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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!

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Oh, I love this! It's so playful. Thank you!

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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!

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What a gem this is! I am singing it, too, and will all along the trail tomorrow! Thank you!

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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

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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.

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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 :)

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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 :)

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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 :)

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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.

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I feel this one so deeply, Sarah. What a beautiful metaphor.

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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!

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What a beauitful poem, Sarah. And I love that morning ritual, and the wonderful image of kids barreling in!

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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.

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Oh Yes! It is absolutely amazing! Your sweet poem gives fine tribute to the beauty of compost!

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Yes! Such a sweet and simple poem. I had similar thoughts today with my own <3 Thanks!

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it is almost as if

the Earth knows

what She is doing

.

She has been

composting

for aeons

.

elementally

my dear humans,

elementally

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Oh yes! Gorgeous composition of decomposition, all around :D

Love the part especially :D

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Beautiful. And I love the Sherlock reference!

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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).

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I never know what to expect from you, Chuck. I love that you keep us guessing and laughing.

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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 ;)

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Gotta do...

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Churck, you keep going where your soits leads! And where that rich inventory of fine tunes keeps breaking through!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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

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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. ❤️

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Yes! This makes me smile--I can't wait to read more of your wonderful writing!

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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"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 :)

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You bring so much to the conversation, Jillian, and are often the catalyst and inspiration for my own reflections and musings!

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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.....

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Cherish is a perfect word!

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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.

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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!

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Compost

Refuse....reused

Scraps....salvaged

Decay into life.

Karri Temple Brackett

May 24, 2023

https://themarvelousandthemundane.com/2023/05/24/compost/

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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

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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!

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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.

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It feels like life times ago, but I used to work making jewelry. Mostly in silver, but some gold. Both casting and fabrication.

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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.

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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 :)

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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 :)

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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!

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So much love to you, Larry 💗

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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!

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