It was a long shot, yet the mere suggestion of it grabbed me like a stern officer controlling a crowd. And so I did not sleep that night until my application to the summer poetry session of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop was in the mail. Alas, a very kind rejection letter was returned. Pause, a deep breath in and out. Come what may, my commitment had already been made: I want to live like a poet.
For Lent this year, which is spilling over into Eastertide and perhaps beyond, I have been following The Artist’s Rule by Christine Valters Paintner. And each morning I walk with a contemplation from Hafiz, a 14th century Sufi poet, and journal about that which speaks, touches, and challenges, part of a practice to write three pages each day. It has been heartbreaking, freeing, and rich, with more ahead, I am sure. Out of all this, I publicly announce my resolve: I want to live like a poet. Stay tuned.
I Want to Live Like a Poet
I want to live like a poet.
My life,
a few precise words
reflecting manifold truths.
My living,
the edge of what is
honest and true in the heart.
My being,
a rhythmic cadence
ever propelling toward growth.
My voice,
soul sound with a giggle
and a wet kiss for all.
Sophia Brothers Peterman ©2013