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| Christmas fun with family (Levi, Lynn, Mama, MicaJon, Irene) at Opryland Hotel. |
What a fun week...In addition to several joyful holiday celebrations, Charles and I are having a blast reading the flood of poems we received through our Open Call.
Friends, poetry is alive and well! SO. MANY. GREAT. Poems. Y'all are making our work really difficult. Thank you!!
This just in: Ryan van Cleave, poet, author, and editor at Bushel & Peck Books runs a fantastic blog called Only Picture Books, where he interviews picture book authors, and they share loads of wisdom. Recently he interviewed me! He asked great questions, like, what did I learn from my first poetry picture book?; what is Charles Waters' superpower?; how does "every word matters" show up in your writing life? It was a fun interview, and I invite you to check it out!
As 2025 is fast coming to a close, I wanted to take just a moment to reflect on Sisu, my 2025 One Little Word.
First, a confession: a few times this year, I couldn't remember what my One Little Word was. :) It's an odd little word! So I had to go back to the blog and remember. But each time I did, I realized the word had been working under the surface of my life. I've definitely been cultivating sisu, even on those days when I couldn't remember the word. And isn't that the power of a One Little Word practice?
Some ways I've brought sisu into my life this year (the most transformative practices in bold):
second-hand shopping
upcycling
taking small steps toward goals
limiting time with people who suck the sisu out of me/letting go of old commitments to make room for more positive growth and opportunities
taking a pause before responding: "Thank you, I'll think it over and get back to you as soon as possible."
Blue Mind - keeping water in my life (#lakelife, trip to coast, etc)
developing an allergy to self-pity - I just don't entertain it, at least not for long!
showing my appreciation of others - the grocery clerk, the lady who brings out the tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant, my husband, etc.
So I'm feeling a bit sisu-fied, in spite of myself. Yay! And now I'm looking forward to what my 2026 One Little Word might be... do you have any OLW contenders yet?
In ArtSpeak! PICASSO news, just 2 more Picassos to go!! Today's features his Woman at the Window, 1936. It's basically me riffing off a Picasso quote I discovered sometime earlier this year:
“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” - Pablo Picasso
I have been thinking about how I can apply this to my writing, and lo, this week, a poem emerged! There's also a nod to one of my all-time favorite poems "A Secret Life" by Stephen Dunn. Oh, and the form is a viator. Thanks so much for reading.
Making Sense of the World
The world today doesn't make sense
so I dive into the wondergush of words—not to understand; to be baptized.
Let me be the one to promise chaos:
The world today doesn't make sense!
Baptists and other accountants may now rest.
One doesn't need words to witness a sunrise,
just as one can drown without water. Who says
the world today doesn't make any sense?
Irene, that "One doesn't need words to witness a sunrise" really got me. It just brought up the chaos that I feel in these days is a choice and I can always choose presence, which is beyond words. I also like the humor of "Baptists and other accountants may now rest." Now I may rest, too! Thanks so much, Irene!!! I really enjoyed your poem and you've inspired me to ponder a word for 2026!
ReplyDeleteLove wondergush but even more- I love that making sense of the world comes without words. Lovely chaos ☺️
ReplyDelete