sweet rest
here
moves
without us,
it has
no need
it waits-
knowing
(patience
doesn’t
diminish)
power
sits softly
we push
we run
we fall
quiet
absolute
expanses
of truth
lie
beneath,
beyond
our
home
we build
so sure
we can hide
always
simple
belief
twitches
the fear
of found
permeates
the longing
so instead
it is hide and seek
calling out into the darkness
“come find me”
and as soon as steps are heard
-retreat-
scared,
we
bring
to the table
all we own
and we don’t
know
all
we don’t
and we don’t
know
hope
we only know
what we won’t let go
so we don’t
know
at all.
The title may or may not relate to this poem other than being a reminder to me of where I was, who was around, and what was going on the day I wrote it.
One day, when I was having a hard time with writer’s block, but knew I had something to get out (but was probably trying too hard), I started drawing lines across my notebook paper, making what looked like the design for a stained glass window (to me). I started filling in the sections with words and then took the words and made a poem with them. It seems only having to come up with one word at a time, in no order, helped loosen me up. What’s fun about writing like this is that it’s really flexible and can go in so many directions.
I actually started using this exercise with some of the kids I work with who don’t want to journal, or who don’t ever really say anything in their journal (I had a good day. I went to school, etc). I tell them to fill in the spaces with whatever they want (but stipulate they use 3 feeling words) and then let them color and name it. Sometimes I do it too, it’s kind of fun.
I mean anything could get into it, in simple little chunks: thoughts, experiences, surroundings, feelings, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs…and the random arrangement on the page makes it easy to grab the words and rearrange them, or even connect them to one another in ways you wouldn’t have before (and you could always analyze why some are in the bigger sections or colored a certain way, or beside certain things, but I just like to use them to create and discuss more than to analyze-though often in creation and discussion some analyzing happens)
Anyways, this poem is the result of one of these activities. I was avoiding preparing for a presentation at the time.
