Inspired by The Waking (Theodore Roethke)
This poem was recommended to me by a patient I visit at the Jewish General Hospital during my volunteer shifts. What I found interesting is how they viewed “this shaking” as an activity one participates in that requires some degree of passion. They told me how these “little” passions stabilize them and make them feel more in control. The final two stanzas resonated with them in how they describe themselves as feeling trapped on the floor of the psychiatric unit and how their days feel like they have slowed down.
I viewed “this shaking” as all the struggles and hardships one experiences in their lifetime and how these moments indirectly teach you to be steady. Although not always possible, this steadiness often comes from being acutely aware of what is in your control and what is not. The more opportunities you have to experience “this shaking”, the more tranquil you are when faced with similar future situations. The connotation of “waking to sleep” and how this character learns by “going where they have to go” suggests they feel confined but also possibly that this slow waking gives more time for rational contemplation and reflection. These are virtues which Aristotle proposes in his Nicomachean Ethics as being necessary for happiness. Therefore, depending on how one views this text, the aforementioned “shaking” may be a prerequisite for a tranquil state of mind and, ultimately, happiness.
