I feel distant from myself today. There's a sadness deep within me— an intense ache from somewhere that I am lost to in this moment. Perhaps it's just the dull sky, pale with heavy gray clouds, dampening my spirit. Either way, this muffled gray permeates everything, just like this stifling humidity. It distracts my senses from finding myself where I wander the prairie beside the woods where the trees still hold my spirit. Somewhere among the grasses, my self—who I am—lingers still, rooted in the meadow, waiting to be found. Bumblebees gathering sweet nectar from the blossoms— guiding me to the paths lined by bee balm and black-eyed Susans. Monarchs—guardians of the prairie— float around me, gently returning my attention to the present. A doe stands in a questioning gaze, so I ask it, "Will I ever feel the warming rays of the sun again? Feel its light on my sun-worn skin? Will the prairie allow me to remember what I’ve forgotten? Will there be strength enough in what remains of me to live in that deeper truth— within a world burdened by suffering?” But the doe silently returns with her fawns back into the grass leaving me to wonder if I will ever find myself again.
Matthew Griggs (he/him) is a poet whose work draws deeply from the natural world, where he finds a sense of belonging, reverence, and quiet transformation. Much of his poetry is written while walking prairie trails or sitting beneath trees, where moments of stillness open into reflection. His writing explores themes of solitude, healing, emotional honesty, and spiritual renewal, often rooted in the sacred relationship between self and landscape.
Influenced by the lyric clarity of Mary Oliver and the contemplative wisdom of Buddhist teachings—particularly those of Thích Nhất Hạnh—his poems act as meditations on impermanence, interconnectedness, and the emotional weathering of the human spirit. His imagery is precise and grounded in the specific flora and fauna of the Midwest, inviting the reader into a space of mindful presence and shared vulnerability.
For Matthew, poetry is not just an art form but a practice—a way of listening to silence, honoring emotion, and bridging the inner and outer worlds. His voice is both gentle and direct, rooted in lived experience and the longing to make peace with the self.
He writes to reconnect with the earth, to witness the quiet offerings of nature, and to remind others (and himself) that beauty and belonging are still possible, even in times of personal or collective unrest.
