Category Archives for Gratitude & Creativity

Gratitude and Creativity: And Then The Night Comes

My illness keeps me housebound, except for the odd occasion when I feel well enough to go out with friends or when I have medical appointments. Being stuck at home as much as I am, I spend a lot of time online. It’s how I stay connected to the world and keep track of what’s happening daily. It’s also how I get a glimpse into the lives of others. I know that sounds voyeuristic, but I mean it in the best way possible. Whether it’s reading news articles, watching videos, or reading other people’s personal blogs, I see so much – and I’m certain more than they sometimes want to reveal – about who they are.

One of the blogs I follow is ‘Kaffe con leche’, which is written by a young woman originally from Sweden, Maria Repa, who now lives in Bolivia with her daughter and soon-to-be ex-husband. Even though English is not her native language, the rawness of emotion in her posts caught my attention. I think I was most drawn in to her writing because I could relate to her sadness and longing for emotional support and connection, and her desire to fill what she calls the voids in her life. I can also remember myself as that once insecure 30-year-old, trying to define herself and make the best out of what the world was offering.

Yesterday as I was catching up on posts from Maria’s blog, one of her recent posts, ‘And then the night comes’, lit up my brain. I had to write her a response. I did it the only way I can when I’m struck by so much emotion: with a poem. I hope my words help her feel a little less lonely and more aware that she is connected to the world in more ways than she realizes.

 

And Then The Night Comes

Gratitude And Creativity: Heart In Motion

A few days ago as I scrolled through the pages of one of the many blogs I follow, yet another post led me to an artist new to me; and a wellspring of inspiration I otherwise might not have found. While visiting artist Deb Riley’s site, I followed links to a post she wrote about 103-year-old Japanese artist Toko Shinoda. This incredible woman works with a centuries-old Chinese art form: sumi ink paintings and prints. Her art merges traditional calligraphy with modern abstract expression, which immediately grabbed my attention. However, Toko Shinoda’s personal description of her work was what inspired me most. She states, “Certain forms float up in my mind’s eye. Aromas, a blowing breeze, a rain-drenched gust of wind…the air in motion, my heart in motion. I try to capture these vague, evanescent images of the instant and put them into vivid form.”

It was impossible for me to read Toko Shinoda’s words and not write poetry. It continues to amaze me that I started this blog because I was in a constant state of feeling overwhelmed by my illness and the strong pain medications I need to manage my pain. Even though my pain and illness stubbornly persist, my heart and spirit are positively affected each time I connect with posts shared by other bloggers, in this endless universe of talent and creative storytelling. Surprisingly, this space, meant to be a place to purge – somewhat coherently – all the things that are too hard for me to voice to anyone close to me, is transforming me with each post I read and write.

Heart In Motion

 

Gratitude and Creativity: A Blade Of Grass

It appears that the Penny Dreadful television series had an unexpected impact on me: the darkness, the fear, the gore, and the intensity that held it all together.

One episode in particular, Episode 4 of Season 3, ‘A Blade of Grass’, where the character played by Eva Green, Vanessa Ives, relives the trauma of her forgotten institutionalization really moved me. The loneliness, pain, and terror she experiences in her padded cell are raw. Watching her live through every moment was frightening and made me cry at times.

However, a few words from that episode clung to my mind: “not even a blade of grass.” The context in which they are said is meant to convey hopelessness, but I felt inspiration from them.

It took a bit of turning the words over, in my head and in type, but I was finally able to weave them into poetry.

A Blade of Grass