Starting over.

I was struck by the “pom-poms” adorning this old cherry in Clifton Village, Bristol during my trip last month. I have never seen anything quite like it and admired the effort and enthusiasm! This poem started to take form as I walked and I am happy to share it during National Poetry Month here in Canada.

Do I dare to say that we are stepping into Spring up here in the centre of BC?

I witnessed its greening power in England/Wales when I had the great good fortune to be over there in March. And cherry blossoms were briefly glimpsed in Vancouver before my onward journey north. So it is coming. But this “cruellest month” of April, as poet T S Eliot wisely described it, surely keeps us guessing with warm enough sun to remove a few layers, swiftly followed by a snow squall.  You have to focus to keep your own internal equilibrium!

And there truly is more than enough to throw you off these days, isn’t there?

So one piece of good news: LIVE, in-person offerings are appearing on our radars again! Wisely managed and possibly never quite the same as before, but we are starting over.

And so I am ‘blooming where I am’ with readings of poetry and play excerpts, plus guided writing sessions for you to express your own ideas, feelings, desires with pen and paper.  I hope you are feeling ready to creatively bloom also. I am so excited and very grateful to Tanya Garland of Sun and Sage Yoga for hosting me in her beautiful space. Currently physical distanced, so groups of 10 only, but that feels like a very comfortable way to ease back into gathering and connecting. I can feel myself breathe more deeply as I imagine how good this is going to feel.

In May I am heading back to England for a fantastic opportunity to participate in an evening we are calling Art of the Body, held in a 17th century Tithe Barn on the edge of the Cotswolds. I cannot believe my luck!

So perhaps you and I will get the opportunity to enjoy creative space together again soon. I hope so. And I also think it is important to acknowledge that with the current horrific world news your creative urge might be hidden by anxiety and grief. We all may be feeling the tendency to not shine and smile over much, as an attempt at solidarity with those who are losing loved ones, homes, their own lives, all the horrors of war and climate change. But does that really help?

When going through cancer, I noticed that friends didn’t feel comfortable sharing their good news with me while I was suffering. That seemed to be worse  than feeling a momentary pang of envy. I needed all the smiles that their friendly connection could bring, plus the laughs. So I’m not sure we help by dulling our light. I know it feels insignificant in the face of a heartless, warring despot (see how that reference made you feel in your stomach, heart, breath?), but spreading more love in the face of so much fear can feel like a very powerful choice.