Growing up in the pine-needled Black Hills of South Dakota, just twenty minutes from Mount Rushmore, Michele Davis spent much time outside hiking, skiing, boating, bike riding, and spending time with family and friends. She earned her Bachelor's in English and Political Science from the University of South Dakota and her Master's in Education from the University of New England; she has been teaching high school and middle school English for over twenty-six years and says it rarely feels like a job because she loves it so much....
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Below are episodes of the Warrior Mom’s podcast featuring Michele Davis:
The Daedalus Curse is Mine
I wonder where I made Daedalus’ error,
Where had I crashed through a wall meant to keep me still,
What was my flaw that melted over feathers despite my fearless solution?
I, too, have cried my son’s name without a returning sound,
I, too, chatter like the partridge and get stuck in my muddy mire,
Yet, I cackle with joy that even though the wings failed,
Icarus is still Daedulus’ son, and Carter is still mine.
Epilogue
Didn’t know I’d go to a cathartic place with my trembling pen in hand…I hadn’t been able to write since Carter gained his wings, but this story broke through my silence, a blindness to the beauty I might find in the swirling sorrow. I’m now realizing one’s blindness can give sight to those thrashing in the waves.
We invite you to download a copy of Michele’s sermon that was read at Lovett School’s chapel service in 2024.
It shares a message of honesty about grief, love for those who seek the light and find hope even in the midst of sorrow.
After I wrote the poem above, something spurred me to write a song about Carter, a song that could be for anyone alive or dead that one wishes they still were in their life. I imagined how we all search for traces of those loved ones. Slater Nalley took a picture of and two weeks later had written a gorgeous song. What a priceless gift; we will be forever grateful!
Wheels turn, and trees blur,
The moon leads my way,
Yellow dashes keep rhythm, keep direction…
Despite being lost in the view,
In thought, in love, searching for traces of you.
Blue eyes, mischief-filled crooked smile, and athletic build,|
Gone too soon, yet the room fills,
With pieces and prizes…
All of you, wishing my thoughts my love could bring more than traces of you.
Stuck in places and spaces, searching for you,
Memories and photos seem frozen in time,
Absent and empty, no new memories with you…
So I’ll keep searching for traces of you.
Chorus idea:
The world keeps turning while I miss you,
Photographs age, and I’ve got nothing new,
Love will push me through as I search for traces of you.
