an experiment in self love

I have to say this is inspired by my friend Jennifer. We were talking about my poetry writing and getting it published. I told her of the one time that I get critized for my dreams of being a published poet and how hard that is for me still to overcome. This conversation got me thinking about poetry - and to this experiment for myself - to write love notes/poems to myself. I was always so good at writing love poems to others and using word craft to draw out delicate and sublime nuance of feeling. I have been doing an experiment in self love as a way of healing from the last year, with the helps of blogs and books, to reclaim my life and to find the true blessing of cancer, to turn it into a positive instead of fear.

So, what I am going to do is everyday write myself a love poem or note that touches on my life right now. For isn't that what poetry really is - love notes someone writes? Think of your favorite poems - why do you like them - is it the words used or images created that transport you somewhere else or touch a deep feeling that you have as well? When I did this little excercise for myself and thought of Robert Frost or Mary Oliver or Shakespeare, especially his sonnets, is comes down to their use of words and images that touch me, resonate with me. When I think of their poetry - it is like they are writing poems of love not just to me, but to themselves first and formost. So why don't I write poems that resonate with me as well - things that I love or words of encourage and praise that will help me through I tough time. Even words of frustation at the idiocy of everday life and how I can then find some hope in that craziness.

Since this is part of my rebirth from cancer - I will post my poems here and I hope they will, in some way, resonate for you too.