A Poetic Invitation to Face Our S**t

A Poetic Invitation to Face Our S**t

From Misseducated by Tash Doherty

March 5, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

The episode explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship through poetry and personal reflection.

A Poetic Invitation to Face Our S**t Marie Ida Sequence: Writing Prompts to Love Our Mothers Hello Wonderful Reader, The mother-daughter bond is just about the last thing I wanted to share about this week. I only wanted to give you a taste of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven because next week we’ll be working with another poem by her in a “Fantasy”-themed Intimacy Writing Workshop (which I’m very excited to teach!) I found her poem “Marie Ida Sequence,” and I liked it. But once I sat down to illustrate, I got the message: she’s talking about her mother, their resemblance, and her love for her. Her mother, Ida-Marie, who died of uterine cancer when Elsa was only 19 years old. Her mother, who had suffered from mental illness and spent time in a sanatorium in Stettin, Germany ( theartstory.org ). Her mother, who had been stuck in an abusive, violent relationship with her father, and contracted syphilis because of him (Elsa blamed her father for her mother’s death). I’m not going to lie, the complexity of it makes me feel a bit better about myself. I’m going through a difficult time with my own mother. I am trying to accept her for who she is, while she cannot do the same for me. My…

People in this episode

Hosts: Tash Doherty, Tash

Topics covered

  • mother-daughter bond
  • mental illness
  • abusive relationships
  • poetry
  • intimacy

Keywords

  • Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
  • Marie Ida Sequence
  • writing prompts
  • family dynamics

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Poetic Invitation to Face Our S**t, Marie Ida Sequence, Misseducated

Places: Stettin, Germany

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