Last weekend I attended Claudia Taller’s Word Lovers retreat at Lakeside. It was a gentle nudge to help me keep on task to finish my memoire in spite of my general resistance to writing. Coming to these retreats is a bit intimidating for people like myself who are part time writers. There are serious published authors in the room and fear of judgment surfaces from time to time throughout the weekend until I see that everyone has that uncertainty. The writer wants to be read and understood. Spending time with these very talented writers both supports and inspires the writer in me.
We ended the retreat with a segment on creating poetry, something I rarely dabble in. Claudia urged us to write about how we find the sacred space for writing. The poem below eventually emerged.
Sacred Space for the Rebel Writer
The rebel child in me hides from the stillness of the chair.
What does it take to move this resisting rascal into the sacred seat of the writer?
The seduction is a recipe made with fresh seasonal ingredients blended with a spark that lives within.
A carefully balanced mixture, promising satisfaction and ease.
Winter seduction requires silence, a fireplace, a purring cat, fresh flowers and a latte.
In spring when earth awakens, the rebel writer demands a balance of uninterrupted time, soft breezes, a dog at my feet, and lunch made by someone else.
When beloved summer finally arrives, the writer’s chair threatens prison. And yet, she can be coaxed by an early morning walk, blue rollerball pens, soda water on ice and a seat on a cool patio under an umbrella.
As the cool of fall arrives, the seduction shifts again to demand soup, fresh apples, a brisk mid-day walk, a vase holding the last flowers from the garden and seat in a sunbeam.
No tantrums necessary.
The rebel can be tamed.
The space opens and the words flow.
