Friday, March 26, 2021

MaW session 20th March 2021

 


A great multi-national turnout again today despite the fact that Bev managed to LOCK the meeting before it even started - sorry!  Adrienne introduced her Loving Kindness mindfulness practice with a poem Love after Love by Derek Walcott 
Bev followed with the writing prompt from the poem 
Tree by our very own writer Giovanna McKenna:

I am secure in your grasp

Unfortunately, or should we say fortunately, we cannot share the poem at this point in time as it is out for publication!

GWL Calm Slam ~ deadline 30th April for 
Here is a link to Glasgow Women's Library Calm Slam that Giovanna mentioned. 

And here's a poem published by our very own
Lesley O'Brien ~ Come Awa' In

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

Secure in your grasp
by Bex Woodsford

Secure in your grasp
   Am I?
And you, are you secure in mine?
  Who are you?
Can you be known? with just words?
No never enough
  I crave the security of touch
    Of your soft fragranced skin
    Of feeling held
    The perfume of your hair
The whole embodied wholeness of you
    that makes me feel safe.
 
This time of disembodied heads of screens
   Voices in the ether
      No safety
Keep close the muscle memory of the whole of you
      Safety


“I have come inside a silence” (Kenneth Steven – Cloister)
by Kath Higgens

Sometimes I must get away from
the distractions of home -
the screen that wants to invade,
the notes that scream to be read;
the cosy chair; the fridge.

I walk three minutes
and arrive in a different world,
where trees offer shade,
where birds carry on their humble lives,
where flowers wave and grasses stretch.

The garden is walled with quiet,
the very earth permeated
with such sacred ordinariness
that I must loose myself
from my shoes.

Here, for decades, men and women
have brought their troubled souls,
their joyful souls,
and cocooned in this quiet
have found their way to peace.


The following piece from Catrice is from a different writing group but I though to include it here as another wave to the inspirational Kenneth Steven 

“Take Nothing with you but your shoes”    (from a line by Kenneth Steven)
by Catrice Greer (1st draft)

When you leave us
close the door
leave not a crack and nothing more
for if you do we would search for you 
in the hinges
turn the knob hoping to find you standing there 
in the light to love you again 

When you leave us 
don’t look back 
we said our goodbyes in the million hugs, 
longwinded, the winding talks we had, laughing 
loud, silent in-between, staring off into space 
when there’s nothing more to say 
nothing left to glean

When you leave us,
and your name has been called 
and your work here is done 
take nothing but your shoes, 

Walk off tall, 6’6” as you are 
far off in the distance your head 
crowned by the gleam of the sun, 
another dying star shining.

Leave all of your burdens, the things undone. 
close the door in the dark night,  
the echoing silence speaks your name 



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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Kay: so powerful   thankyou Adrienne   kx
Hilaire: Thank you Adrienne - that slowed me right down!
Britt: I'd imagine a collection of poems would be massively beneficial to others working with MS as well. Particularly including that work.
Angie: I like the last line, 're-learn'.
Angie: Oooo I love that. It was so colourful.
Sandra W: Such imagery. So beautiful
Kay: incredible Giovanna  kx
Hilaire: So powerful
Giovanna: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/2021/03/11/open-the-door-2021-calm-slam/
Britt: Hilaire, you chose the right tree!!
Sandra W: I’m there with u. So much intensity
Sandra W: Love the I am. And the connection to god. Xx
Hilaire: Such beautiful & rich imagery Catrice!
Britt: It felt like several organic cycles, but emotional too.
Angie: That is how I feel about it too Bex.
Sheila: Thanks everyone for wonderful words sewn together xx
Bex: I love the we are secure in our grasp
Angie: Wonderful. xx
Kay: beautiful reading Giovanna kx
Hilaire: Gorgeous poem Giovanna
Giovanna: Bye everyone, thank you
Bex: Thank you all so much. See you next week xx
Angie: Thank you again for another fabulous mindfulness and writing session.  I am glad that I am kind to myself and make the time to attend. xx
Catrice: An honor to be here with all of you today. Beautiful poetry all.  Very generous sharing.  Take care. Be well.
Louise: wonderful waves of words wafting around my mind - thank you one and all
Joyce: what  inspiring and heart moving  women thankyou all xx
Sandra B: Thank you Bev and Adrienne! And to everyone who shared words and witnessed wordsharing xx
Kay: another wonderful session   how well the mindfulness and writing work together   and such beautiful words shared
Hilaire: thanks everyone- see you next week
Kay: thankyou bev and Adrienne and thankyou everyone
Angie: Have a wonderful weekend everyone.  Lots of love and happy Spring equinox.
YY: Thank you all…a beautiful start to this day xxx
Britt: Thank you everyone for every word. I feel rich. Thank you, Bev and Adrienne for helping this all to happen. Be so well. x
Kate Lindsay: Thank you for another wonderful session xx

Friday, March 19, 2021

MaW session 13th March 2021

 
Welcome back Mindful Writers! My my my what a turn out we had with 27 folk from 7 different countries signed up. Adrienne introduced her Mindfulness with the support of Breath practice with a poem Over the Weather by Naomi Shihab Nye and Bev followed with the writing prompt

the garden is walled with quiet 

This came from a poem by that breathtaking (see what I did there?) poet

Kenneth Steven, his poem called Coracle that you find here: Collection of Kenneth Steven Poems


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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

the garden is walled with quiet 
by Joyce Nicholson

I hear you, cutting through the quiet, 
blackbird singing, signing your heart, 
instincts instigating connections, 
for spring is rising and change is coming, 
Change, She always comes.
pushing, piercing, earth uncovering, unwrapping,
saffron and straw, sage and sea green, 
silent symbols of change, constantly surfacing.

Sisters - watch the long season changes, notice.
each small shift, significant, 
unfurling fronds of fierce love, 
as We all rise up. 



How beautiful is the silence that hugs my pain away………
by Sandra Walls

I hear a woven hum of bees
I patter down the slab stone-cuts earthed into the old grass
Sunlight splits through mature shrubs and high-rise plumes 
In the giant oak neighbours wanted murdered, I hear the buzz of little lives
One little fat bee not of the yellow and blacks
But an orange flank and sting; he’s exhausted
 And full of pollen in his sacks
I run back skipping stones, two-at-a-time
Sugared water frappe’d with a cocktail stick
Back to my little friend
Lifting him upon my hand I pour a well of sweetness
Not a sting in sight
Tiny, hooked feet hold onto my fingerprints
A tiny tongue folds out from his chin and drinks hastily down
We sigh of relief
I stare into him, cute for an insect
He washes his face, furred head and tiny black eyes
Tries out his transparent, rainbow, oil slick wings;   They work!     And he flies
I look up his name, Bombus Lapidarius
I nickname him The Bomb - Flying high like Ulysses towards the sun
He turned and told me – “Salutes”
For my revival,
Survival
To work another day
For the honey and my Queen
‘N’est We Forget’



Hum
by Britt Doughty-Godchaux

I am the grass, the temperature of the air
the same inside me and without.  
The sky an impossible blue, 
the bees work their way with precision
amongst every waving wand of lavender.
Spring is impossible, so I say this season
is the one right before, one of the countless other
nameless seasons. This season is the first dry
day, the first day that could be understood 
to be hot. The first day where my body can
find a burrow in tall grass to settle
back and consider the good earth, the 
strong earth. Its wise, powerful creatures
tend it and feed from its magic. This is a day
where we find the good we ignore, the good that goes
on without human notice, this good has a full, true
run of the world. Fingers find blades. The bees
progress caring and uncaring. The hum not
for the hearing. 




and from YY... sending love to you and so many who have lost love ones...

The garden is walled with quiet, ten feet tall. 
I have come inside a silence and dad is waiting there for me…..
You look happy dad, how wonderful to see you walking with the spirit and gait of a young man in your twenties just like you looked in your wedding photo . How are you dad? …..No words or sounds in the silence, but a smile that radiates his message - after all the pain and inability to get out of that horrible hospital bed - I walk without pain. My body is light and warm and I thank God that both my mind and body are now at peace, watching over you all and Im proud of the celebration you are making of my life - in my memory  - love you , Dad

Many thanks to Anja for a shout out from Berlin in this article


Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!


Sandra: Angie ur wonderful performative poetry again is ready to go.
Bex: I love the earth heaves quietly
Britt: 'winter withdraws': that's how it feels!
Britt: Sandra, the sound went out a bit for me. Would love to read it again?
Michele: Such lovely and inspirational writings and a lovely mediation.  Thank you all, I am going to have to go. See you all next week.
Michele: Michele
Mo: Sorry, need to go now. Thanks for all your sharing, wonderful writing, so many vivid , visual images that I wanted to capture and explore. And I love the poems that were offered as prompts. Bye now
Catrice: Beautiful line, Hilaire.  beautiful.
Angie  Everyone : wonderful morning. fabulous poetry.
Elaine Morrison  to  Everyone : Thank you everyone. That was a lovely session. See you next week. Ex
Bex: Thank you everyone and see you next week!
Kay: thankyou so much bev and Adrienne and everyone   wonderful  kx
Susan : Hi, thank you for today. I had nothing to share today but it was lovely to hear your words
Joyce: fabulous thank you all - what inspiration xxx
Hilaire: thank you everyone - wonderful start to my day!
Y: Beautiful writing, powerful words - special morning -Thank you all xxx
Angie: Thank you Adrienne and Bev. Good to see everyone. xx

Monday, March 8, 2021

New Mindfulness & Writing Sessions!

Welcome back to Mindfulness and Writing sessions with Bev & Adrienne starting Saturday 

13th March.

We're going to get you back into it with three relaxing "top up" sessions. The first of three 6-week courses begins in May and we hope will strengthen your mindfulness and writing practices. 

Anyone wanting to attend must register:

Saturdays 1000 - 1200

Remember the routine? 

- Email readbevs@gmail.com to register

- Bev will send you an email with the link an hour before the session

- 0945 the session opens for a 1000 start


Dates:

Top up sessions:
Sat 13th March
Sat 20 March
Sat 27 March

6 week session (first of 3 this year)
Sat 8 May
Sat 15 May
Sat 22 May
Sat 29 May
Sat 12 June
Sat 19 June