Every Day Is a Poem by Jacqueline Suskin (manga ereader txt) 📗

simple as this: every time I revisit my past, I’m reminded of what a full life I’ve led, and even with all of the hardship, with the trauma and the hurt that come with memory, I still see this overflowing bounty behind me and end up feeling grateful to have experienced so much. Tapping into the past is a way to gain appreciation for the present, and if we can value who we are right now, we can consider our poetic selves and honor whatever it is we need to voice.

chapter 8

USE YOUR JOY

The poet’s measures serve

anarchic joy.

—URSULA K. LE GUIN

With all of the horrible things happening in our world, we often feel guilty about being joyous. It can feel wrong to express any level of elation as our planet and fellow humans suffer. But joy is a crucial part of collective healing, and limiting happiness because of guilt only harms us as a whole. Humans don’t do well with apathy. Yet I understand why so many of us feel stuck in the current climate. With genocide, institutionalized racism, police brutality, climate change, deforestation, sexism, transphobia, and inequality of all kinds plaguing the headlines, it makes sense that so many people feel powerless and are in despair.

But it’s important to remember that in

addition to the actions we can take by

attending meetings to organize, signing

petitions, voting, and voicing our outrage,

our joy is a form of activism.

The poems that I wrote for my Poem Store customers had an innate optimism. I didn’t set out intending to write positive poems for the masses; it’s just that whatever I’m channeling when I create spontaneously for strangers is a thing of light. This hopefulness doesn’t exclude the darkness or pain that a customer might present when they name their subject; rather, it’s a reminder that goodness exists. Sometimes that goodness is a lesson, the inspiring aspect of pain that causes us to grow or the stark reality of something horrific that won’t last forever, that will change if we work for it or give it time. There is joy in all of this acknowledgment. There is felicity in our expressions of belief. Even a glimpse of hope in a time of hopelessness is a serum of solace that we all seek. Poetry is this medicine.

Poems can help us celebrate joyous events. To thrive amidst pain and confusion, we have to learn how to hone in on the things we’re most grateful for and praise them with language.

POETRY IS A

FORM OF PRAISE

As we care for ourselves and make the most of life, as we serve and revere, as we mend our many mistakes, as we acknowledge and unpack our privilege, allowing for a release of rapturous expression feels radical and imperative.

A Morning

I gladly keep the windows open,

desert air rushing in to cover everything

with chaparral dust. I’ll wipe it up again

and again, or just let it stay. The sound

of the cat drinking. The hatchet cut

on my knuckle and the splinters in my hands.

Good to wear the mark of wood.

Old broom handles and the worn barn door.

Avocado, pine, and oak. A needle

and the slow yet satisfying meditation

of removal. I praise it all

with water for the orchard roots

and bring the hose to my lips.

I release all worry.

The earth is here and I am it.

EXERCISE FOR JOY

MAKE A RITUAL OF JOY

Be in service to your joy by noticing it. Let this observation be a routine, a ceremonial practice of tending to your exuberance. The more joy we feel, the better chance we have of extending such delight to others. Hallelujah! You woke up and saw the brilliant sun again! This thought is the day’s first poem. Oh joy! The wilderness is large and secretive! Write about it. Wow! You are loved by a gentle woman, and she sings so sweetly. Write her a letter and find poetry to celebrate her goodness. When someone is getting married, they often write poetic vows of dedication and potent promises. When someone graduates from college, we commend them with verse. It’s natural to fall into poetry when we are struck by joy. Let the work of words reveal joy in your thoughts, on the page, in any way that pays tribute to the pleasure of being alive so that you feel it fully on each occasion.

WRITING PRACTICE

WRITE A CELEBRATORY POEM

Whether it be a momentous occasion or something simple, challenge yourself with the task of noticing your jubilation. Focus on the things you like and the happiness that they provide. Put this down on paper to remember such buoyant feelings when they are less easy to come by. Do you need to let your neighbor know how happy their sunflowers make you? Write them a short verse of thanks. Do you need to remind yourself that your job makes you happy? Write a definitive poem about why. Write about ice cream, about the TV show that makes you laugh, about the wrinkles around your father’s eyes when he smiles, about the way your cat plays freely in the grass—anything that offers you joy is deserving of a few grateful lines.

Often other people are my poetry; the love they give and the delight they bring to my life are my deepest inspiration. Try writing a poetic tribute for someone you love and let your reverence flow forth freely. For me, the art of the compliment is a poetic one. If someone makes you feel wonderful, do it in return. Conjure up a gorgeous compliment and let that be the poem that stands between you.

Write a celebratory poem:

Place is also a huge source of joy. I regularly write praise poems that lift up the attributes of a landscape. Is there a place that brings you great elation? Write about it in detail to