Fallen. Now,
I wait. Will I become
a new tree. or will I be picked up
by a child's hand and made
into art?
Autumn is often perceived as the beginning of the end. Plants and trees are shedding their leaves to prepare for the cold winter, animals are stocking up on food, or preparing for hibernation. It’s also a season of beautiful colours and other inspiration for creativity. Then I saw the chestnuts on the ground. We like to collect them, with the intention of creating little works of art. I thought I could maybe also plant a couple to see if I could grow a tree. It hit me: it’s not the beginning of the end, it’s the beginning of a new beginning.
Which seeds will you be planting this season?
Please scroll down for the Poetics of life and Poetry elsewhere parts.
The poetics of life
Practice makes perfect. It’s an easy thing to say, but what does it really mean? When I was at the cycling-themed Tous en Selle film festival with my son, this short film was our favourite. Not just because of the lovely images and cool tricks, but also because it showed how you have to practice to master a difficult skill. As my son said: it was honest because they also showed the falls. And it was a good lesson to keep practising, keep falling, until… you master the trick. Watch The Rise of Hodgy:
Imagine what can happen when you find a painting in the trash that somehow speaks to you. Well, this is what happened one day in Brooklyn, beautifully told in one of my favourite podcasts Heavyweight:
This is just a beautifully created short clip. It reminds me of beautiful stories, but also of looking up and creating your own star signs. Enjoy Paper Poetry:
Poetry elsewhere
Do you know what a migrant thinks when they are at the border of the country they have chosen to live their life in? Have you ever thought about it? Reena Kapoor has written this beautiful poem, What I Got Away With! about her thoughts at the moment she arrived in America. Please read it:
Haiku, I loved writing them. Still do. However, somehow I found myself in a swamp of debate on what a haiku should be. In these swamps, there is no winning. So, I created my own form, the tritriplicata. Others have different solutions, like Katie Dozier, who is writing haiku, mints them on a blockchain and keeps with the spirit, but loosens ‘rules’ where she sees fit. Awesome. She calls them Cryptoku, and here is Cryptoku #1.
Who are you? And who am I? And what does that mean for our relationship? These questions are explored in a magical way by Sunil Bhandari in his poem Favourite People. Read it here:
I haven't written haiku in a long time. There was a phase in 2018 when I wrote one daily. It was quite enjoyable. I think I should get back to it! 😀
Thanks dear friend! I love your sweet lines on autumn - so evocative - and many thanks, as always, for your generous words about my post. 🙏❤️