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#ROW80 Nourishing Harvest
March 22, 2015
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ROW80
On this last check in to #ROW80 I am taking stock of the bountiful benefits I harvested from this program. I tried it on a lark in order to revive my dead tumblr blog and work on poetry. Results have surpassed my wildest imagination even though I did not fully complete every goal I set at the start. There is the goal, and then there is the spirit of the goal. I am pleased to have established:
- an almost daily poetry writing practice, with emphasis on trying new things
- a weekly trip to the U of A Poetry Center for inspiration
- listening and reading a wide variety of poems from all sources
- making use of exercise time to hear poetry podcasts and ponder
- following and reading poets on tumblr
For me this means I am primed and ready for #NaPoWriMo in April. Taking the plunge into poetry during National Poetry Month is a pleasure. There are poems everywhere, tweeting across the universe at lightening speed, during the month of April. You don’t need to write them to enjoy reading the participants’ creations. If you follow the hashtag #NaPoWriMo you may be inspired to contribute. Last year PBS wrote a group poem on twitter which turned out to be very good. I can’t wait to see what creative events might be in store this year. I find the energy and the generosity of #ROW80 to be similar to the poetry month program. Maybe some of my colleagues from here will migrate, or just pop in to enjoy. It is a non judgmental, creative canvass with major potential for fun.
March happens to be National Nutrition Month, which has made me think about the metaphor of feeding the body and feeding the soul. We need to ingest calories to stay alive, but there are other qualities to nourishment. A home-grown lovingly prepared meal has extra positive energy and support that cannot be found at a drive through window. Joyful play and movement bring circulation to the blood as well as to the senses. We do not live by bread alone. The similarities I see between delicious healthy food and a carefully crafted poem may not be obvious. They are both nourishing to the spirit, and necessary to life. I plan to write some cooking and eating poems in April as I expand my repertoire. Thank you all very much for sharing these 80 days with me.
I will end with a nourishing metaphor by William Shakespeare in his Sonnet 75:
So are you to my thoughts as food to life,
Or as sweet-seasoned showers are to the ground;
And for the peace of you I hold such strife
As ‘twixt a miser and his wealth is found.
Now proud as an enjoyer, and anon
Doubting the filching age will steal his treasure;
Now counting best to be with you alone,
Then bettered that the world may see my pleasure;
Sometimes all full with feasting on your sight,
And by and by clean starvèd for a look;
Possessing or pursuing no delight
Save what is had, or must from you be took.
Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day,
Or gluttoning on all, or all away.
#ROW80 Plots for Poems
March 19, 2015
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ROW80
Our 80 day writing exercise has flown by quickly for me. I planned to write a poem every day, but have managed to do so about half the time. I am not at all discouraged by this result because I have also managed to expand my repertoire of subjects and formats in my poetry. Last April I wrote daily and all of my poems were inspired by works of art, ekphrastic in nature. This was fun because I visited artist friends and took photos to use as the subjects. When I began this challenge all of my poems were ekphrastic, but I created the art myself rather than finding it. First I tired making the art followed by the words, then I tried it in reverse. It does not seem to matter which way I do it now, which is sort of silly to me. If you are inspired by it, it seems like it should exist before you write…but I am practicing both ways, trying them both to monitor results.
Lately I am happy because I attempted very unusual subjects and did some slightly representational drawing about them. I wrote about a lady who was ditched by her Euro-spy boyfriend in a restaurant. She was presented with a giant plate of raw meat, steak tartare, and a note saying her boyfriend had never existed. Now this might seem macabre or in bad taste, and perhaps it is. What is interesting is that I finally put a character and plot into a poem. My first attempt at this involved a swarm of ladybugs around a cabin. These might not have come up if I had not been following my fiction writing friends who work on plot and character all the time. My desire to make poems from historical figures and history itself lends itself to this practice. If I want to turn my dead ancestors into epic poems I need to employ some of the devices used to flesh out characters and thicken the plot. Since I endeavor to bring dream images into my poetry my technique will now expand to outlining plots and characters, then working on lucid dreaming to give me some vivid imagery with which to work. I can embellish the true stories of my family in my dreams and use the impressions to create poetic versions of historical events.
As the solar eclipse tomorrow brings us a dramatic illustration of light and shadow, I see a metaphor for the known and the unknown. What is obscured from view is often the most important part of the plot, and revealing it is the point of the story. What I do not know about my ancestors leaves room for invention and fancy. Here are some of the real people I think can become interesting poems:
- Elizabeth Langley, who lived through the Civil War near Selma, AL, then moved to Texas after the war
- Anne Dudley Bradstreet, first woman to publish poetry in English is an obvious one
- Sarah Helena Byrne, whose husband was a bigamist, and whose father came from Ireland
I also have a true contemporary story I want the public to hear and remember. The Emperor’s New Neighborhood Watch is a rap poem about city government running amok. If I do this with rhyme and humor it will be more impactful. A good (digital) friend of mine told me this week that hexameter was the form used by Homer in his classic epics, not because it was great language, but so the actors could easily remember it. I have written about just the facts in this case for years, but what this story needs is some memorable rhyming truth. After the solar eclipse I will start outlining these stories for Poetry Month in April. It is a fun new way for me to paint with words. I am grateful to my fellow writers for teaching my some of their process. Check out the diversity of this group here. There is a lot of talent in this creative group of people. Thanks for sharing these 80 days with a beginner. Your support has been very inspirational. I aspire to be like you.
reaching higher
#ROW80 Subject Matters
March 9, 2015
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ROW80
This week I bought a book of poetry that has been created by illiterate women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These cultural specialties of the Pashtun tribe are biting commentary on life. Since they live in a war-torn state, to say the least, and their rights are severely limited because they are female, their point of view contains irony and stinging truth about love, war, grief, homeland, and separation. They tackle these subjects with depth and witty metaphor which they have learned from other women. The special right to express themselves is frequently withdrawn if the males in a family learn about it. The book I am reading, I am the Beggar of the World, was inspired by a young girl’s suicide when she was forbidden to create landays and share them on a telephone hot line in Kabul. The journalists who composed the images and couplets are veteran reporters who had been in the area during years of war, covering just the facts. They were emotionally and creatively blown away by the density and artfulness of this pastime/folk literature. The Poetry Foundation helped fund the expedition and Poetry magazine published some of the works. The response from the magazine’s readers was overwhelming. People want to see more of this kind of primal undiscovered poetry that is hidden and unknown to outsiders. It has touched me deeply and makes excellent meditation material.
As a writer I am taking on new subjects. My poems are still simplistic, but I am stretching to find subjects, characters, and perhaps real events that spark my imagination. I have considered how fresh and essential the landays are because of the restrictions of illiteracy and the need to remain anonymous. They are wisecracks, jokes, and political farce all rolled into a few words, like a comic distillation of the concept. Like the work of Dorothy Parker which I am reading, admire, and want to emulate, these jokes are intricate and require some practice to make them work. They pack a lot of editorial punch into 22 syllables, as Mrs. Parker did in her short witty quips. Subjects that are taboo can be handled with humor in such a way as to make emphatic points without confronting issues directly. The discovery of landays and the women who create them leads me to want to take on more difficult subjects. Politics, art and poetry overlap in any era, and the result can be revealing. I am working to develop some good cosmic jokes that resonate with my gentle readers on many levels.
As a practice writing poems is revealing and confidence building. I take zero risks typing away on my iPad saying anything that pops into my mind. In comparison to the Pashtun ladies I suffer very little for my art. I can publish it, tweet it, change it, illustrate it, and it is free to travel wherever people care to read it. I am starting to have an appreciation of the opportunity as well as the responsibility that situation creates. I wonder if I can say something funny and profound that has the power to stick in the mind and change it. For me the ROW80 challenge continues to be more about what I read and learn than it is about what I am writing now. The stepping stones to better work are contained in the works of other poets. They inspire me to look for subjects that matter.
poppy
Magic Words
February 21, 2015
— 4 Comments
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- butterfly
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- butterflies
Words make things happen. In most cultures spoken ceremonies are repeated verbatim purposefully. The sacred nature of both written and spoken language is celebrated around the world. The Torah, Koran, and Bible are viewed as sacred texts to be studied, read and taught. Art depicting religious stories was used to teach in the times before reading was common. Art and design of a religious nature is preserved to demonstrate to future generations the devotion the ancestors had to their beliefs. Sites that are sacred to people for thousands of years become inundated with the energy of pilgrims and believers who have visited throughout history.
In the fast paced and highly saturated language designed to sell products we experience subliminal suggestions buried beneath images and characters. Appeals contain images and voices that speak to our deep unconscious. The investment and energy required to sell Coca Cola around the world now is probably greater than investments in creating sacred art and literature. Political campaigns burn resources and overwhelm the public awareness. Messages bombard the audio and the visual landscapes. The plentiful access to information is both miraculous and sinister. The power of the published word, once reserved for exclusive use by a small group, has been granted to a much wider population. This expansion has created a deluge of spoken and written language available in the blink of an eye on the internet. The cascade of words never ends.
I think it is important to remember that everything we read, write, say, hear, and repeat (or retweet) is power. How do you filter the words you give and receive? I limit the number of ads I see by not watching much commercial television. I don’t buy magazines, and rarely buy papers. Most marketing messages reach me by internet. This makes it simple to delete, unsubscribe, block many of the unwanted communications. The companies that continue to fill my mailbox with catalogs after I ask them to stop sending them invoke my ire. I decide they are too rude to have my business if they will not manage one simple customer service request to stop bombarding me with glossy paper. The world has changed, and so should the unwanted advertisers who think they are reaching me by mail.
Lately I have discovered the vast selection of poetry available free on-line. This filter, which includes several apps for my phone and the voca library, has changed the kind of words I receive on a regular basis. The essence of the poets who crafted those words is portrayed in print and audio. I am making the acquaintance on-line of poets writing now that I like to read. It is fun to be able to comment in real-time on a poet’s blog. By shifting my attention to poems and the use of words to capture time I am pleased to report that my own world is richer and more creative. Words are magical, indeed. My magic words for the year 2015, patience, persistence, and poetry are proving to have the ability to open new realities to me. The are providing a portal into a place of poets, and are just the medicine I needed. Do you believe in magic words, gentle reader?
butterfly
Meeting Expectations
January 8, 2015
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cocktail that wants to be a poem
People walk through the doors of your expectations. This has been my belief for most of my life, and has proven to be a valid one. I have high standards, but notice how I am much more likely to apply them to others than to myself. I do set goals and make commitments, but not usually in a public way. This is why the #ROW80 challenge is perfect for me. I have set myself an expectation of working more creatively and do a daily bit to achieve that goal. I want to practice being more poetic in all aspects of life, so the drawing, photography and poetry are intended to build on themselves . I expect to become more observant in all aspects of my habitual life. There are already a few good results:
- I have kept my dream diary daily, concentrating on the words I associate with my dreams
- My daily drawing practice (digitally assisted) is enjoyable. I warm up for the day by making visual art
- I have written short poems to go with the art, inspired by the experience of creating it
- My attention has expanded to include all kinds of subjects for poetry that I had not considered
The addition of the art has made this exercise natural and easy for me. I have written poetry before, and even looked for art to use as inspiration. Making the art myself is a new and interesting way to tie my attention to a written project. Usually I write the prose, then add the visuals. Starting with color and form is a good way for me to see action and hue within the emotional tone I want to set. I have not attempted to draw anything realistic. My best work is not representational, but based on geometry and color. I am not afraid to try, and am considering going to the botanical garden and trying to do a depiction of the cactus section. Words to go with the cactus poem have been rattling around in my brain as a think about the idea. Although I do publish my work, the purpose of this venture outside my normal writing style is completely personal. I am not seeking adulation or followers. I am curious to see if my writing practice can expand and include more comedy, enlightenment, and beauty. So far, so good!! Now, for the poetry of others:
- I adore Dorothy Parker, and would love to emulate her style of poetry
- The U of A Poetry Center is holding a reading tomorrow night, and I may attend
- I discovered I like reading the Kindle on the exercise bike, so I plan to collect poets to read while I ride
- I will shop Amazon to discover the work of poets I do not know, and make a stop at the library
In general the poetic life is off to a fine start here. I have also started a food preparation calendar, which I think of as an extension of poetic thinking. I want my home life, my cuisine, and my fitness regime to reflect creativity and artful planning. The food preparation trip is actually a very good foundation because it concentrates kitchen time and frees me to wander off into the world of visual art and poetry. I have had some funny thoughts about food and drink poems I want to write. I think a cocktail series could be pretty funny. Asking “What would Dorothy Parker say?” is a fabulous prompt I am using. In my heart of hearts I want the ROW80 to turn me into a glib, sophisticated observer of the details of living. I don’t think that is too much to expect in 80 days.
cornbread that wants to be a poem
Mind Work/Body Work
January 6, 2015
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Globe
There is no way to separate the effect the body has on the mind or the mind on the body. This intricate interaction is centered around self image, accurate or not. We may not see ourselves as we are. In fact, the yoga sutras begin by addressing this subject:
1.1 Now, instruction in Union.
1.2. Union is restraining the thought-streams natural to the mind.
1.3. Then the seer dwells in his own nature.
1.4. Otherwise he is of the same form as the thought-streams.
1.5. The thought-streams are five-fold, painful and not painful.
1.6. Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, fancy, sleep and memory.
This was written in Sanskrit and has been translated in many ways since Patanjali wrote it. This translation is by BonGiovanni. We learn by reading this ancient text how the mind works. It is very specific and detailed. Meditation is offered as remedy for confusion and lack of clarity of purpose. Westerners have flocked to yoga as the perfect fitness activity, enjoying all kinds of variations on yogic teachings. Here in the western hemisphere we have trouble integrating mind and body, consciousness with soul and spirit. We want to have landmarks and rewards for success as we progress. Yoga as a strictly physical practice, even if you include pramayama, or breath control, does not align with the purpose, which is to control the mind. If we are successful yogis we will not only dwell in our own nature, but we will be free of identifying with thought streams. This requires constant and uninterrupted practice. Thought streams arise from ourselves, from the opinions of others, from cultural belief, and from circumstances. To acknowledge them and let them go is a powerful and uplifting act. You are not your thought streams!! This idea is the basis of meditative practice. Learning to execute the perfect tree pose takes full concentration. Presumably there is no attention left for thought streams while you balance on one leg and stay aligned. Asana is not the only way to bring the mind into focus by using the body:
- Walking or running can be a kind of contemplation. Using a mantra while you move along can improve focus.
- Body work by a good therapist offers a healing, non-verbal way to leave the daily grind on the table.
- Bathing, steaming, soaking, or using aromatherapy reduces the level of stress, opening the door to bliss.
- Breathing is a simple, always available, way to bring your focus inward to keep your mind in order.
The easiest (and therefore perhaps the most difficult) breathing practice I know is just a simple counting of breath. Count to ten, marking each inhale and each exhale with a mental number. This seems so simple that you will be surprised how often you can’t make it to ten without the mind drifting off onto some thought form. When you observe the interruption, simply start again with a silent number one on the next breath. Don’t struggle with the thought; just let it go. Resume counting and breathing. Do you have a practice to focus the mind and keep it focused? Do tell.
#ROW80 Writing Challenge
January 5, 2015
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winter writing challenge
I just read in a fellow blogger’s post about the ROW80 challenge. I have just started a practice to improve my writing by creating poetry and art. I had not planed to commit to a daily routine, but I am finding that starting the creative day by drawing, editing photos, and making visual art I am more likely to be observant for the day. Observant includes in this case a full attention to detail as I go through my life, and easy flawless observance of boundaries I have set. Since the group is making personal goals a shared conversation, observant will also mean that I pay attention to my fellow writers and the way they express themselves. This idea arrived at a most propitious time, since 80 days of tracking my goal of a more poetic life will give me a good jump start to a full time practice. I look forward to learning how other people contribute to this exercise.
Observe and Grow are the key words for my goal. I hope to grow my vocabulary, my skills, and my creativity by publishing art and poetry. By observing the world, as well as my dreams, I will find richer, more vibrant subjects. I tend to be a scribe, writing just the facts, and supporting the facts with some photo documentation. I still enjoy that, but feel I could do some story telling, humor, and abstract sound pieces if I develop my poetic sense. I want to see where poetry leads me. I am not seeking approval for the work as much as I am wondering what will happen when I apply myself.
For the next 80 days I will observe what happens when I write a poem each day. This is an adventure I will share. It will include:
- dream diary work to bring images into daily life
- reading poetry
- visiting the U of A Poetry Center
- developing photography and art to inspire my poetic sense
It is my desire to explore a different way of using the written word. I think it will open new doors for my self expression. I also believe my daily life will be enriched by looking for poetic subject matter. I publish my art and poetry on my Tumblr blog, The Flow.
winter writing challenge
Image and Imagination
December 30, 2014
— 3 Comments
psyche
psyche
Each night our psyche brings us images in dreams. We connect with them and live within the dream during our sleep. Upon awakening we sometimes lose the dream images as we file that dream somewhere within our unconscious and decide it is not part of our true reality. Notice that we are within the dream while asleep, and then the images are considered to be unreal when we are awake. We live within a gallery of art and image, dramas with set and costume, in our sleeping world. Our awakened ego is concerned with gathering information and meaning rather than absorbing art for art’s sake. We wake up and enter the world with an explanation for everything. By dismissing the power of the imagination we loose the opportunity to individuate. We diminish our own imagination by interpreting our dream images rather than interacting with them.
We run two systems in our awakened world, an economic system and a therapeutic system. All of our activities are divided into economic obligations and challenges or curing our ills. We are concerned with “growth” of our personal economy or “healing” our wounds. It is easy to see the connections that contribute to the cyclical nature of this limited spiral. What is not so simple is to break these cycles. If our addictions are fed by information, image is converted by the mind into interpretation. The ego prides itself on its ability to interpret everything. Since the ego determines that it alone is conscious, all the rest of reality can be fit into the unconscious basket. The ego explains the image and then its importance is belittled. We cease to interact with it once it has an explanation. Imagery has no explanation. Art and image are animate and inherently charged with insight.
I intend to respect the imagery inside of me by embracing a more poetic view of life. By bringing focus to imagination and imagery I want to contribute to my own creativity. I will investigate how I can interact with my psychic and artistic life through practice. This intention can only be controlled to a certain extent, and it is not my hope to contain my psyche, but to explore it. It has a lot to say.
Hidden Weakness and Undiscovered Strength
December 22, 2014
— 1 Comment
Our new bed, Truth
Testing boundaries and applying discipline will lead to mastery of any skill we choose to practice. We generally rely on what we consider to be our strengths to solve most of our problems in life. Most of us hide our weaknesses, primarily from ourselves, since others can clearly see them. While I am on a big push to clean and clear out my home I notice similarities between my mental state and the state of all my various projects. While digging out all the clothing that is heading for new closets in other people’s houses I discover very cool things I had forgotten in the back of the closet. I have both stupid stuff I have barely worn and the most brilliant, well crafted wardrobe imaginable. The problem has been mixing them all together and overstuffing the space. Nothing is appealing when it is disheveled and jumbled. The same thing applies to my sewing supplies, my office desk, my kitchen cabinets, and, (dare I say it?), my mind. In each one of these cases I go looking for one thing and find 100s of useless items just hanging around for no reason, and a few real treasures I never see or use because they are in a sorry state of order. This clearing must continue until everything I own gives me joy. This must apply to all things, mental as well as physical, digital as well as analog. At the end of the month, which is the end of the year, our brand new bed will arrive. The mattress is named Truth. The truth is that I have a lot of cleaning to do before it arrives:
What needs to go?
- duplicate photos, bad photos, meaningless photos
- paper files of all kinds
- clothing and accessories
- bed and bedding
- decorative items not in use
- dust and dust bunnies
- books not in use
What are the mental steps to take to assure I maintain my unobstructed new life?
- open and deal with paper mail daily
- immediately discard paper when it becomes useless
- set goals for maintaining all spaces clutter free
- deep clean my office and bedroom monthly on new moon
- create special (clean) area for my dream diary next to my bed
- menu planning and good freezer management
- eliminate all junk drawers, closets, boxes, and cubbies
- find a place to put everything away without cramming
I am looking forward to exposing this entire phenomena. Often it is said that our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. I think we all keep a lot of junk out of sight. I maintain a clean and orderly home (to the naked eye), but stuffed into all available nooks and crannies are things I do not need or want. I believe my talents and spiritual life are similar to those overstuffed cabinets. Not only do I have way more than I can use, but I have some trouble distinguishing one thing from another because the agony is all wrapped around the ecstasy at this point. I don’t embrace resolutions. I do want to find myself at the end of 2015 owning fewer things and liking them more. How do you fight the clutter bug, Gentle Reader? Who will win in 2015? I am planning a victory!
Jumping Jupiter Retrograde, Batman
December 17, 2014
— 3 Comments
Jupiter is by far the most massive planet in our solar system. The Roman god Jupiter was worshiped as the purveyor of the universe. He was the ruler of the daytime sky, the god of lightning and thunder, and the political deity of the Roman state. As king of the gods he administered the cosmos. He is the son of Saturn, known for his jovial nature. Jove, as in by Jove the English expression, refers to the god Jupiter. Thursday is his day and protection of the state is his mission. He was the main man in the pantheon when Jesus was born in a Roman colony. He was revered for his reputation for abundance and good fortune, as well as very fine organizational and judicial skills. He was known for bringing chaos to order.
The fifth planet from the sun is now retrograde from the point of view of the earth. This means that due to our orbits around the sun, Jupiter appears from the earth to travel in reverse. This phenomena has significance in astrology, representing a chance to go over events in the past and make improvements. The Jupiter retrograde period will last until April, ending just as US taxes will be due. It represents a chance to review our organization and abundance issues. This time is a portal to edit and remake your own movie that has been running since last September. You do not have to believe in the power of Jupiter to know that good fortune regularly follows good organization. There is no need to worship the god of the daytime sky to use this time to significantly improve your own judgement and organization. Americans need to review the year for the IRS, if not for Jupiter. Take your habits through an honest evaluation aimed at creating more joviality and order. We all have room for improvement, Gentle Readers. What did you start last September that is not properly organized? Imagine jolly Jupiter guiding you through tax preparation and New Year’s resolutions. Redirect your attention to all that brings you joy. Rigorously remove disorder and chaos that clutter your life. Finish what you started, either by discarding it or completing it.
mermaidcamp 