I feel it’s appropriate tonight to share this article I wrote a couple years ago. It’s an encouragement to see the value of poetry, and even if we don’t write it, we can live in the spirit of poetry.
_____________________ I rejoice in some aspect of life every day, even if many other things are not progressing as planned. Quite often, a simple element of life brings me to a grounded center — a simple element looked at in a fresh, different, or introspective way. A poet sees magic — the invisible-to-the-naked-eye substructure of life that carries with it the very vibrations of life, vibrations that put us in tune with our world, with nature, with the Universe.That’s how viewing life as a poet day in and day out can help us. It is the same way that Maya Angelou or Vincent or DaVinci or Tchaikovsky or Chihuly or Georgia O’Keefe or Nikki Giovanni or Toni Morrison or …well, who knows how many could be named here, not only famous but also unknown poets in their own fields — mechanics, accountants, teachers, etc — those sorts of people who put others at ease because others know that these people are passionate and in flow with what they do. These types of “greats” produce effects that stand out to others because of the way they look at life; life is poetry to them. No, they do not all write poetry, but they do all look at life through the eyes of a poet, eyes that see what most of us miss, eyes that see the uncommon in the common, eyes that detect untapped ways of thinking in the everyday, eyes that delight in the promising possibilities that exist all around us — if we look at life through the eyes of a poet. Most of the time, simply being sensitized to looking for surprises and revelations in the everyday allows for discovery. However, devotion to a few moments might help, especially in those times of stress, disorientation, despondency, or maybe you just need to get your creativity and innovation energy flowing. Count it as sacred time and pause, look around, and ask, What lesson, reflection or truth do I see about life in this scene around me right now? What elements of Nature or creativity of humanity do I see? Of what does it remind me? Where does it transport me mentally and/or emotionally? To when, what time in life, does it take me back to or lead forward to? How does it help me in understanding myself or others? Why did I choose this object of focus? Any or several of these brief reflections can bring you to a place of peace, passion, gratitude, action, or resolution — some discovery — just in a matter of a few minutes, sometimes. Poets look at a bird or a blade of grass or some dilapidated barn or a crumbling bridge or soaring skyscraper or a wheelbarrow and think of how that reflects something about life and that something often reveals what is occurring in the heart and soul of the individual or in the mass vibrational frequency of a community, nation, or world at large. The poet then quite often, at least the great Romantic ones, consider the lesson and consider their relationship with the lesson and then set themselves in relationship to that, which can catapult anyone into a state of gratitude. Now, it’s true that not all poets or artists in any field always come out with polished published messages, but the ultimate experience must be positive and/or fulfilling for themselves if their creations would make a mark on the world. However, our concern should be to make a mark on our own soul for gratitude and positivity in the daily observations of life, observations which we can look into more deeply, in a matter of seconds, really, and feel the vibes, get the sense, understand how they are reflecting the Universe, and, then, we can get the best from that magical observation and begin enjoying new moments of success, gratitude, and positive energy. Now, it is not incumbent on us to commit our reflections to rhyme scheme, meter, and verse, but hopefully it will be such to our souls. Here’s to looking at life through the eyes of a poet!
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Questions to consider:How many times have you asked yourself or simply thought about the following questions?
Who am I, really? What is my truth? How do my actions reveal what I really feel and believe? What would I do with my life if I could do anything? What is my passion? Why am I here? How can I discover answers to any of these questions? If you have considered any of these questions, I hope that my experiences and writing will give you some guidance. Please read my blog and comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Archives
December 2019
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