And the crazy kid was right.
With a slight change in perspective, one form
can shapeshift and become another form
altogether. Something dull can become something
that shines.
It
was just a dirty old bakery floor, but the
square/diamond metaphor found its way into every
cranny of my day—especially the dinner I almost
(repeatedly) ruined, as you can read in my new
poem, “What
Makes Us Human.”
What does make us human, at
least in part, is our ability to change
perspective. To reconsider. To apply metaphor.
And this is where a writing practice comes in.
When we write about the events of the day, we
can turn them sideways a little—tell them slant.
And see them new.
For examples of what this looks
like in poetry, visit
www.loveofplace.blogspot.com and find my
poems about how I’ve had to find different
perspectives while living at our orchard. Or to
read my daily practice poems, visit
www.ryezome.wordpress.com
To try changing your own
perspective by writing through it, check out the
poetry exercise on You the Poet,
“Feeling Out
of Control? Write. Write. Write.”
There you’ll find ideas from Catherine O’Neill
Thorne from Art from Ashes (www.artfromashes.org
) on how using metaphors can effectively “turn
you sideways a little.”
One metaphor that has been with
me, lately, came from Herman Hesse’s
“Wandering,” in which he uses a tree to talk
about working through anxiety.
When we are stricken and
cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree
has something to say to us: Be still! Be still!
Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not
difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God
speak within you, and your thoughts will grow
silent.
So I try to quiet my childish
thoughts. At least some of them. Others I’m
trying to find a way in which I might turn the
volume up. For instance, turning squares into
diamonds. Or finding the pleasure in taking my
shoes and socks off, regardless the weather.
Bare soles, bear soul. Now there’s a homophonic
metaphor I want to explore some more …
Come join me in the big
exploration—I have lots of new classes and
performances coming up.
Check out my new schedule
here.
Hear Garrison Keillor read Rosemerry's poem,
Cartography, a finalist in the Prairie
Home Companion Love Sonnet contest.
Read the sonnet here
Poeting and Parenting go hand in hand. To
read some of Rosemerry's columns on the art of
mothering,
click here.
“Rosemerry Trommer must be seen and heard
to be believed. Her talent for involving and
inspiring students of any age is most remarkable. To
witness Rosemerry Trommer’s myriad talents before a
group and to hear her message is to restore one’s
faith in humanity.”
—Mike Nobles,
Director, A Gathering of Writers, Tulsa, Oklahoma