Daniel Pierce Library welcomes Poetry Plaque

“Once we find the beauty in trauma that we undergo… we can embrace it.””

Poet Dean DeWitt

GRAHAMSVILLE  — Members of the Grahamsville community gathered at the Daniel Pierce Library in celebrating a poetry plaque dedication for the piece, “Bee Beautiful” by Dean Dewitt, a resident of Livingston Manor.

The poem is part of the Catskilled: Poetry for Healing project by 2022-2024 Sullivan County Poet-Laureate, Dr. Sharon Kennedy-Nolle.

This poem is the ninth in a series of 14 plaques that are permanently being installed in the libraries, civic spaces, and green spaces throughout the County.

Daniel Pierce Library Director Beth Wolpert told DeWitt that when she read his poem, it was “very touching.”

“Throughout my life, there has always been poetry in different venues,” said Wolpert, “So when I came here and the first project I was handed was this [plaque], it just felt like I was at home.”

She stated that DeWitt’s poem is a “distinctive voice” among the 14 as much as
DeWitt is a “unique individual.” The author acknowledged this occasion as an “honor, and truly is a blessing.”

He stated that it is remarkable that we are on our individual, metaphysical journey in life and figuring out why we’re here.

“With the Yin and the Yang of life, once we find the beauty in the trauma that we undergo, or the sadness, and we can embrace it,” said DeWitt. “We can understand that it helps us grow into a more compassionate human being. Not just for the world, but for yourself as you’re embracing all aspects of your life.”

He believes that it needs to be done more and to be taught more, especially to the future generations.

He said that the hostilities and the war that we undertake right now, it’s because “people don’t know how to communicate effectively with their emotions, with all their emotions.”

“I think that once we come to a place where we can properly display our feelings and emotions and learn that it’s a direct reflection of what we are undergoing as well as being receptive of others and all of their emotions,” explained DeWitt, “[and] how that shows a direct reflection of what we’re undergoing. It becomes a totally different world.”