YES! Haha, I love this. So lyrical, so playful, so multi-functional. I had an image of Scottish wool walking songs when you said you'll be singing it as you work :D
Oh! And my morning ritual is French press, climbing back into my cozy bed with my journal to play with words, until my kids come barreling in around 6-6:30am 😍 it’s a short bit powerful little window.
Thank you Jillian, I’ve really enjoyed reading your words this past month, too! I’m new to substack but am working toward setting up something regular to connect with others via writing and would be honored to have you follow along :)
Thank you so much, Sarah! Haha, I'm with you, I'm also very new to Substack - I think I joined only 2 or 3 weeks before this challenge began - but it called me strongly, so I'm improvising :)
I look forward to seeing what kind of regular writing you share with us, happily accompanying you :) Many blessings for this development!
And if you would like to continue getting daily inspiration, you're so welcome to join in with my own poem-a-day retreat I'll be offering starting June 1st :)
Wow, I love your application of decomposition here! So beautiful, so spacious, so loving. You have so much wisdom, and it shines through beautifully here. I really love this piece <3 Thanks, Sarah!
HA! Love this! I echo A. - I never knew what (stinkin'?) treasures we'll get from you each day :D This is hilarious and epic and so on prompt. Thanks ;)
This is great! I love the way you end this poem--"To create a ssytem that gies more fhan it takes!" Compost as countercultural, counter capitalism, counter greed and selfishness, integral to a culture of abundance. May we all be compost!
Yes! That's exactly what I was aiming for. I have more thoughts on this. Jillian convinced me to start publishing here on Substack, so I'm planning to start sharing some of my favourite poems with commentary as part of a regular newsletter very soon, and this is definitely one that I'll want to write more about.
Hehe, love seeing the two of you engage - really makes me smile.
And yay!! I'm so glad and honored I could convince you to take the plunge. I look forward to reading your further commentary. I have a feeling a Substack presence will be fruitful for you <3
Thank you! I'm excited to get started and I already have so many ideas, which I wasn't expecting! I'm thinking I'll begin at the very end of this month or the start of next, so I have a bit of time to get my bearings. It means so much to know I'll have at least a couple of people who are reading from the beginning. ❤️
I also forgot all about the question about writing rituals! Mine have varied a bit. A lot of the time I have settled in on the couch after breakfast while my two littles play, but some of my more interesting (in my opinion) poems have come from me unintentionally breaking from routine.
For example: on the day I read the "death" prompt, I immediately put my phone down and found other things to do, avoiding writing because I just wasn't ready. And my poem about magic was written in the afternoon/evening because it brought up so much and I felt like I needed more time to get it all out. But my poem on day 7 was written early, before I even got out of bed, which absolutely influenced the direction it went. I've found it most satisfying to just let the days - and the poems - be whatever they want to be.
What a beautiful take on this - I really value these thoughts from you, Steven.
Lately, one of the pieces of wisdom I've been chewing on is making the choice to focus on the fact that my strengths are as real, true, and present as my fears or reactions in challenging situations. Making the choice to focus on the nourishment, again and again, as opposed to the brokenness, does keep the movement flowing and new life blooming.
Very nice Steven! This Easter season, I reflected a lot on how Jesus never brought us back to the death, execution and suffering, but forward into a future that is possible.
Really really appreciate the wisdom and discourse from and between both of you. Crazy to feel I've learned and come to know so much of you simply from comments :)
This is right on Jane! I have learned to love compost, but the final product is so much sweeter than the beginning and getting there! Your poem brings a great perspective to the process!
I feel like this so beautifully speaks to the cycle of writing - certainly how I've felt more than once. It has such an organic flow to it, which perfectly matches the content.
Jilliian! Oh my goodness, this is a masterpiece! I love how you connect this poem a day process to compost and composting, and weave that so beautifully and coherently through your lyrical poem. Day after day, your writing reaches into my heart and digs up earth and soil and grit long hidden. Your words are remarkable; your spirit is beautiful, and your writing brings light to the night sky!
Thank you so much, Larry <3 I really appreciate it. I am really proud of this one today; something about it felt very mature and clear as I wrote, unfussy (unlike some poems, haha).
I'm grateful you see things both intended and not, and for your curious perceptions day after day <3 This is an incredibly synergistic, mutually uplifting connection, and I cherish that.
And if I'll just tack on a few more words to my response, precisely because I DON'T want it to end and have so cherished this community, I would love to stay connected with anyone who wishes to and hasn't done so already.
Definitely looking for more publications to follow, especially from you talented folks, and I'd be happy if anyone wanted to keep checking mine out <3 Just lots of love and gratitude.
Oh, and in response to Kaitlin's question: I have been moving around so much the last months/year (nearly every month for a decent stretch, which was exhausting) that I've felt so distant from a real sacred place to call my creativity corner. I long for one again, because I've always been intentional about creating a specific office/creation space for myself.
Currently, I'm visiting and staying with my family in Virginia, and there's certainly no desk or sacred space for me here. However, I've had the pleasure of writing nearly every one of this last month's poems from the dining table in the sunroom, often with views of deer and squirrels and birds and all kinds of deciduous critters who are part of this woodland environ. The house is surrounded by woods, which means I look out and see green always.
Together with the natural themes of this month, I've felt a big movement back to earth, for which I'm supremely grateful <3
Thank you so much for this space, Kaitlin, I don't want it to end!
This is beautiful Julie! I love the way the poem starts, and you bring me along so beautifully with your words and the cadence and flow in them. Thank you!
Wow, that's amazing! What a special craft, especially in addition to your beautiful writing. Do you think you'll ever return to it? Incredible, I've always been fascinated with metallurgy and the skill/precision of casting.
To answer the question posted in the email....I tend to think about what I am going to write if it is a subject I am going to delve into more deeply and then actually write either at home on my laptop or at work on my desktop. In the evening once I wind down for the night I tend to write just a couple of words or thoughts in a journal and read a few pages or do a devotional. Currently reading Living Resistance :)
I'm not sure where to begin with this one because there's so many things I love about it. You really take us on a journey, and some of the lines - "give us this day our daily compost" threw me in the best way.
Thank you A. I sometimes feel like a jingle writer with these daily poems, but the process is meant to be fun, creative, stretching, enlightening and illuminating. That has certainl;y happened for me throguh poems like yours and our other kindred wonder poets! Thank you for being a hopeful part of my days this month!
You radiate such kindness and gentleness in your comments and in your poems, and everyone here is so welcoming - it's easier to share knowing that there's such a safe place for my words to land.
Wow, agreed! So many things to love about this poem, Larry! I seriously can't name them all.
Love the triangle of miracle, death, compost. I was also thinking about that before I wrote, though you gave it another remarkable layer.
Jesus as compost. LOVE THIS. Jesus is my man, and there's so much more to him than most narratives that may make their way to our ears. I'll be enjoying this one for a while :)
"Give us this day our Daily compost" - love this one too. And I love your cheekiness! Ha. So spirited.
Thank you Jillian! I admire and am so touched by the way you comment on every post, affirming, loving, spirit lifting comments that are insightful and wise! Thank you!
Karri reminded me that Kaitlin asked about where we write, our sacred composing spaces and rituals. Being a person who eschews routines and regular structure, and who is making friemnds with distraction, I find I write everywhere--at my desk at home, on the back deck; at my office desk at work; in the sanctuary, and since May 17th, we have been traveling so I have written in bed, on floors, in the park, a cafe, in any number of friends sapces and guestrooms> And composing so often while I am walking. The thougnt of a special, designated place is so attractive and appealing, but I expect that is for the next life to make happen!
Compost limerick
(To sing as I do yard work 😜)
There once was a daughter of dirt,
who loved to eat garden dessert-
veggie ends and fruit peels,
old leftover meals,
until Autumn she hit a growth spurt!
Oh, I love this! It's so playful. Thank you!
YES! Haha, I love this. So lyrical, so playful, so multi-functional. I had an image of Scottish wool walking songs when you said you'll be singing it as you work :D
This is great. Thanks!
What a gem this is! I am singing it, too, and will all along the trail tomorrow! Thank you!
The world deeply moves me
yet I learned to keep
composure, to stay
put together
while potent feelings
stirred inside me
I didn’t know
how to feel them
to create conditions
for them to breakdown
into fertile soil
to nourish my growth
I’m learning to compost
break cycles feeding my landfill
make new cycles that give life
I give my feelings air
tend to them lovingly
so they can decompose
I let them deeply move me
Oh! And my morning ritual is French press, climbing back into my cozy bed with my journal to play with words, until my kids come barreling in around 6-6:30am 😍 it’s a short bit powerful little window.
And btw, I hope you feel inspired and encouraged to post regularly on Substack, because I'd love to follow you! I always love your work :)
Thank you Jillian, I’ve really enjoyed reading your words this past month, too! I’m new to substack but am working toward setting up something regular to connect with others via writing and would be honored to have you follow along :)
Thank you so much, Sarah! Haha, I'm with you, I'm also very new to Substack - I think I joined only 2 or 3 weeks before this challenge began - but it called me strongly, so I'm improvising :)
I look forward to seeing what kind of regular writing you share with us, happily accompanying you :) Many blessings for this development!
And if you would like to continue getting daily inspiration, you're so welcome to join in with my own poem-a-day retreat I'll be offering starting June 1st :)
Bless you for being awake, with coffee, AND writing, before 6:00. Haha.
If I were such a morning person, that sounds like a glorious little window.
I feel this one so deeply, Sarah. What a beautiful metaphor.
Wow, I love your application of decomposition here! So beautiful, so spacious, so loving. You have so much wisdom, and it shines through beautifully here. I really love this piece <3 Thanks, Sarah!
What a beauitful poem, Sarah. And I love that morning ritual, and the wonderful image of kids barreling in!
Compost
It’s amazing
how the
undesired and
unneeded
of daily life
can be
transformed into
life-giving substance
that nurtures
growth and
gives back
what is
desired and
needed
in daily life.
Oh Yes! It is absolutely amazing! Your sweet poem gives fine tribute to the beauty of compost!
Yes! Such a sweet and simple poem. I had similar thoughts today with my own <3 Thanks!
it is almost as if
the Earth knows
what She is doing
.
She has been
composting
for aeons
.
elementally
my dear humans,
elementally
Oh yes! Gorgeous composition of decomposition, all around :D
Love the part especially :D
Beautiful. And I love the Sherlock reference!
I am sorry.
I tried to stop it, really I did.
Or at least steer it into the grassy ditch.
to get to the good words hiding behind. but,
with no brakes or steering wheel,
it was all i could do to just hold on,
as my dope incrusted, alcohol saturated
runaway train of a brain,
laughing crazy loud,
runs hellbound straight for the priceless
Hayseed Dixie chorus:
"Im keepin your poop in a jar,
until you come back.
so i dont forget
just what you are.
Yeah, im keepin your poop in a jar"
(i really had no choice).
I never know what to expect from you, Chuck. I love that you keep us guessing and laughing.
HA! Love this! I echo A. - I never knew what (stinkin'?) treasures we'll get from you each day :D This is hilarious and epic and so on prompt. Thanks ;)
Gotta do...
Churck, you keep going where your soits leads! And where that rich inventory of fine tunes keeps breaking through!
Compost is much more
than simply recycling;
turning death and decay
into life and growth
breaking down to build up
from little, abundance
an opportunity
for sustainability
to create a system
that gives more
than it takes.
Wow, you always end with such huge bangs, generously give us a big message you can't ignore.
"create a system that gives more than it takes" YES.
So beautiful and passionate. And the best part is that... it's not really taking it all. No? :) Thanks, A, as ever.
This is great! I love the way you end this poem--"To create a ssytem that gies more fhan it takes!" Compost as countercultural, counter capitalism, counter greed and selfishness, integral to a culture of abundance. May we all be compost!
Yes! That's exactly what I was aiming for. I have more thoughts on this. Jillian convinced me to start publishing here on Substack, so I'm planning to start sharing some of my favourite poems with commentary as part of a regular newsletter very soon, and this is definitely one that I'll want to write more about.
Hehe, love seeing the two of you engage - really makes me smile.
And yay!! I'm so glad and honored I could convince you to take the plunge. I look forward to reading your further commentary. I have a feeling a Substack presence will be fruitful for you <3
Thank you! I'm excited to get started and I already have so many ideas, which I wasn't expecting! I'm thinking I'll begin at the very end of this month or the start of next, so I have a bit of time to get my bearings. It means so much to know I'll have at least a couple of people who are reading from the beginning. ❤️
Yes! This makes me smile--I can't wait to read more of your wonderful writing!
I also forgot all about the question about writing rituals! Mine have varied a bit. A lot of the time I have settled in on the couch after breakfast while my two littles play, but some of my more interesting (in my opinion) poems have come from me unintentionally breaking from routine.
For example: on the day I read the "death" prompt, I immediately put my phone down and found other things to do, avoiding writing because I just wasn't ready. And my poem about magic was written in the afternoon/evening because it brought up so much and I felt like I needed more time to get it all out. But my poem on day 7 was written early, before I even got out of bed, which absolutely influenced the direction it went. I've found it most satisfying to just let the days - and the poems - be whatever they want to be.
compost
I think that
is what I want to be
something transformed
from waste into
fertilizer that
provides nutrients
for others
and I think
that is what has
been drawing
me to
the Eucharist (Holy Communion)
as the true
symbol of what
Christians are called to
take up in their lives
as opposed to the cross
Jesus took
the broken parts of
his experience and
shared it with others
so that he provides
nourishment for life
What a beautiful take on this - I really value these thoughts from you, Steven.
Lately, one of the pieces of wisdom I've been chewing on is making the choice to focus on the fact that my strengths are as real, true, and present as my fears or reactions in challenging situations. Making the choice to focus on the nourishment, again and again, as opposed to the brokenness, does keep the movement flowing and new life blooming.
This is valuable - thank you <3
Very nice Steven! This Easter season, I reflected a lot on how Jesus never brought us back to the death, execution and suffering, but forward into a future that is possible.
"A future that is possible" :)
Really really appreciate the wisdom and discourse from and between both of you. Crazy to feel I've learned and come to know so much of you simply from comments :)
You bring so much to the conversation, Jillian, and are often the catalyst and inspiration for my own reflections and musings!
Compost (this one feels a bit like the child in me offering her perspective...)
I don't really like compost
all that smelly rubbish
bugs and worms
getting dirty is not really my thing
But I do like herbs
and pretty flowers
which grow so much better
when that mysterious muck
does its job
I suspect there is a lesson
for life in this
transformation
from dark to light
from dirt to colour
from rubbish to better life.....
This is right on Jane! I have learned to love compost, but the final product is so much sweeter than the beginning and getting there! Your poem brings a great perspective to the process!
Compost
.
I’ve run out of words,
Just left with the scraps,
So I put them all in a bucket
And take them out to the edge of the woods.
There, I’ll pile them up
With the rest of the discards,
Tossing on leaves and flowers
And handfuls of soil to boot,
Then go back inside to start dinner
Without a single glance back.
I’ll write and I’ll
Scrap and I’ll add and
Keep going, the
Pile ever growing, the
Days ever flowing,
And then sometime in early autumn,
When the leaves fall on their own
Into my pile,
I’ll remember it’s there
And stand beside it once more.
Try as I did to think I failed,
To throw my treasures out with the trash,
To see I built a broken world,
I am humbled to find that
In the presence of this decay,
I orchestrated a world with the
Movement of decomposition after all.
.
Thanks for that, my little friends.
I feel like this so beautifully speaks to the cycle of writing - certainly how I've felt more than once. It has such an organic flow to it, which perfectly matches the content.
Thank you so much, A.! Yes, I felt it could be relatable for some of us here. This path is far from perfect, but the edges make it interesting.
Jilliian! Oh my goodness, this is a masterpiece! I love how you connect this poem a day process to compost and composting, and weave that so beautifully and coherently through your lyrical poem. Day after day, your writing reaches into my heart and digs up earth and soil and grit long hidden. Your words are remarkable; your spirit is beautiful, and your writing brings light to the night sky!
Thank you so much, Larry <3 I really appreciate it. I am really proud of this one today; something about it felt very mature and clear as I wrote, unfussy (unlike some poems, haha).
I'm grateful you see things both intended and not, and for your curious perceptions day after day <3 This is an incredibly synergistic, mutually uplifting connection, and I cherish that.
Cherish is a perfect word!
And if I'll just tack on a few more words to my response, precisely because I DON'T want it to end and have so cherished this community, I would love to stay connected with anyone who wishes to and hasn't done so already.
Definitely looking for more publications to follow, especially from you talented folks, and I'd be happy if anyone wanted to keep checking mine out <3 Just lots of love and gratitude.
Oh, and in response to Kaitlin's question: I have been moving around so much the last months/year (nearly every month for a decent stretch, which was exhausting) that I've felt so distant from a real sacred place to call my creativity corner. I long for one again, because I've always been intentional about creating a specific office/creation space for myself.
Currently, I'm visiting and staying with my family in Virginia, and there's certainly no desk or sacred space for me here. However, I've had the pleasure of writing nearly every one of this last month's poems from the dining table in the sunroom, often with views of deer and squirrels and birds and all kinds of deciduous critters who are part of this woodland environ. The house is surrounded by woods, which means I look out and see green always.
Together with the natural themes of this month, I've felt a big movement back to earth, for which I'm supremely grateful <3
Thank you so much for this space, Kaitlin, I don't want it to end!
Compost
Refuse....reused
Scraps....salvaged
Decay into life.
Karri Temple Brackett
May 24, 2023
https://themarvelousandthemundane.com/2023/05/24/compost/
COMPOST
In some aspect of my being
I am always disintegrating
and crumbling away
An ongoing evolution
as a falling apart
in order to fall open
This requires a dying
a deep surrender
Withering and washing away
the dross, rubbish
and built up waste
That which is no longer serves
becomes the fodder for compost
Fertilizer for the new seeds of
longing…
Callings that must be
attended to and answered
A dying away to make space
for the birthing
This is beautiful Julie! I love the way the poem starts, and you bring me along so beautifully with your words and the cadence and flow in them. Thank you!
This is beautiful, Julie - thank you for this.
A few words that I loved to see you use: "fall open" and "dross" :) Do you work with metal? :)
I want to fall open into the deep of decomposition.
It feels like life times ago, but I used to work making jewelry. Mostly in silver, but some gold. Both casting and fabrication.
Wow, that's amazing! What a special craft, especially in addition to your beautiful writing. Do you think you'll ever return to it? Incredible, I've always been fascinated with metallurgy and the skill/precision of casting.
To answer the question posted in the email....I tend to think about what I am going to write if it is a subject I am going to delve into more deeply and then actually write either at home on my laptop or at work on my desktop. In the evening once I wind down for the night I tend to write just a couple of words or thoughts in a journal and read a few pages or do a devotional. Currently reading Living Resistance :)
Compost
Old fallen tree along the trail,
bright amber orange, decomposing,
Food for the earth and the beings surrounding,
Still a living organic beauty even in death.
As we trekked up to Hightop Mountain,
I mused how the words of the last few days blended.
Miracles. Death. Compost. A trinity.
Source, kindred and spirit.
Jesus became compost, or at least the
resurrection brought new life out of death.
His new look familiar and not so much,
A dawn dreamer breaking all the rules.
Won’t we all be compost, sooner or later?
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, earth to earth.
Give us this day our Daily compost;
rich, vital, nourishing soil that sustains us.
In our death lie the seeds for new beginnings,
and food for our descendants to feast on in our memory.
So that one day, story after story unfolding,
The miracle of love breaks through.
I'm not sure where to begin with this one because there's so many things I love about it. You really take us on a journey, and some of the lines - "give us this day our daily compost" threw me in the best way.
Thank you A. I sometimes feel like a jingle writer with these daily poems, but the process is meant to be fun, creative, stretching, enlightening and illuminating. That has certainl;y happened for me throguh poems like yours and our other kindred wonder poets! Thank you for being a hopeful part of my days this month!
You radiate such kindness and gentleness in your comments and in your poems, and everyone here is so welcoming - it's easier to share knowing that there's such a safe place for my words to land.
Wow, agreed! So many things to love about this poem, Larry! I seriously can't name them all.
Love the triangle of miracle, death, compost. I was also thinking about that before I wrote, though you gave it another remarkable layer.
Jesus as compost. LOVE THIS. Jesus is my man, and there's so much more to him than most narratives that may make their way to our ears. I'll be enjoying this one for a while :)
"Give us this day our Daily compost" - love this one too. And I love your cheekiness! Ha. So spirited.
Thanks, Larry :)
Thank you Jillian! I admire and am so touched by the way you comment on every post, affirming, loving, spirit lifting comments that are insightful and wise! Thank you!
So much love to you, Larry 💗
Karri reminded me that Kaitlin asked about where we write, our sacred composing spaces and rituals. Being a person who eschews routines and regular structure, and who is making friemnds with distraction, I find I write everywhere--at my desk at home, on the back deck; at my office desk at work; in the sanctuary, and since May 17th, we have been traveling so I have written in bed, on floors, in the park, a cafe, in any number of friends sapces and guestrooms> And composing so often while I am walking. The thougnt of a special, designated place is so attractive and appealing, but I expect that is for the next life to make happen!
Bravo!