Love, Again

Poem + Invitation + Events

Many of you have already read my post from February, with 5 poems entitled “How to Love the World.” I hope you don’t mind indulging my sharing of a sixth poem today—and possibly a seventh and eight and ninety-third one down the line. Learning to give and receive love kinda feels like the whole point of life to me.

How to Love the World (6)

Press your feet 
into the soil.

Braid your fingers
into the grass. 

Lower your lips
to the smallest,
most ephemeral petals.

Open your heart to the transitory,
the transient, the most 
fugitive among us.  

Didn’t we all 
peel from the sky?

Don’t we all
crumble to loam?

Someone really lowered their lips to this rue anemone.

In Lieu of a Prompt

For anyone feeling a lack of love in their life today (and who hasn’t had days or months or years like that?), I’m taking deep breaths in and out and thinking of you—willing my exhaled atoms to carry love on the wind to wherever it’s needed most. I happen to believe the trees are doing this, too, and maybe the spring wildflowers, and possibly the birds, even crows, though they can seem irritable and cliquish and bossy. I hope you breathe it in.

Instead of offering a prompt for you today—it’s National Poetry Month, and there are prompts everywhere! NaPoWriMo is one source you might want to check out—I want to offer up a space for you to share anything you’ve written that you’d like to exhale into the world. Drop a link to a Substack post that you’ve written, or type a poem into the comments thread, or simply share what’s on your mind. What are the questions kicking around inside you right now? What’s the latest insight you’re trying to live by? What are you creating? Let’s warm ourselves around the little fires of our own becoming! Let’s offer kindling and air to fan the flames.

This week, I did my first in-person reading from my novel, “All Is Well.” Friends and strangers and two delightfully kissing trees showed up to listen. I’m still drawing warmth from that generosity. I hope warmth is finding you, too.

Look at those smooching trees!

On the Horizon

• Sunday, April 26 at 1:00 PDT/4:00 EDT. LeeAnn Pickrell and I will be hosting another Zoom poetry reading and open mic. The featured readers will be none other than the marvelous Ann Collins, Josh Datko, and Maya Sarin. Send me a DM, or reply to this email, and I’ll be happy to send the registration link your way!

• Please note the change to this date, and I apologize if you’d already had the old date on your calendar! On Saturday, May 9 from 3:00-4:30 PM EDT, please join me from the comfort of your backyard, favorite green space, or view-iest window for a fusion of poetry and forest bathing! I’ll offer up a series of invitations to guide you into your senses and into deeper connection with the natural world, and then we’ll write poems rooted in that experiencing. This event is free for paid subscribers, as well as for anyone who has purchased a copy of “All Is Well.” There is a suggested donation of $20 for everyone else. I’ll send registration info to paid subscribers soon and am also happy to share it via DM or email.