! The Pen Moved !

I wrote a poem today.

I was minding my business in my little yard, lifting my face to the sun on this gloriously cool and overcast day -- yes, to the sun. The clouds parted for an hour, and as I stood pondering this day and whether I could call it late summer or early fall I suddenly paid heed to her. She was looking in above the magnolia and between two maples. With her awful harshness eased, contrasted with the gentle grey, she suddenly seemed precious again, and I offered her the tilting back of my head, letting her rays touch my face and warm me. In that unguarded moment she penetrated all of my distraction, my excitement and my anxiety, my planning and my fatigue, burned all of that away and simply held me, like the two warm hands of my mother cradling my face.

And a poem began to lift in me. A sensation as I responded to her touch, a phrase, and then that once discarded eagerness, that determination to search out a notebook -- it couldn't be scrap paper, it had to be a notebook, as this prodigal moment had to be honoured as it deserved. The first poem I felt compelled like this to write since I forced myself to stop so I wouldn't drive my editor around the bend.

I wasn't going to type the poem into this post. It is a first draft, likely to change a lot over time, though maybe not. I like to let these things simmer, steep a long, long while, till we are done. Ready to emerge.

But I think I will share it, anyway. Some naked rawness for this splendid day. 

Blessings, friends.

August Sun

 

I can’t look at her face

it blinds

burns the core of eyes

reveals nothing

 

but her regard sets me ablaze

kindles   hope

action

stirs silted waters

churns up what has long settled

now seen once more

 

I worship her – I do

the sun among such distant stars

the one whose gaze

can kill or heal

feed or foster such drought

such fire as we have never seen

 

and then

come the clouds

and she is hidden once again

 

 

 

 

 

Image: Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash. I admit it isn't the dry late summer conditions of today in my town, but this girl is heedless of anything but the sun right now, as, for a moment, was I.

Brigit's Flame: Creativity makes you grow

Building on the idea of Brigit as matron of poetry, LiveJournal hosts a community called Brigit's Flame which is of interest:

Brigit's Flame writing community is dedicated to helping people grow as writers. We run a monthly writing contest, offer peer editing, and are dedicated to making sure that every person who brings their writing to our community has their writing read and commented on. 

Every day, our community has a daily "Chatter Post", which presents community members with a new question to think about and discuss among the members. All members are invited to join in our conversations.

If you'd like to visit a great online writing community that's dedicated to helping one another, visit the Brigits Flame LiveJournal Community!

We currently only accept active LiveJournal members to our group, but you're very welcome to create a LiveJournal and join us. Anyone is welcome to our community - we accept all people from all walks of life. Be prepared to have your ideas challenged, your thoughts explored, and your creativity exercised!

History of the Community

Brigits_Flame was founded by Boundfate on March 18, 2008, as an offshoot of a preexisting LiveJournal writing community called LJ Idol. It was seen as a way to take what Boundfate liked best about the Idol community and combine it with her own ideas and approaches to make a completely different community. Where LJ Idol combines the twists, turns, and excitement of reality TV with writing in an epic six month long contest, the Flame became more of a creative workshop with a contest edge, putting the emphasis on fine-tuning members' writing.

The name comes from the Celtic goddess of creativity, inspiration, healing, and smithcraft, Briget (pick a spelling). Some people believe that the phrase "creative spark" comes from her followers, as she is often depicted with a torch. Boundfate found her a good patroness for this group, and the name has become more and more fitting as the community has evolved: we've crafted our entries with great effort; we've healed ourselves and each other at times; and, of course, we pursue the creativity that makes us better than ever.

In its first couple of months, the community was very small. Its first contest had fourteen participants, and the community itself had about 35 members total. However, the community soon began to grow, most notably by being featured in LJ Spotlight twice - once in June of 2008 and then again in September of 2009. After the first spotlight, membership exploded from less than 100 up to 700. The moderators scrambled to stay organized, adding an editing team and adjusting to the fact that there were over 100 members competing for the following month. The moderation team grew, and with an enormous amount of help and patience from members, the Flame thrived.