INVITATION
If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS
Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
HUG O' WAR
I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
Ahhhh! Shel Siverstein. What a poet for the ages. His simple rhyme; his strong message to us all. These poems from his poetry collection called Where the Sidewalk Ends, are three of my all time favorites. I feel child like and full of promise. I feel giddy and silly as I read them outloud. I feel safe in this world... almost able to see spirit fairies and talk to gods. I feel validated and empowered to be me. I feel relieved.
When/how/why/what/when for you? Write any response that comes up... maybe a rhyming poem...or a ... or a ... or a ... a what? Write as child perhaps. Allow yourself creative freedom. Allow yourself to play.
Either send your responses to me by Sunday night for me to post on Monday morning, or post yourself at that time.
Always LOVE,
Petrina
Oh and one of mine too!
Oh Nature Spirits
A meadow.
A fence.
Spirit life give me memory of courage.
An open gate beckons -
Shall I take the adventure?
I am ready for my transformation,
Ready for all aspects of life and love.
My soul dances –
Lush carpet, green tickling between toes
I smell the lavender, the rose
The day is filled with wonder, an awe
Surprise…
Little spirit child bestow upon me love
Give gifts of wisdom, courage, strength.
Bestow upon me meaning of
Innocence and beauty
Struggle, hurt…
Where do I stand, Sprite?
With thee?
Honor me with knowledge
Allow me to listen,
Allow me to feel.
I want to feel the sting of tears
Hot and wet in steady stream
Down cheek and neck
Realizing
Resonance with my soul.
Where do I stand, Sprite?
With thee
As we pass through open gate
Into plush never-ending meadow
Leading onward
Toward joy
And purpose fulfilled
Hearing laughter
Feeling love…
My soul, Dear Sprite,
Remembers
Everything.
Everything!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
22 comments:
Please remember SoulWriting Saturday Workshop from 10-5. Hours and hours of writing and sharing!Please call Vicki at 220-1777 and tell her to put your name on the list. What a meaningful time we will have.
Always LOVE!
Petee
I just love Shel Silverstein. I bought two of his books a few years back and my kids wher a bit too young to grasp some of the concepts, but when Petee posted them, I set them on the sidetable and I plan on reading some poems to them tonight. My favorite has always been 'Sick', you know, 'I cannot go to school today'....I was just like that as a child! Thanks Petee for this great memory to be rehatched! Heard you were feeling a little under the weather...Hope you are feeling better now, if not soon!
XOXO
Emily
I hope you had a great day at soul writing.
Love, J
Hi guys! Petee did not have soul writing because there were not enough people to sign up. I guess we need to get the word out more. I really enjoyed the last soul writing and learned a great deal.
SPRING FORWARD
It's dark
It is cold outside my covers.
The smell of coffee entices me to release the tightness from my feet,
my legs
my back and arms
My spirit wants my body to jump from my bed.
The anticipation is so strong.
I can't resist.
A new day
A new start
Hope
To be alive.
A beautiful gift.
Thank you
What an interesting group of responses we have to post today. I say that simply because the “theme” of each poem is so varied. Of course this is what I love about a prompt…it springboards thoughts from each writer as unique as each individual. As you read these pieces, take the time to read them aloud. Feel the words in your mouth. Feel the words in your heart. Allow yourself to connect with any phrases or words that touch you or stand out to you. Notice the rhyme in Joellen’s two pieces. Notice how the rhyme can be so subtle. Notice the Grammar B style Emily has used. By not using any punctuation, the reader must take responsibility of interpretation and meaning. Thanks Emily, for giving us that opportunity. Dolphin, thanks for posting and hear all of these words for your poem as well, yours giving the feeling of being right there with you…and with gratitude. Terrie tells the story of the vulnerable child. Notice the surprise ending and feelings/mood shift at the end of her poem. It’s chilling to me – and so real! Thanks again to all and for those of you who post after this, please go ahead. You writers, you – you are so full of wonder and passion; thank you for sharing and …
Always LOVE,
Petee
Terrie sends this piece:
The spiritual essence of a five year old
Running to the water and jumping into the wave
Skipping across the green grassy fields
Playing freeze tag leap frog hide-n-seek
Jumping to the count of twenty
Captivated by sunny bliss
Playful silly
Giggling delightfully Frolicsome
Light as a feather
Floating through crystal blue sky
Enchanted by the colors all around
Pink sparkling smiles
Intoxicated with happiness
Lively with energy spinning fast
Happy! Joyful!
Hold on Hold on
Where is it going?
It is slipping slipping into the cold
Gray
dreary
colorless darkness!
From emily
deep black darkness
silvery pool spill into
small dragons
no
doves
so much the same
transcending into puffy clouds
still dark
but
starting to lighten
vivid colors pour into the dark space
but
it does not fade
still intense
dark
do I want light
why won’t it come
is it me
do I stop it
it just keeps pooling into more forms and shapes
the colors barely visible as they spill out like little waterfalls
continuing
not growing larger
nor smaller
just sifting from one place the next
diving deeper into all the stillness
waking up my surroundings
am I asleep
am I waking
such nice contrast
pulls my thoughts
peaceful
not evil nor sinister
a blackness
trying to smooth out the color
more color still coming
not giving up
a constant motion
it is just as it is
From Joellen
There Is No Solution
My heart,
A rock within my chest.
I start
To feel its anguished quest.
I stop
The feelings that arise
I drop
The thoughts I would deny.
My soul
Tormented by the pain,
Not whole,
And shall not be again.
This thing
Has rent my heart in two
I cling
To hope I'll know what's true.
My shame
Seeps noxious and perverse,
Its game
To make me feel my worst.
I plunge
A dagger through my chest
I lunge
And fall to final rest.
In death
Lies surcease from the pain
In death,
I never feel again.
And another from Joellen
Acorns in the Park
Monkey bars, upside down
I hang, legs first, head to the ground.
He's there to catch me, should I fall,
Him so big, me so small.
He cheers me on, and when I'm done,
We're off to find some other fun.
Shuffling through piles of bright hued leaves,
As through the wooded paths we weave,
We come upon a grassy place,
He sticks a Pollynose to my face.
I spin and twirl, my arms out wide,
Then in a pile of leaves I hide.
He finds me in no time at all,
In the crisp golden sunshine of that Fall.
Sitting cross leg'd on the ground
He takes the acorns we have found,
And with his little pocket blade
I look in awe at what he's made...
An acorn tea set with spouted pot,
And tiny cups, for tea that's hot;
And a sugar bowl to make it sweet
For when the fairies come to eat.
My magic man, my prince, my Dad,
I loved him so, good times and bad.
And even when the times were dark
I recalled those sweet days in the park,
And the myriad magical things he did;
To this day, I'm still grateful I was his kid.
Hello, everyone,
First, Peetee, I'm sorry the Soul Writing Saturday had to be cancelled, and I'm sorry I could not have come even if it had not...
I think we need to round up troops from outside the blog for the workshop. There are not enough of us in here to "make a quorum" if even one or two of us can't make it and I feel this isn't fair to you this way. Thank you for your encouragement and for the gift of this blog. I know it is a gift of love.
Each of you who wrote this time... what beautiful imagery,
I agree with Peetee, Terrie's ending twist hits like a bucket of dark gray paint dumped on beautiful painting...it is so vivid and real and sinister.
Emily, I love the abstract beauty of your piece, the wonderful word sketches...and I admire the ability you have to do that, just, stay loose. I feel as if I often get stuck within some sort of literary framework. My mind just sort of works best in rhythms and cadences and rhymes, in literal translations and in stating the obvious. I think it's why my field was jewelry design. In that field, things by nature must be precise to the fraction of a millimeter.
Dolphin, I can so relate to what you wrote! I can feel the feelings!
It is interesting how I relate more to darker poems than to the light free-spirited poems.
Emily I relate very much to your poem. The constant-it is just as it is---I keep telling myself that over and over again.
Joellen - Your two pieces are in such contrast. My soul has been tormented by pain long enough. No more - it is time. It is time for gentle love, silliness, sweet kisses, passion, learning, and more love.... Did you write them in one sitting?
Dolphin - I am feeling that gift more and more. Thanks
My writing often takes off when I start. I worked hard puttint the first poem together, because it is hard to find words that express silliness fun innocent child. The last couple of lines just jumped on the page at the end. Those were easy. I have known that place for a long time. I wish to take that poem and spiral it back around as if it was the story of my life. I feel I have spiraled around to that innocent, vulnerable, silly, loving, carefree, imaginative, creative being. It is hard to find the words. I should manifest finding the words is as easy as pulling them out of the air in front of me, behind me, and all around me.
Thanks for sharing everyone.
Love Coral Sunset
Joellen I really enjoyed the poem about your dad. It was very sweet. I don't feel I have one style of writing, sometimes I rhyme, other times not. This week I just zoned out and blobbed all that out.
Terrie the first half of your poem, which you said you had to really work on, seemed so light that I never would have guessed. It just seems so natural, even as it slips a bit deeper and darker. It is really a great piece.
Dolphin I wait in bed every morning for the beep beep of my coffee. Probably my one true addiction (besides being a clean freak). I also try to get out of bed every day with the feeling you so perfectly described.
Thank you for your responses and for reading mine. I appreciate it more than you know.
Chilly day in Ohio(31 degrees for a high)
Emily
Hi...
Terrie, to answer your question, mine were written two days apart; the bummer one was first. I agree with Emily on every point in your poem.
Emily, I don't always rhyme either, but I am rarely abstract. And I'm very glad you're here and that you share your words & your kind heart.
31 is too cold!
Come to FL!
Well today it is nearing 45 or so. I will come to FL to live when I 'retire' from being a stay at home mom, but only for the winter. My hubby is going to the Upper Peninsula when I go to FL. Then we plan on living together in Ohio in the spring/summer/fall.
I think I wrote my first poem when I was 12 or so. I still have it somewhere. My teacher wanted to have it published. I was so happy and excited. I told my mom and let her read it. She said it was horrible, ugly and dark. She said I shouldn't write things like that. So it never was published and I never share anything I write except the first time I met Petee in FL many years ago. Besides Petee, no before this blog ever read or even knew I wrote at all. I don't think it is about liking everything you read/write/etc. it just crushed me at that age. So I am poking my head out of my shell.
Thanks for the support.
Emily
My Dearest Writers,
I am so happy, delighted and appreciative that you choose to create and share in the sacred place of the SoulWriting Blog. For years and years I pondered whether or not a person could be taught creativity. I know now, thanks to all of the years of Soul Writing that it is not a matter of teaching, rather a matter of allowing. When we allow the space and time in our lives to respond through writing, we can write. When we respond to others' writings from the love in our souls/hearts/minds/bodies we are allowing that space for all. What a gift we both give and receive.
Sometimes I wish many more people were here writing and responding and supporting; then I remember that those who are here are here. We are a special group, a community of creative energy. It is all perfect in this world.
I am going out of town for a few days and will return next week. Please keep writing and supporting each other. I love you all! And for those of you who continue to peruse from afar...join the magic of the word!
Always LOVE,
Petee
Peetee, you are so right, and once again, I thank you for this gift you have provided us. Enjoy your time away, and my apologies that we didn't finish our project before you left. We can continue when you return, though.
Emily, the reason you shut down your writing is the same reason I don't/can't/won't perform on stage. When I was eight, my mother did much the same thing regarding my being in a play (well, she did that pretty much about everything I did, but the play was one of the more traumatic squelchings) that yours did to you regarding writing. When we're young, we so deeply need our mothers' approval. And in the converse, nobody can squelch you like your mother can. So I understand.
All I can say is keep on writing; you do have a wonderful gift.
Got to go paint my signs for outside the building. I did them last week but when they were hung, they were not legible from any distance so I'm redoing them.
Love to all,
J
I see a tumbleweed....
Hee Hee Hee writers at their best
Uh-oh...A Southern drawl coming from a New York girl could be a tad scary...
I think if we want Peetee to post prompts, we need to support her soul writing group when thet happen in person. The last one was a date conflict for me. I hope I can get to the next one, as I truly enjoyed and benefitted from the one I did attend.
Peetee, I apologize for forgetting to include "Soul Writing" on my mailer...I did put Drama Therapy and Parenting Classes- I have no idea how Soul Writing, the one I am invilved with, slipped my mind, but it did. Well, we'll include it in the rest of the publicity for our OPEN HOUSE & CELEBRATION at Solutions on APRIL 23 from 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM...Got that, everyone??? Please come! We'll have refreshments and door prizes and demonstrations and all sorts of fun!
Love to y'all,
J
So does this mean the posts will no longer be here? I am confused. The reason I like this blog is because there is nothing like this around here in the old world and I can't jet off to see Petee anytime.
Hmmm. I shall wait for Petrina
I don't know what it means, Emily...that was just my own speculation, since Peetee does a live Soul Writing group every other month that this blog is supposed to be a part of, only there were not enough participants last time to make it a go.
That plus I did my own mailer to a list I bought on line for the open house and I included the others' services as well as my own, and I somehow left off Soul Writing. It is included on the real flier for everyone that Wendy did so we do have it covered, but I still feel badly. So my last post was my own projections. I don't know what's happening here. Only Peetee knows.
I am good at making up things in my head and believing them to be true. Sorry...
Hi guys!
I don't agree that the reason Petee is not posting is because there were not enough people to make the Soul Writing workshop happen. My take is that she has just been busy with life and work since she has been back from New York. She did tell me she was going to post a new prompt. It is a great blog that provides a challenge.
Thanks Coral Sunset...
I believe you're correct about Peetee simply being busy...I never believed otherwise, really. It's just that I feel badly that Peetee puts this out here for us and does the attendant work involved to keep it going even though we were not there in person at the workshop, and so I was projecting my own stuff. What a surprise, right?
I love this blog too.
Post a Comment