Be Sure to Read Poetry
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 10-15 minutes
“If you’re afraid of poetry, or think you dislike it, as a friend of mine dislikes water, then find a way to begin reading it, maybe by starting with the most prosy poems.”- Lydia Davis, “Thirty Recommendations for Good Writing Habits” from Essays One
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale.
Then read a favorite poem (or any poem you can find without too much trouble) and do a breath prayer/meditation using single words or phrases from the poem.
(Here’s a poem you can use: “Try to Praise the Mutilated World” by Adam Zagajewski)
Inhale a word or phrase and exhale a word or phrase. Repeat the breath prayer five or so times.
When I do breath prayers, I usually inhale a word or phrase that corresponds to or names something I want to receive and exhale a word or phrase that corresponds to or names something I want to let go of. If this particular breathing practice doesn’t work well for your poem, or if it feels awkward, skip it.
Prompt.
Here’s a quote from Lydia Davis:
“Be sure to read poetry, regularly, whether you are a poet or a writer of prose. I hope, of course, that if you’re a poet, you are already reading a lot of poetry. You will not develop, as a writer, if you don’t read. You won’t write as well, if you’re a prose writer, if you don’t read poetry.”
Practice.
Set an eight-minute timer and read some poems. Use a website like poetryfoundation.org or a book of poetry.
Take notes while reading the poems.
If you don’t own any books of poetry, consider buying one, two, or three when you have the funds to do so.
Want More?
Read How to Read a Poem by Tania Runyan
or How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch.
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Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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