Daily Nourishment for March 13: What Adam Zagajewski Didn't Write
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 30 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 10-15 minutes
The poet Adam Zagajewski once wrote a poem about not writing any poems. It turns out, that poem was full of everything.
Pause.
Read “Transformation” slowly, aloud if you can. (And/or listen to Pádraig Ó Tuama read it aloud.)
Take a few deep breaths. Read it again. Notice what the poem’s narrator was doing while he wasn't writing.
Prompt.
Write your own version. If you like, you can begin with "I haven't written in ______." Then list—honestly, specifically—everything you have been doing while not writing. The ordinary things. The hard things. The long walks. The watching. Don't worry about making anything sound poetic. Just name what you’ve been doing while not writing. See what's there.
Practice.
Throughout the rest of the day (or for the next few days) keep a "what I did instead of writing" list. No judgment, just observation. At the end of each day, read back through the list and respond to the questions below:
What has this life been trying to give me?
What have I received?
What have I offered?
Want More?
Become an SDW Insider and reserve your copy of Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life AND receive access to the All of Life Is the Writing Life Deep Dive online course—a preorder perk that explores how the mantra “All of life is the writing life” shows up in the Spiritual Direction for Writers book, including a section on the poem “Transformation” by Adam Zagajewski.
Follow the Echoes of Your Inner Voice with Tanya Davis
Group Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls
Flourish Anyway with Rhythms, Rituals, & Retreats
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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