Every Day Is a Poem Jacqueline Suskin (knowledgeable books to read txt) đź“–
- Author: Jacqueline Suskin
Book online «Every Day Is a Poem Jacqueline Suskin (knowledgeable books to read txt) 📖». Author Jacqueline Suskin
for Marlee Grace,
my soul mate in the work of poetic healing
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
—MARY OLIVER
Contents
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1BE IN AWE OF EVERYTHING
EXERCISE FOR FINDING AWE
Close Your Eyes and Point in Any Direction
WRITING PRACTICE
How to Make a Poem Out of Awe
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Your Awe Can Be Connective
CHAPTER 2MAKE MEANING
EXERCISE FOR MAKING MEANING
Pick Up a Commonplace Object and Give It Meaning
WRITING PRACTICE
Create Your Personal Mythology
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Keep Your Meaning Up to Date
CHAPTER 3EXPLORE YOUR PURPOSE
EXERCISE FOR EXPLORING PURPOSE
Discover the Purpose of Your Favorite Writers
WRITING PRACTICE
Create a Poem of Purpose
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Hold On to Your Purpose All Day Long
CHAPTER 4SHARE YOUR ANSWERS
EXERCISE FOR SHARING
Read Aloud to Others and Share Your Work
WRITING PRACTICE
How to Edit Your Work for Sharing
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Let Accessibility Be the Inspiration in All Communication
CHAPTER 5USE YOUR SENSES
EXERCISE FOR THE SENSES
Heighten and Appreciate Your Senses
WRITING PRACTICE
Bring at Least One Sense into Every Poem
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Sharpen Your Senses and Hone Your Awareness
CHAPTER 6USE YOUR PAIN
EXERCISE FOR MAKING PAIN USEFUL
Find the Source
WRITING PRACTICE
How to Write a Healing Poem
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Your Pain Is a Seed for Growth
CHAPTER 7USE YOUR MEMORIES
EXERCISE FOR MEMORY
Think of All You’ve Done and Let It Wow You
WRITING PRACTICE
Create Your Timeline
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Learn How to Appreciate the Past
CHAPTER 8USE YOUR JOY
EXERCISE FOR JOY
Make a Ritual of Joy
WRITING PRACTICE
Write a Celebratory Poem
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Find Joy Everywhere
CHAPTER 9LISTENING TO THE POETIC UNIVERSE
EXERCISES FOR LISTENING TO THE UNIVERSE
How to Take Care So You Can Hear It
WRITING PRACTICE
What Are You Asking For?
What Path Is Already Open?
POETIC MINDSET TIP
The Power in Making Poetic Mantras
CHAPTER 10PERMISSION TO BE A POET
EXERCISES FOR BEING A POET
Give Yourself the Tools
WRITING PRACTICE
Find a Routine and Show Up for It
POETIC MINDSET TIP
Everything Is a Poem;
Don’t Worry About the Outcome
CHAPTER 11RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READING
AFTERWORD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
POEM SOURCES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY JACQUELINE SUSKIN
ABOUT SOUNDS TRUE
COPYRIGHT
introduction
I am doing something I learned
early to do, I am paying attention
to small beauties.
—SHARON OLDS
How do humans deal with the heavi ness of everyday ft living? How do we keep going when everything is so hard, sad, and infuriating? We’re surrounded by hate, injustice, death, and destruction—how do we sift through the anguish and enjoy being alive?
MY ANSWER IS,
POETRY.
What would it be like to find inspiration everywhere you look? It’s a sacred challenge to mine the wonder out of every day, out of trauma and pain, out of the mundane. This is what poetry does for us. No, it isn’t a magic wand that vanishes all atrocity. But it does make humanity reappear; it brings beauty out of the shadow, back to the surface, making it accessible. Poetry is a guide, a teacher, providing reminders on how incredible it is to be alive at all, even when it hurts.
The poetic mind is a grateful one; it’s a mind that celebrates the miracle of being. The poetic mind is moody, and it digs its heels into these moods, pulling out the best and worst of feelings in the name of discovery, in the name of the shared human condition. The poetic mind shines a light on its uniqueness and its specialized way of coping with grief or anger. The strength of this mind is that it can turn any experience into one of worth, into something meaningful, into an answer or a gift of clarity.
When Allen Ginsberg wrote Howl, he tuned into the travesty of America in 1955, exposing the nuance of mental illness, connecting the dots between this sickness and the state of the country:
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed
by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at
dawn looking for an angry fix . . .
This poem became an anthem as it brought out a new language to describe something so dark, painful, and prevalent. That’s why Howl still sticks with us. Like all influential artworks, it displays a mind in touch with the greater picture, a mind that is willing to overflow with gratitude and wonder, while at the same time remaining skeptical and critical of society, war, and greed.
Similar in reach, Mary Oliver’s famous poem “Wild Geese” remains impactful as it explores a universal permission to move through pain into awe by way of curiosity, acceptance, and a celebration of the intricate details that connect us all. Her words help us circle back to our innate imaginative power, a human quality that is available, all-inclusive, and reliably healing:
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination.
This is my purpose as a poet, to write reminders that help us identify with our place in the universe, on this perfect planet that we call home.
I’ve always been a poet, filling notebooks with cryptic verse before I really even knew how to write properly. It’s the way that my brain processes my experience. I even got a degree in poetry. From 2009-2019, my project Poem Store was my only job, and it enabled me to write more than forty thousand poems for strangers. I set up with my typewriter at private and public events, writing for patrons who chose a subject and a price in exchange for a unique poem that I wrote on the spot.
This practice allowed me to explore the human condition in a way that I never dreamed possible. I’ve heard humanity’s deepest secrets and traumas, I’ve listened to the most wonderful expressions of love and elation, I’ve witnessed intense confusion and beautiful awe—only to translate it all into poetry. When my customers saw themselves on the page, something happened. My words offered a reflection, a moment of deep knowing, and I provided written proof that they weren’t alone, that they were seen and heard. This work is transformative and healing for people, and that’s how I’ve been able to make my living as a poet in the
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