Provoked by Pain
The Poems of a Broken Woman
by Marilyn Nilsson Grabinsky

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What do you do when, in a moment, the future you had imagined for yourself comes crashing down? After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Grabinsky was intent on beginning a new life as a professional artist when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and crippling disease. Living and working in extraordinary pain, every day became a struggle to accomplish the simplest of tasks. It’s no surprise then, that her dream of earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing was shattered. Her psychologist encouraged her to record her feelings of frustration and loss. That same day she found herself sitting in a café, rain streaming down the windows, penning her first poem, “Who Were You?” on a napkin. From there, this gorgeous, moving collection of poems was born. In it, Grabinsky examines the loss of her future, questions how to live with chronic pain, struggles to redefine herself in the face of a life-altering event, and ultimately, discovers innate courage and hope. Thoughtful, candid, and deeply moving, Provoked by Pain speaks to the way our lives might be forever changed in an instant—and the way that we might find ourselves and our courage in the aftermath.

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Marilyn Irene Nilsson Grabinsky holds both a BFA and an MFA in painting and drawing, and has written at length about art history, art theory, and art criticism throughout her education. She was inspired to write this, her first poetry collection, by her experience with pain and what it meant for her art career—through writing. She is the author of Constructed Knowledge (University of Calgary Press, 1997), a written accompaniment to her thesis exhibition at the University of Calgary. She is a member of Canadian Artists’ Representation (CARFAC), the Alberta Gallery of Art in Edmonton, and Gallery@501 in Sherwood, Alberta. The AGA Art Rental program represents her art. Outside of her professional and creative pursuits, Marilyn enjoys camping and watching baseball—sometimes both at once! She lives in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, with her husband, Dennis, and is fortunate to live close to her children and grandchildren to allow for frequent visits with them. Interested in getting in touch? Marilyn can be found under the name “Nilsson Grabinsky” on Instagram and Facebook, or “Marilyn Nilsson Grabinsky” on LinkedIn. You can find her art works on her website, www.mingfineart.com.

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Contributors

Author

Marilyn Nilsson Grabinsky

Foreword

Margaret Day