“Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours.”
Jane Kenyon, Writer’s Almanac May 23, 2021
I’m keeping Jane Kenyon’s quote as a summer goal.
I read a prompt on Denise Krebs’ blog, Dare to Care, about taking a mentor text and writing its opposite. I think the prompt originated with Jericho Brown. I had saved a Jane Kenyon poem because I wanted to use it as a mentor text.
Inertia
by Jane Kenyon
My head was heavy, heavy;
so was the atmosphere.
I had to ask two times
before my hand would scratch my ear.
I thought I should be out
and doing! The grass, for one thing,
needed mowing.
Just then a centipede
reared from the spine
of my open dictionary. lt tried
the air with enterprising feelers,
then made its way along the gorge
between 202 and 203. The valley of the shadow
of death came to mind
inexorably.
Read the rest of the poem here.
I enjoyed playing this game, using a thesaurus to find antonyms. You should give it a try sometime.
Energy
Mirror Poem
My toes were light, light;
so was the earth.
I had to half question
why my finger scratched my nose.
I didn’t think I should be inside
and lazy! The sky, for one thing,
needed viewing.After a while, a mosquito
flew over the belly
of my open notebook. It tried
the air with indolent wings,
then made its way along the nibble
between scar and creativity. A Cricket
in Times Square came to mind
doubtfully.It must be easy for the right wing
to know what the left is doing.
and how, on such an afternoon,
when the earth is bright and attentive,
how does it end with feeling
orderly and lighthearted?Well, it had its fill of poetry.
Margaret Simon, after Jane Kenyon
I watched it pull its body
under the crease of the page, and appear
in a stain on my finger.
Reflections on the Teche 