One
day I took a longer-than-usual walk to Barnes and Noble. Just a few
blocks past where I tripped down the sidewalk as I smiled at the
attractive blond, I heard the most beautiful poem read by its author
on Elizabeth Gilbert's Magic Lessons podcast:
Breaking
Surface
by Mark Nepo
Let no one
keep you from your journey,
no rabbi or
priest, no mother
who wants
you to dig for treasures
she
misplaced, no father
who won't
let one life be enough,
no lover who
measures their worth
by what you
might give up,
no voice
that tells your in the night
it can't be
done.
Let nothing
dissuade you
from seeing
what you see
or feeling
the winds that make you
want to
dance alone
or go where
no one
has yet to
go.
You are the
only explorer.
Your heart,
the unreadable compass.
Your soul,
the shore of a promise
too great to
be ignored.
I am not a big
fan of poetry, never have been. But my favorite book, Love Walked In,
is written by a poet named Marisa de los Santos, and her poetry
definitely enhances her poetry. I've heard many times over that
writers need to read and study poetry to improve their word choices
and writing. Nepo's poem and hearing him read it, piqued my interest
in pursuing poetry in a more determined way.
Each episode
of the Magic Lessons podcast is a discussion on the creative life and
how to overcome the obstacles that often meet artists on their
journey.
Nepo talked
about the importance of being a verb rather than a noun. Writing and
creating versus being a writer or creator. His point was that being a
verb has far fewer limitations than the noun. Writing and creating is
far less restrictive or confining than being a writer or creator.
When you're writing or creating, anything can be a canvas: poetry,
creative non-fiction, fiction, cereal box marketing. But if you're
merely a writer, one novel or one poem can box you in. Make it harder
to move out of a label, genre, or mindset.
This concept
can apply beyond creative pursuits. Mothering vs. mother; gardening
vs. gardener; helping vs. helper; walking vs. walker.
I suspect I
was more open to Mark Nepo's poem because I was walking. I was moving
my whole body as I was taking in new information. The movement helped
me metabolize something new, and thereby made me more receptive.
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