Thursday, April 16, 2015

Stress and Poetry

Certainly I'm not the only one who has read books on stress and tried many methods to reduce and deal with it.  On this lifelong journey, I have learned and also become more frustrated. 

Frustration:
Sometimes frustration comes when I feel I’ve conquered my stress then something changes causing more stress.  It’s also frustrating to know that I, myself, am the cause of much of my own stress.

Perhaps I’m not alone in these frustrations!?

Things I’ve Learned:
Many things have I learned in this process/journey thus far.  I’m trying to keep this part short so I’ll just give you two.  The first is that stress is always present in our lives.  The second is that we are each in control of the stress we encounter. 

Dealing with it:
Well, if stress is always present and we are in control of it, then where is the answer to my question of how to deal with, or reduce, it?  That’s next.

Poetry is one way that I deal with stress. 

Little phrases come to me out of the blue sometimes when I’m working out a problem or feeling stressed.  I try to write down these little tidbits.  Because they were born of my stress, I hang on to them and savor them, whether they’re good or bad. 

By doing this, I can see inside my stress which helps me process the cause of my stress.  Writing these thoughts down helps me peel away the emotional part and work on the intellectual part of a situation. 

Sometimes these little phrases become a story and sometimes a poem.  Regardless, they’re an expression of the emotion of my stress.  Releasing that allows me more energy for solving or dealing with the issue that plagues me. 

Here is an example of a poem written last fall that was born of a stressful time:

Thought-Less
Kimberly L McClune
September 29, 2014

Blank and silent
My empty brain lolls and sags
Lacking gumption to fight for thoughts
Disappearing in a foggy haze of forgotten people,
places and
things

Sullen and alone
Nothing enters and nothing leaves
Only a void where intelligence reigned
Distant memories of visions,
thoughts,
dreams and
ideas

Strapped in
Cornered in a lonely room
Scattered cobweb strewn furniture
Dusty pillows and torn drapes decorate the discarded dwelling

Barren synapses
Spark-less power outage
Brown-out,
black-out,
drained reserves

Beleaguered and neglected, non-existent cognitive activity
()()()

While this is a fairly solemn piece of writing, remember that it was born of my stress and was instrumental in helping me put aside the negative emotions so that I could work on solutions.

As unusual as this topic is for a poetry blog, I find that whatever brings me to writing is important in that process.  Therefore, I believe it may be important for others as well.  I hope you have enjoyed, or at least not turned away from, my blog.  Good day and keep writing, no matter why and no matter what.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Regain Inspiration and/or Creative Focus

What can a creative person do when there is little inspiration and even less focus for their craft?

Well, some may go on retreats or hide away.  Some may turn to stimulants or drugs to push away the world, listen to music or steep themselves in a favorite pastime.  What an individual does when inspiration or focus are gone is as individual as the individual.  Some, like me, may turn a bit silly and say or write silly things to get the juices flowing again.

In this regard, I created the following ludicrous poem in an attempt to start typing on the old keyboard for a totally creative purpose.  My endeavor was to make myself rhyme and count syllables.  Neither of these are things I practice when I write poetry.  I tend to let the form and manner of my writing be dictated by what I am attempting to convey in the work.

So take this little ditty as a form of inspiration to inspire you to get past those moments when inspiration is on holiday.

Rhyming Fun Counting Syllables
Kimberly L McClune
April 10, 2015

Home alone,
Alone at home
Never on the telephone (7)
Seeing things that I am shown (7)

High and low
Low is high
Perhaps way up in the sky (7)
Going there where I can fly (7)

Thinking now
Then I think
Knowing that I think I know (7)
Thinking that I know I think (7)

Above below
Below above
Many things that I can show (7)
Showing all the things I know (7)

Truth or lie
Lying truth
Do you think that you are sly? (7)

Lying as you travel by (7) 


Now that you've had a good laugh at my expense, or now believe me to be totally insane, I bet you feel a little better about that lapse in creativity you've been struggling with.  Take heart in knowing that you’re not alone. 

Keep writing, or doing whatever creative activity charges your soul with life energy.  The above poem at least brought a smile to my face and heart through the mere act of creating it.  I could go on writing about this and you could go on reading, or we could both stop right now and get on with it, now that we’re inspired of course! 

Enjoy your creativity! J