Image by Diego Rivera @ MOMA
I played an interesting game yesterday.
When I got out of bed, I did not immediately get a sense of how my first hour of writing would go.
Still, I approached my creation room. I sat down and felt a dull neutrality.
I thought about words.
I looked outside the window.
I went to the kitchen and boiled water for tea.
I returned to my desk.
I thought about words, hoping for a spark of inspiration. Sometimes a word or two will put me in the zone. A line, an image, an idea.
When that didn’t work, it occurred to me to quiet the mind instead. It was during that still moment that the word amusement appeared. Followed by instruction to write a list of things that could amuse me.
I made the list. Some were embarrassingly ridiculous they made me laugh so hard, which turned out to be the zone I needed.
One of them was: (mistakenly) hug a stranger thinking it’s someone I know.
Number 4 stayed with me and made my day: Meet a talking frog.
I did.
But first,
I had to add why I’d want to meet a talking frog:
a) It would be very funny and fascinating.
How so?
b) I could learn and use some words in frog language.
Why?
c) It could open up new possibilities in my creativity. In fact, the possibilities could be limitless. Which writer or teacher wouldn’t fancy that?
But why?
d) For the thrill pleasure of going beyond human language and capability.
In a world of 7.7 billion people you could be connecting with, you’re turning to frogs for inspiration?
e) Well, that’s a good point but the frog could end up being a dear friend. A really good friend and we could have extraordinary leading-edge conversations. We could go shopping. Attend readings. Share poetics, food, a drink or two…
Don’t you have really good friends already whose conversations and company you look forward to because they’re gorgeous, intensely felt? In fact, don’t you call them brilliant. wonderful. engaging?
f) True.
So?
g) You ask why? Why not.
Other amusing things I had not even included on my list happened and delighted me immensely, so I lived my day and night happily ever after.
End of story.
Image by Andy Warhol @ MOMA
No comments yet.