I wrote this poem during a season of redefining self care, around this time last year.
I was reflecting in a journal entry from the same day, “Self-care is intentional and vital. You do not stumble into self-care; it is a practice and a discipline. Accidental self-care is avoidance. Give yourself space to experience all the things you encourage and advise others to do.
I can’t accidentally clean my house or journal, or do yoga and feel connected to my body. I forget the inherent reward those actions bring; the focus, clarity of mind, the breath, the space.”
Then that poem emerged, something about my true nature, my elemental state, and what happens when I neglect to take care of her. I didn’t write for days after that.
Reading my own words a year later, I find them to be a bit harsh, a bit blunt like the stern parent who needs to be clear about what’s important. I tend to speak to myself more gently these days, but I suppose I needed to be honest with myself because of how numb I was becoming, locked in my routines and habits.
But the poem that this discipline birthed still resonates with me.
This poem is featured on the April page of my 2020 Homeostasis Calendar. (There are three of them left, If you need some brightness and light-reflection in your year.)
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(It’s also available on my INSTAGRAM story highlights to screenshot under ‘POETRY’.)
WATCH THE POETRY READING HERE OR ON IGTV:
QUESTIONS FROM THE VIDEO:
What are you made of? What creates your sense of self?
How do you pay attention to what you're made of? How do you notice yourself?
What do you experience when you're not paying attention to yourself?