I have spent some time with you looking at how Walt Whitman used poetry, and while he had a great mission of awakening the consciousness of America and American poets to the possibilities that are embodied in the fabric of our nation, he had to go through an awakening himself to arrive at and live that mission.
Why not do a little awakening ourselves? What are you thinking and feeling about yourself right now? How do you relate to and fit in with your family, friends, neighbors — hell, the rest of the world? Do you ever think about those things? If you do, if you question yourself and feel the need to get grounded, it may help to frame your world with the mind of a poet.
You know those times we see directors walk around framing everything with their hands? In a similar way, poets do the same thing. 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. By the way, having a poet’s mindset doesn’t mean that everyone writes poetry; however, everyone can think like a poet.
Let’s talk about framing your world for yourself with the mindset of a poet. Simply being sensitized to looking for surprises and revelations in the everyday allows for discovery. Remember, though, that discovery cannot occur without exploration. We must be open to explore. How? This is not some comprehensive view — only a few suggestions about how to help you awaken more to yourself, to become more aware of who you are, and to enjoy life a bit more.
Framing Your Life:
If you are wondering what you should explore, think about your own life. How? Here is an exercise that my students and I did, and I would suggest it for you. Get a journal for yourself and begin your journaling by answering these questions:
- What are the hight points in my life — some people, events, times, places that make me feel really great?
- What are low points in my life — times when I felt really bad?
- What are the shifts or turning points in my life — times when my life was in some way different in thoughts, beliefs, or actions after I experienced something than before I knew it? (Thank you Michael Bugeja from The Art and Craft of Poetry.)
This is enough for today. Explore life, your life, your world. Discover the miracles. Give thanks. Poets do it in verse — both positive and negative but their verse alone displays a response of gratitude in discovery. We can record our observations, get the vibes, and feel the sense of how we relate to this Universe. Discover!
