Welcome to this week’s Tuesday task. For those of you who have just joined us, it’s so lovely to have you! Tuesdays are special days in the Let ME Out!! world. I get to share with you a task/activity designed to get you opening up to your creativity – by remembering it and releasing it. With the new website design it’s really easy to see what the latest task is (look over to the right) and if you hit the tab in the navigation bar above, you will be taken to an entire page of Tuesday tasks! So, if you’ve tackled today’s and want to try another, you can look at what’s been assigned before. Or if today’s doesn’t resonate, head over to the older ones and do or re-do another one.
The best part is – you’re not being graded and no one’s going to know whether you did them or not! They are entirely yours.
Enjoy them.
Today’s task was inspired by the mystical poet, Rumi. Oh goodness, I could just read Rumi all day. And Hafiz. Pure lift-me-up, throw-Spirit-in-my-face kind of poetry. If you’re on board the Rumi and Hafiz train, you should check out my friend Saira‘s book, Imprints on My Soul.
One rainy morning last week, I was searching for the perfect Rumi quote to suit my mood. And there it was, God bless the internet.
You wander from room to room
Hunting for the diamond necklace
That is already around your neck!
Jalal-Uddin Rumi
YES! This was totally what I needed to hear. An hour later while going about the rest of my morning routine still with Rumi on my brain, I started to formulate a poem in my head in response to this idea of the diamond necklace. It was so fun to interact with a poem like that!
I’d like YOU to try it! If you already have a poem in mind, use it. Write something in response. Remember, no one’s going to read it. You don’t need to worry about line length, stanzas, metre and all those other technical parts. I always thought I couldn’t call myself a poet until I knew about those things. I decided not to think that way anymore, and now I call myself a poet…because I write poems. In my world, that’s the only prerequisite!
Write it as a letter to the poet, or take an idea from the poem and write your view on it…go with it in whichever way comes easiest. If you’re stuck on finding a poem, you can always google in key words like “love poems” or “poetry about nature” – whatever you want. I’ll paste one below as well. This was the first poem I ever memorized and ever really understood (that didn’t begin with Roses are red, Violets are blue).
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost
Have fun with it – let it open you up to the magic of your own words. Let it remind you that you have something to say. If you feel inclined to draw a picture in response, or paint, or write a journal entry, or anything else, go with that.
Hello,
I just came to look at this site and saw, “write a poem, about a poem” so I did.
I read a little poem today
It helped me out and on my way
Despite a morning wet and cold
In that poem I was told
Never start off with a frown
Even if you’re feeling down
Try to head out with a smile
Keep it with you all the while
And if that doesn’t seem enough
Then try to be a little tough
Force the smile back on your face
Carry on with style and grace
If the world outside looks bad
Just don’t let it make you sad
Shout, “Hey world, don’t mess with me”
“I’m still happy, as you can see”
Then when the day comes to an end
You’re heading toward your house again
Just recall this little poem
All safe and snug inside your home
Cheers!
Hi Richard! Oh, this is perfect for the gray, rainy days we’re having here, isn’t it? Thank you so much for sharing this and for emailing your poem inspired by Let ME Out!! I will be posting that poem right on the blog tomorrow and I look forward to sharing your expression of this blog’s name. Thank you so much for stopping by!