I continue to savor the reawakening of the creative me–I can almost feel it tangibly after missing it for so long through the haze of pregnancy and those first few weeks of life with a newborn.  We have really settled into a good routine around here.  I am making some small steps towards getting my house in order, which makes me feel more ready to act when a creative idea presents itself.  I can feel that my mind is really alive again–I am writing ideas down in different journals, scribbling to-do lists and actually checking things off…  It makes me really happy.

About a month ago, I was invited to a friends’ birthday party.  She asked everyone, in lieu of gifts, to bring a poem to share.  We sat outside taking turns reading poetry, and something just woke up inside of me.  It was like hearing it read aloud brought me back to the time in my life when I was really discovering how much I loved poetic thought.  In college, I took a poetry composition class and loved it.  We had a poetry slam, and I recited The Highwayman from memory.  People were just sitting on the edge of their seats–which I did not expect because I was used to my brothers and sisters leaving the room when I started reciting poetry!  It was really magical.  That class had a huge influence on my writing–poetry, prose, songs, etc.  It was where I really started thinking about the rhythm of words and carrying a metaphor all the way through.

The party was wonderful and it revived a longing in me to read and write poetry.

I really enjoyed the How-To Tuesday Mini-Series that just finished up, because it held me accountable to making something creative each week.  (If you didn’t see those posts, check them out here: 6 Quick Kid-Friendly Crafts Made from Recycled Materials)  I’ve decided that this accountability is good for me, so I’m going to start a new little project.  It is called The Daily Turn: 30 Days of Original Poems by Mackenzie Chester.  I will be posting a new poem each day for the next 30 days.

So here is the first, a poem I wrote yesterday morning.  Hope you like it.  And thank you, if you are reading this, for being interested in our life, our music, the creative spark that comes and goes in this house…  Knowing that you are still reading this is an inspiration to me.

Love,
Mackenzie

The Daily Turn: Poem #1

So Many Things To Savor

In this world,
There are so many things to savor
I know I will never appreciate them all.
Take food alone.
Tasting it–really
eating it to taste,
not just for energy
but tasting it as a man
might listen to music,
each flavor a melody
each meal a song,
harmony stacked upon harmony
No two meals
The same performance.
The encore dessert.

Then there is sleep.
Something I enjoy most fully
When I am completely unaware
It is happening to me.
To stretch out in any position at all
With a good, strong body
That will not hinder me from rest.
To just fall right in.
The way you can just
surrender to it
during a boring movie.
The surrender is exquisite
And can go even farther in dreams.

The flow of thought
From the eye to the brain
To the hand
To the pencil
is a type of food
that fuels the creative body.
It is beautiful music–
The sound of scratched-out ideas.
It is rest for the wandering thought–
who wants to be put down
Tucked into a little bed of words
Drawing up the covers of reason
And falling into dreams of flying.