Sunday, February 12, 2006

Checking In--The Artist's Way, Weeks Four and Five

I'm running behind in the AW. I'm okay with it. I have to be. I'll catch up and this is the week.

First, the good news. My Week Four Artist's Date was nothing short of terrific. Stanford offered a haiku workshop for an afternoon and I jumped at it. I found our instructor, Gary Gach, had a quiet but strong presence. He provided a good foundation for the mechanics and the beauty of haiku. Importantly, he was clear about not being bound by the form (e.g., 5-7-5 syllables) if something worked better--even if that something were a single line. Then we walked and wrote. We walked all of 100 feet into a grove of trees. I walked 100 feet or less and had a whole universe open up to me. I wrote a number of poems. We returned to class and Gary read our chosen poems, aloud. This was a first for me. This was stepping outside my comfort zone in a big way. I admit that it felt great.

The two poems I shared with the class are as follows:

Vinca majora
Five purple petals
Signal spring ahead

and, with Gary's advice and counsel,

Reaching across chasm
Of twinned redwood trees
The spider's web

I sincerely hope we have the chance to do another workshop. The afternoon was a pleasure. Whenever I feel the notebook in my pocket, my spirit soars. I will keep seeing and writing.

Week Five was simply lost to me. My father-in-law passed away. My focus has been on my husband, where it needs to be. I hug my children a bit more tightly and whisper "I love you" a bit more frequently. This is a new part of life's journey for us. This is a source of much reflection for me.

3 comments:

eliza said...

sounds like a lovely date, and a terrific new creative outlet. sorry to hear about your loss - keep reflecting. peace.

Leah said...

i'm so sorry for your loss. yes, lots of kisses and love for your husband and kids are in order.

your week 4 ad, sounds so beautiful and inspiring!!

nobodhi said...

thank you for the kind words, sharon ; it was a good class, & your particular presence helped make it so

a community continues online hosted by tricycle (buddhist review) ; you and yours more than welcome, any time :

http://community.tricycle.com/forum/topics/haiku-corner

this month i'm going thru basho, from my side, but it's got a half-dozen or a dozen threads running concurrently

minimal registration is required

greetings on a new moon

gary