For months – or over a year, rather, my neighbors have gotten in the way of my writing on my porch. It is a favored space for me to sit and write in the morning or broadcast or drink coffee and find peace while rocking in the oversized red rocking chair. The new neighbors with their questionable “friends” and other “accessories” have kept me inside, until lately.
For months – since May, I haven’t slept in my Virginia Woolf room I started creating well over a year ago. When Emma came home, I gave it to her as a temporary space until we juggled bedrooms and I took up residence on the couch. Yesterday, I slept beside the window and walk up this morning in the grey light, happy to find myself under the breeze from the gentle ceiling fan and the carefully picked out art showing me Virginia’s room.
It felt so good until my mind started scattering marbles all over the floor and I lost the deep peace – for a moment or twelve.
“One step at a time, one thing at a time, one solution at a time” are some of my favorite watch words lately to bring me back into presence.
They are soothing, another word which has become a frequent visitor in my lexicon.
The applause says time is up, which I’ll accept.
I did also want to honor my age old tradition of writing haiku on Friday. I sat on my porch this morning and wrote, even with my less than optimal neighbors bent over cars and having folks in and out before 7 am.
Haiku writing is healing: a simple poetry form, a sacred prayer form as well, here is a song suite from this morning that was born when I invited myself to say what needed and wanted to be written.
We heal one haiku at a time
What I want to say
Yogurt calms rumbles
Ativan calms inner howls
Wait: tide will go out….
fake it til you make it
Sunrise through elm tree
Red rocking chair and coffee
Alta Vista peace
Worst strategy:
Please don’t nag at me
Each contact leaves a blister
Longer time to heal –
Best strategy
I’m thinking of you –
Let’s create this together
Your work helps the world
Prompt: Haiku is simply a seventeen syllable poem, a short work of art.
Some say it is like an inhalation and an exhalation.
I often start my haiku with what is in front of me, which can be seen in “fake it til you make it” above.
The worst strategy and best strategy are microcosm statements of what works well – and doesn’t work well – in communication with me. I realize it is helpful to be able to express these thoughts to people, especially when I am experiencing depression.
So start with something in front of you and write it in this micropoem container.
______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______
______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______/_____/______
______/ ________ / ________/ ______/______
Next, if you are an entrepreneur, see how you might fit your business story in a tiny haiku. For the artful entrepreneur, combining headline writing and copywriting with haiku adds another layer of creative play.
Set your timer for five minutes – and write as many haiku as you’re able!
Julie Jordan Scott inspires people to experience artistic rebirth via her programs, playshops, books, performances and simply being herself out in the world. She is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy-extraordinaire and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people’s creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming in soon!
To contact Julie to schedule a Writing or Creative Life Coaching Session, call or text her at 661.444.2735.
Check out the links below to follow her on a bunch of different social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus particularly enticing.
Haiku hard for me
But I did it anyway
I make Julie smile