pen, documenting each suffocating moment exchanged with a blessing of God. This is the account of my journey through the darkness of separation and divorce. May it become a relatable companion, encouraging you on, during this most heartbreaking of seasons in life.

A sample poem from, A World of Hurt.

Yard Sale After Death September 2007
Today, I held the yard sale after their death.
Sale after sale, I tried to hang on to the memories
the shoppers were casually buying, how sad.
Theirs was a wonderful life and family, but such a
tragic ending…
For a thief got in through a door left ajar
and made off with its cover, the head.
And without its protective covering there,
the freezing family ended up dead.
Now the sad home, all in disarray,
is changing hands and its contents need to go.
For the frozen family, without the head,
was left for the wind to blow.
The sale is over, the money exchanged
and the floor is all swept clean.
But, the endless memories of the headless family
still haunt me in my dreams.
For the truth is that the tragic family is mine
and there's blood where the wind has blown.
Yet, there remains forgiveness in my eyes today
because of the Savior whose mercy I've been shown.

Author Bio:

Elizabeth Dancer currently resides in the small Southern Oregon town of Jacksonville where she continues to write docu-poetry for her second book entitled, A World of Hope.