Looking Closer
Day 17: One Month of Magic
The most magical thing for me when writing is finding the truthiest truth. When you write that thing that takes your breath away and you think, “Yes. That. This is what I came here to say.”
We can live a more magical life by looking more closely at ourselves—our questions and thoughts. Today, I want you to think about what your experiences have led you to believe. Is it that everyone is ultimately good? Is everyone an island surrounded by dark waters? Will there always be spring? Write down these thoughts. Make a list of things that feel like the truth. Ask yourself how these truths have blocked the magic or let it in.
Read “Healing” by José Olivarez.
Healing
José Olivarez
we want to be done—
to take the test
& forget the material—
lord, after my last big breakup,
holding my own hand from meal to meal
all of it tasted the same. tacos & cake
i had to force myself to eat. to drink
water. the sunlight insulting me
with its insistence. i was learning
something about showing up. everywhere
i walked happy couples held hands.
what was it that i desired?
for the pain to dissolve like sugar?
for someone else to hold my hand?
for the burden of loving me
to be given to someone else?
Prompt: Look closely at one of your beliefs. What is the trustiest truth underneath it? How is it tied to your actions? Has it closed the door to magic or invited in it? What has this truth taught you about how you will continue to move through your life?
One Month of Magic guidelines:
For the month of July, post a daily prompt to inspire magical thinking.
Read and respond to the prompt by writing for seven, seventeen, or seventy-seven minutes—whatever you like—exploring what it stirs inside you. That’s it. It’s easy and breezy and designed to make you consider things deeper and search for sparkle.
After you write, post your response in the comments section of that day's post (only available to paid subscribers). Offer feedback to at least two people. Celebrate and clarify what is magical about one another’s work. How it deepened your own awareness and awe.
Posts will NOT be emailed—don’t want to spam people—but they will be posted on chat. So, if you want a daily magical ping, turn the chat feature and notifications on. You can find how in your settings.
I'm revising the earlier poem (saying yes to something) so it works towards a thing I believe, or am trying to believe.
Outside the sun burns.
Inside every brain is a room full of stars
That may burn out before we have time to see them.
On the news strangers in red ties explain how it is going to be.
But inside I know what already is.
On the news everyone worries about tomorrow.
What will happen. What will be taken away.
But today I hold a dandelion in a vase. A view of the trees
Through the window. My neighbors’ kids playing with their cat.
Online A few thousand poets post their writing on my wall.
This is how love survives. Scribbling
it all down, what there is to hold onto,
What there is to fight for. The arms reaching out.
The message: Do not fear
The fall.
If God Were a Suicide Survivor Who Blows Off My Texts Like Bad Prayers (trying a new form, and the formatting got screwed up--it's supposed to be in three columns :)
dead empty worry
dead green faith
dead app empty
lonely fear
roadside alone ride
bleeding he's hope
dying looking wild
alerts
perhaps failed
silent dead rocks
broken crumpled among
parts
phone
still feel
dead other's nothing
end prayers nothing
texts worry nothing