a poem a day in the month of may
Day Fourteen: Sweat
(The Liminality Journal: Kaitlin Curtice)
Sweat: smelly and wet,
We apologize, hide it.
Yet — Life hard-earned.
***
Wash it off,
cover it up,
close those pores
with unfortunate chemicals.
Sorry, we say,
I’m dripping wet,
we say.
Don’t get too close!,
Here it is.
Life.
Hard work.
We stretch our muscles,
birth a baby,
till a garden.
Sometimes
the sweat on our brow
Is the price of words
that will not come,
an apology
long overdue,
an unspoken grief,
now gushing forth unchecked.
The work of our life,
this life,
is not meant
to be easy.
sweat was always the marker of
hard work and grit and
beating myself to a pulp
but could it be
sweat is a caretaker
regulating this home I embody
with salt and water
(what a sweet kindness)
maybe it is not about hard work
but the ease with which my body
restores me to harmony
sweat
the sweat of a swim team workout
manifests differently
than track workouts
or work days
at scout camp or mission trip
many days of
Navy sweat
that follows over
the years of service
and I am sure
I have forgotten
even more sweaty days
but nothing compares
to that day
as we prepared welcome
our daughter
into this world
overdue
we were scheduled
to have the birth induced
but after tests at the hospital
the baby had stopped growing
and then the baby didn't
react well to the tests
an emergency C-section
was required
I can't remember anything
internal to myself
except the fear that I would
lose you or our daughter
in the operating room
at the upper part of you
a draped cloth hiding
the surgery
there was sweat on your brow
and numb from the medication
in your lower body
being cut open to give birth
you looked,
except for the sweat,
cool and calm
and ready to be a
mommy
the first of
mommy "sweat"
that is different than
dad sweat
because mommy's
have worked up to
that level of
connection and care
for months
providing for
new life to
come into
the world
Sweat
out an ache
out a fever
out an itch
out a spot
that can’t be washed off
with fresh water-
detoxicating.
A drop of sweat,
Suspended in time,
Stays on my nose.
I move to wipe it,
Then pause,
It’s not an intruder,
Not a fly to be,
Batted away,
Annoyed by.
It is proof,
That I am alive.
I remember that day, on indoor cycle in winter,
among the throngs of bodies all hoping to be
Something different.
A pizza smell came to my aromatic senses.
Musing I had never smelled the pizza shop next door
in the fitness club before,
I realized it was me.
The garlic souffle from the previous night,
announcing its presence in that unsubtle way
that garlic does,
a bass drum approach rather than gentle brush on cymbal;
superfood with a kick!
We sweat out what we take in.
We sweat out what needs to escape.
We sweat even in cold damp places,
our skin revealing the tension within.
Perhaps this is the vow we should share with one another:
Will you sweat with me?
Will you accept my sweat even if it smells like garlic?
Will you help to calm and cool me
when the sweat comes out of nowhere?
Will you slide with me through the universe?
Laughing and sweating all the way.
My body knows
to sweat
what to sweat
under pressure
facing fear
joyful movement
flush with shame
when to sweat
long rallies on concrete courts
full sun climbing alpine snow
birthing babies, ring of fire
finding breath in strong asanas
how to sweat
involuntary seeping, exposing
messy human body, salty
snail slime trails
caked me with shame, but
why to sweat
beads rush down fleshy arms
to soothe me, bring me
home, safe into my body
reminds me I’m alive
Vivienne is back (with a little help from her sister Juliette who I heard helping her with the first line!)
When I’m in the sun
I sweat when I have fun
When I run
I sweat and have fun
I sweat all the time
People sweat when they do exercises
They’re very very fun
My parents do their spin bike
They sweat a lot a lot
Yoga makes some people sweat
Sometimes me, but not a lot
"dont sweat the small stuff,
and its all small stuff"
cocksure Carlson wants to fix you.
"dont sweat the petty things,
and dont pet the sweaty things"
crafty Carlin wants to amuse you.
bandaids or giggles, no sweat.
I didn't learn to appreciate
the feeling of sweat on my body
until I adopted a practice of movement
that was genuinely meant only for me -
not to make myself
smaller,
more palatable,
breaking me down -
to honour my body,
to make me stronger,
and bring me home to myself.
Suddenly,
the moisture
on my brow and the
taste of salt on my lips
felt like a renewal, just part
of the cycle of rest and growth
and learning to care for myself.
Now, I'm grateful for the chance
to fully inhabit this body, this moment.
I feel I've been coming in late to the party the last few days, but I'm still with you all! <3
.
Breathing breathing breathing
All you ever talk about is
Breathing
What about the sweat dripping down
Our backs, when we’ve hitched a ride
And crossed that big grassy knoll
When our feet fall heavy on the
Forest floor, the brave explorers
Out for another romp
When we’ve pushed and pushed
And you come tumbling out,
Shining, naked,
Wanting your grand entrance with your
Big splash
When you lay panting beside me,
Glowing like a goddess,
The biggest grin on your face like I’m
Queen of the world
Oh, how I love to gaze upon your
Sweaty silhouette, you
Glowing goddess, love to
Watch your grand splashy
Entrance, love to
Feel my feet fall heavy on the forest floor
Beside yours
We pick it up again and
We sweat and we sweat,
We breathe and we sweat
Aspiration and expectation
Squeezing the juice out of us like oranges
Willing ourselves a hundred more steps
A thousand
To make the summit
And it’s worth it because
We’ll set up a picnic there,
A true feast for the goddesses,
Ripe with figs, fantasies, and plenty of
Fresh orange juice
And long after the sun sets, we’ll
Dine and drink like fauns
She came in the house
with sweat on her brow.
Her deepest desire
was to feed
the ones she loved.
And so she worked
with the earth,
laboring together
to bring forth
life.
She poured heart
and soul
into taking
what was given
and preparing it
as gifts for her table.
With the sweat of her brow,
she found fulfillment
satisfying hunger
filling hearts
and making memories
with the ones she loved.
She wiped her brow
and went to work
in the kitchen.
Sweat drips in my eye
it tickles under my arms
the world is too hot
To Sweat Everyday
One of my Paramount Rules
Soothes, Calms, Warms and Cools
Thank you for inspiring my creativity with prompts. I’m saving, savouring the experience.
Wow. Awesome. I can visualize the healing through sweating.
Day Fourteen: Sweat
a poem a day in the month of may
(The Liminality Journal: Kaitlin Curtice)
Sweat: smelly and wet,
We apologize, hide it.
Yet — Life hard-earned.
***
Wash it off,
cover it up,
close those pores
with unfortunate chemicals.
Sorry, we say,
I’m dripping wet,
we say.
Don’t get too close!,
we say.
Here it is.
Life.
Hard work.
We stretch our muscles,
birth a baby,
till a garden.
Sometimes
the sweat on our brow
Is the price of words
that will not come,
an apology
long overdue,
an unspoken grief,
now gushing forth unchecked.
The work of our life,
this life,
is not meant
to be easy.
sweat was always the marker of
hard work and grit and
beating myself to a pulp
but could it be
sweat is a caretaker
regulating this home I embody
with salt and water
(what a sweet kindness)
maybe it is not about hard work
but the ease with which my body
restores me to harmony
sweat
the sweat of a swim team workout
manifests differently
than track workouts
or work days
at scout camp or mission trip
many days of
Navy sweat
that follows over
the years of service
and I am sure
I have forgotten
even more sweaty days
but nothing compares
to that day
as we prepared welcome
our daughter
into this world
overdue
we were scheduled
to have the birth induced
but after tests at the hospital
the baby had stopped growing
and then the baby didn't
react well to the tests
an emergency C-section
was required
I can't remember anything
internal to myself
except the fear that I would
lose you or our daughter
in the operating room
at the upper part of you
a draped cloth hiding
the surgery
there was sweat on your brow
and numb from the medication
in your lower body
being cut open to give birth
you looked,
except for the sweat,
cool and calm
and ready to be a
mommy
the first of
mommy "sweat"
that is different than
dad sweat
because mommy's
have worked up to
that level of
connection and care
for months
providing for
new life to
come into
the world
Sweat
out an ache
out a fever
out an itch
out a spot
that can’t be washed off
with fresh water-
detoxicating.
A drop of sweat,
Suspended in time,
Stays on my nose.
I move to wipe it,
Then pause,
It’s not an intruder,
Not a fly to be,
Batted away,
Annoyed by.
It is proof,
That I am alive.
Sweat
I remember that day, on indoor cycle in winter,
among the throngs of bodies all hoping to be
Something different.
A pizza smell came to my aromatic senses.
Musing I had never smelled the pizza shop next door
in the fitness club before,
I realized it was me.
The garlic souffle from the previous night,
announcing its presence in that unsubtle way
that garlic does,
a bass drum approach rather than gentle brush on cymbal;
superfood with a kick!
We sweat out what we take in.
We sweat out what needs to escape.
We sweat even in cold damp places,
our skin revealing the tension within.
Perhaps this is the vow we should share with one another:
Will you sweat with me?
Will you accept my sweat even if it smells like garlic?
Will you help to calm and cool me
when the sweat comes out of nowhere?
Will you slide with me through the universe?
Laughing and sweating all the way.
My body knows
to sweat
My body knows
what to sweat
under pressure
facing fear
joyful movement
flush with shame
My body knows
when to sweat
long rallies on concrete courts
full sun climbing alpine snow
birthing babies, ring of fire
finding breath in strong asanas
My body knows
how to sweat
involuntary seeping, exposing
messy human body, salty
snail slime trails
caked me with shame, but
My body knows
why to sweat
beads rush down fleshy arms
to soothe me, bring me
home, safe into my body
reminds me I’m alive
My body knows
to sweat
Vivienne is back (with a little help from her sister Juliette who I heard helping her with the first line!)
When I’m in the sun
I sweat when I have fun
When I run
I sweat and have fun
I sweat all the time
When I’m in the sun
People sweat when they do exercises
They’re very very fun
My parents do their spin bike
They sweat a lot a lot
Yoga makes some people sweat
Sometimes me, but not a lot
"dont sweat the small stuff,
and its all small stuff"
cocksure Carlson wants to fix you.
"dont sweat the petty things,
and dont pet the sweaty things"
crafty Carlin wants to amuse you.
bandaids or giggles, no sweat.
I didn't learn to appreciate
the feeling of sweat on my body
until I adopted a practice of movement
that was genuinely meant only for me -
not to make myself
smaller,
more palatable,
breaking me down -
to honour my body,
to make me stronger,
and bring me home to myself.
Suddenly,
the moisture
on my brow and the
taste of salt on my lips
felt like a renewal, just part
of the cycle of rest and growth
and learning to care for myself.
Now, I'm grateful for the chance
to fully inhabit this body, this moment.
I feel I've been coming in late to the party the last few days, but I'm still with you all! <3
.
Sweat
.
Breathing breathing breathing
All you ever talk about is
Breathing
What about the sweat dripping down
Our backs, when we’ve hitched a ride
And crossed that big grassy knoll
When our feet fall heavy on the
Forest floor, the brave explorers
Out for another romp
When we’ve pushed and pushed
And you come tumbling out,
Shining, naked,
Wanting your grand entrance with your
Big splash
When you lay panting beside me,
Glowing like a goddess,
The biggest grin on your face like I’m
Queen of the world
Oh, how I love to gaze upon your
Sweaty silhouette, you
Glowing goddess, love to
Watch your grand splashy
Entrance, love to
Feel my feet fall heavy on the forest floor
Beside yours
.
We pick it up again and
We sweat and we sweat,
We breathe and we sweat
Aspiration and expectation
Squeezing the juice out of us like oranges
Willing ourselves a hundred more steps
A thousand
To make the summit
And it’s worth it because
We’ll set up a picnic there,
A true feast for the goddesses,
Ripe with figs, fantasies, and plenty of
Fresh orange juice
And long after the sun sets, we’ll
Dine and drink like fauns
Sweat
She came in the house
with sweat on her brow.
Her deepest desire
was to feed
the ones she loved.
And so she worked
with the earth,
laboring together
to bring forth
life.
She poured heart
and soul
into taking
what was given
and preparing it
as gifts for her table.
With the sweat of her brow,
she found fulfillment
satisfying hunger
filling hearts
and making memories
with the ones she loved.
She wiped her brow
and went to work
in the kitchen.
Sweat drips in my eye
it tickles under my arms
the world is too hot
To Sweat Everyday
One of my Paramount Rules
Soothes, Calms, Warms and Cools
Thank you for inspiring my creativity with prompts. I’m saving, savouring the experience.
Wow. Awesome. I can visualize the healing through sweating.