Fear is a tetrapod
field guide (n):
a book for the identification of birds, flowers, minerals, or other things in their natural environmen
field guide: fear | the natural environment is me, the human body
Fear is breath
stopped
all the voices coming in a rush
agreeing with what doesn't work
what will never work
you will never...
it will always be like this…
the refrain is
simple
effective
“It's not true”
I only have enough energy to say
that much
and then
"Experiment with breath"
is the next instruction
“Drop the words”
and just
breathe
believe
the next breath
is enough
and the next
“Come into the present”
this desk
grey
these fingers
typing
this music
meant to calm
that sorta
works
because I am breathing
and typing
and the sun is coming out
I mean literally
coming out
after hours of rain
Look at the sun on the squares of the window
glass square
sun square
breathe again
Where is the slightest hint
of inspiration?
Ah go to the line that came late last night
when suddenly fear woke you up in the dark:
Fear is the tetrapod that I saw
on Valentia island
we went last week
Fear is the four legged
salamander like
alligator like
animal
we once were
when we left the sea
the tracks were made in what was then silt
at a time when Ireland was
soft land near the equator
tropical ireland
imagine
that
so technically I saw only traces of the animal
but when you see traces of something
you see the whole thing
don’t you?
you imagine the body
the long horizontal trunk
the tail
that swished the silt
and also left its mark
on a slab of what is now
slate
and the tracks are at the edge of the sea
surf breaking
against rocks
and inland
a
field of green
and bogs
you can
see
Beginish
from that spot
inis
is one of my new favorite words in irish
island
so beg inish is there
and the old lighthouse
and the wild sea
why is a tetrapod fear
why that metaphor?
because fear
is memory
the first animal was made of fear
everything was out to get her
even as she loved the sea
even as she loved the land
and the space in between
every cell in her body
was made of fear
so she could stay alive
vigilant
the feet unsteady
even as they stuck to the
silt
her nose
alert for any smells
of other animals
that could do her in
imagine a whole body
made of skin
made to capture fear
tetrapod was
fear catcher
yes
that
and we are born with
that memory
memory of tetrapod
memory of fear
what to do then?
Imagine
yes
imagine the story
write the poem like
thing
let
the image bemuse
teatrapod emerging
slapping her tail
imagine the feeling of a
tail swishing against silt
slap
swish
ta ta ta ta ta ta
is there a smile
in her wide
toothsome mouth?
yes!
fear is the first animal leaving the sea
loving the land
fear is every single cell in my body
made to remember how long it
has loved fear
lived it
fear is what I can transform
when I write
“fear is….”
and finish the sentence
now ~
you…
start with
fear is…
who would you make fear out to be?
what is your litany of metaphor?
start with breath
breathe
be present
imagine
write
because
that whimsy
that image
it gives you that extra breath
so there is space
for fear
to transform
and that’s all we need
a blip of space
to bring the breath
back..
PS: I took some of my own medicine, “hello, fear” meet metaphor, session one of LIBERATE YOUR CREATIVITY. a 5 session one on one guided journey to engage with fear by writing about it in story, scenes and poetry all to inspire you to ACT ON YOUR PASSION for your storyjourney, your any journey. Sign up before October 5 and for being brave soul first to step into this new offer, receive 300 dollar discount. Email me to schedule a free 30 min chat
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