On Poetry and Brain Rest
I was in a minor car accident a couple of weeks ago. Though not badly hurt, I received a prescription for brain rest. My doctor also suggested bundling up and going outside to be among the trees and birds. Nature as medicine.
Resting my brain does not come naturally to me. I discovered that listening to poetry is a way to quiet my mind, resting in metaphor and verse, a diversion from theoretical and quantitative pursuits. I marinated in the wild freedom and prophetic calls of the poets. Their testimonies and invitations were deep, soulful nourishment.
After a concussion was ruled out, I also savored a handful of podcasts, drawn to the bass note in each of them that called to my deepest self.
It was through one such episode I was introduced to ALOK’s prophetic voice describing why they are a poet, and was reminded of the notion that we are all poets.
“It’s never about making sense. It’s about making sensation. It’s about what things make us feel.
Because, in order for something to make sense, it has to pay allegiance to an idea that already existed, and we want to make new ideas, so we have to be speculative and experimental. And that’s why I’m a poet. Poetry is a laboratory for new ways of loving, thinking, and dreaming, because, in poetry, there are no rules. And that’s why I think everyone is actually a poet, because it’s the anarchy of form, where, for the first time in my life, I had permission to say, ‘Make it up.’”
Excerpt from ALOK’s appearance on this episode of We Can Do Hard Things. Their rich and powerful poetry is available for purchase on their site (linked above).
I also savored these On Being podcast episodes during my rest. I return to these episodes time and time again. These teachers exude wisdom about living soulfully, grounded in the raw material of their everyday lives.
“The Bible, Poetry, and Active Imagination” with Eugene Peterson
“Listening to the World” with Mary Oliver
“What We Nurture” with Sylvia Boorstein
Would you like some company as you attune to the ways you attune to your life and unique way of experiencing God? Kirsten offers spacious accompaniment and trauma-informed spiritual direction. I’d love to hear what’s stirring in you and meet with you for a free exploration session.
