Writing searches
and wrestles with words
Writing
Searches. Finds me,
Discovers me, changes
Me. It wrestles with words, forming
Newness.
I carry some regret!
That I didn’t keep up lots of things from my younger years: piano, dancing, poetry.
I expect you carry regret too my friend.
But poetry … found me again, and, only two years ago and given me a new journey!
Poetry has re-activated writing in me that journalling failed to do. I felt for years that I was failing miserably with journalling and giving myself a hard time over not being able to find the right rhythm of it for me.
But poetry … lights up my delight in nature and wildlife and finding a spark of joy in poetry’s forms. Poetry has and is becoming a greater joy in my life.
It is interacting with me! and vice versa.
What in your life is interacting with you and lighting up your delight?
I listened to a wonderful episode of ‘On Being’ podcast with Krista Tippett and this quote from her guest Ross Gay (Hope Portal, Episode 7) really resonated with me:
“I love how frequently I'm in the presence of like sweet little interactions that, that don't have to happen, but do have to happen.”
From On Being with Krista Tippett: Ross Gay — Hope Portal, Episode 7, 10 Jul 2025
I work with children with disabilities and one child who has a sensory need around smell will curiously and gently smell my face - an interaction that doesn’t have to happen for me, but does for him. It is the presence of that sweetness in that intensive interaction that is pure delight: the connection through another means of communication - he is a beautifully non-verbal child.
Poetry is enabling that interaction with myself, unearthing the hard things, the sweet things, and, it is transforming things.
This lovely image of the trees and sky reflected on the screen reminds me of writing - a reflective space for myself, my strengths, weaknesses, delights, and joys.
I leave you with another quote, and invitation, from the podcast:
“the invitation here is to play around with developing your own delight radar.”
From ‘On Being’ with Krista Tippett: Ross Gay — Hope Portal, Episode 7, 10 Jul 2025.
Until next time, develop you delight, Bev x
I liked this cinquain, Beverley and the first and last words being 'Writing' and 'Newness.'
I like your point about "poetry is enabling that interaction with myself, unearthing the hard things, the sweet things, and, it is transforming things."
I have found that writing poetry allows for a more abstract thoughts and ideas than journalling or essays. Writing and reading poetry to me almost feels more 3-dimensional compared to other writing which feels flatter and 2-dimensional. Sort of hard to explain and not sure if that makes sense.