Richard always has a pre-retreat writing adventure to get the juices flowing - my "juices" have been so sluggish that my heart simply hasn't been in it. YET (thank God there's always a "yet"!) I have done this poetry-writing thing with Richard enough to know that when it's time, something will come. It may not be great, but it will at least resemble a poem.
Sure enough, over the last couple of days, I've written two poems - simple, but fun. I find that "lists poems" are so helpful for getting into the poetry flow, so I thought I'd play with that for a while. It has not escaped my attention that the other two trips I've made "across the pond" alone haven't been "sight-seeing" trips, but rather pilgrimages, retreats, soul feeding journeys. This one also fits that category, and it hasn't escaped my attention that all three pilgrimage destinations begin with the letter "I": first Ireland, then India, now Italy...hmmmm.
The poem I wrote yesterday took that into consideration and my list poem came.
Pilgrim Places
By Sheila Conner
The “I’s” have it.
Ireland first
Blustery
cold windy days in May
Warm
wool sweaters
“Soft
days”
Emerald
green moss and fern
Stone walls
and fences
Walking the Burren
Fairies
and rag trees
Holy
wells
Bridgett
and the feminine
Galway’s
swans and rainbows
The
room with a view
Kicking
the wall
Cottage
gardens
Pizza
and wine
City
fairs and the booth from India
Poetry,
stones, shared stories
Feet in
the icy Atlantic Ocean.
Then India
Barefoot
walks on temple grounds
Ashram
days, hot and humid
Short
beds, mosquito nets and lumpy pillows
Bananas
– every single meal: bananas
Buses,
motorcycles, crowds and traffic noise
Chanting
mantras, prayers and ringing bells
Arunachala
‘s stone steps
Monkeys stealing shoes
Ganesh,
Shiva, Shakti and Nandi – great stone deities
Fire,
smoke and ashes
Sitars
and incense
The
children
Old
faces, broken bodies
Smiles
and bows
Kindness
everywhere
Feet in
the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Today, Italy
What
words will follow on these next few lines?
Where will
my feet bathe in these coming days?
6/16/2017
In preparation for La Romita Poetry Retreat
Job One – To Fall in Love with the Miracle Ache of the World
Our "pre-retreat poetry writing adventure" assignment from Richard was to write a poem about packing for Italy, and one's been perculating for a couple of days. This morning it all came together, and my assignment's done! I'm such a "good student"!
Packing for Italy
by Sheila Conner
Take your sturdy shoes
And poles for balance
Streets are cobbled
Steps, uneven.
Take your flipflops,
The red ones,
For nightly bathroom treks
And simple freedom.
Take your bare feet
Tender though they may be
Earth walking is good for the soul
And toes must dip into the sea.
A mind
and heart wide open
Senses
all on guard
See,
hear
Taste,
smell
Feel –
for God’s sake, feel.
Take your cat’s reminder:
The sense of presence
Enough to know when to go on the prowl
For this moment’s current happening
And when to lie in the grass
With your belly flat to the ground -
And purr-fectly be – just be.
6/17/2017
In preparation for La Romita Poetry Retreat
Job One – To Fall in Love with the Miracle Ache of the World
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