The Need

The Need – Poem on mixed media

You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you. ~Augustine

I am very affected by climate changes. When it’s sunny and warm, I am happy and full of life. When it is cold and grey, I am lethargic and down. Actually, I get very depressed.

I love the quote above by Augustine. It reminds me that my deepest needs can not be met in the material, nor by me. It reminds me that I need to run to one that is greater than me.

This poem was birthed out of deep depression and great need. It reminds me of what King David wrote in the Psalms; “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?”

He spoke to his own soul; so I did the same.  I went to the one that is higher than I and poured out my heart. And you know what? I found rest, comfort and reassurance. My mind was no longer playing tricks on me. I decided I was not going to be a prisoner to the screams in my mind and the tightness in my heart. That doesn’t mean that negative feelings never come back, but they can’t control me.

How do you deal with negative feelings?

Color me pink

Color me Pink – Part 3 of a 9 part poem on mixed media

Have you ever felt pink? I have. I know that most guys reading this will not be able to relate (sorry guys), but I bet you guys have appreciated it when your girlfriend or wife has been feeling pink.

Pink is a special color to feel. It’s the color that says, “Ahhhhh, I think I’ll go down to the outdoor market to buy some flowers today. Maybe daisies or gerberas to display on the dining room table.

It’s the color that comes in that sweet-smelling perfume. Maybe a floral or a vanilla bean.

It’s the color that comes in that pretty little sun dress that one wears on a late spring day. Maybe out to the park, or on an early evening stroll.

It’s the color of little girls dancing in their first ballet, or playing indoors on a rainy day.

Yes, pink is a special color indeed.

What comes to mind when you think of the color pink? How does pink feel to you?

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This is the third part of a nine-part poem and mixed media project I am working on. The ‘Color Me’ poem I wrote just over a year ago and can be read here. I would like to dedicate this post to the lovely Trini. She is the most pink person I know, and I love that about her.

The Poet and Poem (Etheree)

Life
A prayer
Poetry
In the making
Physical being
Emotion and feeling
Intellectual reason
Tears, laugh, joy, pain, love, hate, loss, gain
Combine, intertwine in space and time
Carefully shaped by hands of the divine

Have you ever thought of life, and all it entails, as being a poem? Have you ever thought about what the true meaning of ‘poem’ is? I have.

Yesterday, I read a post from a fellow blogger and amazing poet. The last stanza in His poem entitled, “Cloud 9” goes like this: “life and poetry are all the same”. It was that line that inspired this poem.

The origin of the word, “poetry” in English is taken by the Greek, “poetica”, which is derived from the verb, “poiein”, that means, “to make” (source).  Another Greek word, from where we get poem and poetry from, is “poiema” and means, “workmanship” or “something made” (source). As a Christian, I believe that I have been divinely made by a great poet and that all that my life entails is what is becoming a passionate and spirited poem.

I came across an amazing song and video on YouTube by the composer “Michael Card”. His song, “Poem of your life” says it all. If you have the time, please check it out – Poem of your life (you may have to turn the subtitles off in the bottom left hand corner of the screen).

How about you? Have you ever thought of your life as a poem? Have you ever thought of yourself as “someone made” by a great poet?

Ping back: The Divine (clogynarch) 

A Human Being (Haiku)

Impulse to create and establish order

“Because we are created in the image of God we all have an irresistible impulse to create and to establish order” –Steven Altrogge

Why do you blog? Is it because you want to connect with others? Is it because you want to promote your product? Or maybe it’s just a place for you to unload and release your feelings.  I blog because I have this irresistible impulse to create, establish order to what I create, and share it with the world. The amazing relationships that have developed and that are being developed because of this is the icing on the cake.

The above quote is from a book that I got a sample of on my kindle app (sorry to all of you die-hard ‘real’ book readers, but I live in Brazil and for me to get the books I really want to read, I can only do so electronically).  It’s by an author named, Stephen Altrogge, and I have definitely decided to buy it.  The name of the book is, “Create: Stop making excuses and start making stuff.” Allow me to just share one other quote from it:

“God has filled our veins with creative juices. We can’t help it. We must create.”

I love this. Being a very strong feeler, and having suffered with depression, I find that the creative process is so therapeutic. So, ultimately, it’s not just creating for the simple need to create, but also for the therapeutic benefits that come from it.  The ability to express oneself through the creative process in unlike anything. I remember going for my daily run and ‘reflection walk’ last Friday.  I told God that I needed to create something.  That it was a need in me. I arrived home afterwards with a whole new poem, “When we’re alone“, which I posted this week.

I would love to know what it is that drives you to create? Why is it that you blog? What satisfaction do you find in creating something that comes from you? Please leave a comment and share your creative process. What makes you tick? What drives you to share your soul with the world? What do you get out of it?

Also, if you would be so kind, please take a look at my most recent Haiku poem that was featured here, and let me know your thoughts.