Poems of Presence
finding myself
raking patterns
in the litter box
This month at Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’ blog, Today’s Little Ditty, Margaret Simon put out the challenge to write “to write a mindful poem about the present moment,” a poem of presence. I think it may have been Heidi Mordhorst who suggested we try to make this a daily practice with a hashtag on twitter. With Margaret’s and Heidi’s challenges in mind, I’ve been trying to take a few minutes each day to check in with the world around me and quickly write a haiku or senryu. (A haiku if the observation is about nature, a senyru if the observation is about human nature.) Over the years when I’ve been able to make myself do challenges like this on a daily basis, I find that it changes my attention, and I am able to be present to myself on and off throughout the day. This is what happened yesterday when, true story, I observed myself cleaning the litter box.
Jama has the round up today at Jama’s Alphabet Soup.
I hope you all are well.
Liz
I hope you are well, too. I have so enjoyed writing in community with #poemsofpresence. Sometimes, my scribbles are silly and sloppy…sometimes they aim for poetical. But, I love that there are others out there taking a moment of the day to turn into a moment we can share. It helps.
I’ve also really appreciated writing in community. I think the connection inspires me to keep going.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve had to clean a litter box, but it was never a job I relished when I was younger. You almost make it sound enjoyable! Almost. (The break between L1 and L2 is brilliant, Liz!) Don’t forget to post one or two of your poems of presence on the padlet at some point this month. 🙂
I’ll be honest. I’m making an extra effort as Scout did not approve of my recent negligence.
I too admired the masterful break between L1 & L2. I’ve only had a brief encounter with a litter tray – and I can’t say I found myself there. More like my stomach. I’m thankful for wide open spaces and farm cats! And the humour in your poem!
Liz, finding myself is a habit I try to get into. When I am particularly stressed and can’t find my balance, I turn to nature for a walk. It releases crazy, cooped-up feelings during my quarantine life. Your poem was able to bring me to a level of peacefulness this morning.
Carol, I’m with you. A walk in nature always helps.
I saw this when you shared, had a big laugh with my daughter about it. They have 5 cats, so more than one litter box. I shared with her that it might give a moment of peace! Love that you did capture this moment, Liz!
5?! Yes, that would be a lot of litter boxes.
Wonderful! Litter boxes will never be the same. The photo feels so calming.
A daily presence poem/ perhaps a haiku is something that feels right. Thanks for encouraging me, Liz. I think I would benefit from that daily practice.
Ha! That’s one lucky cat you’ve got.
Liz, I’ve been to this garden in Kyoto! I watched a monk rake the pattern. I love that this mindful activity snuck into your cat box duty. Perhaps you needed a calming moment right then.
That’s so cool that you were there and saw him raking!
This. So present. Thank you.
STILL makes me laugh! Might be the gold medal winner in all of the #PoemsofPresence.
Thanks, Mary Lee! I confess I do feel rather proud of this one. ; )
Love. It! Hey, being mindful applies to everything, right? Not just when you’re looking at beautiful flowers.
Love it! Yes, this practice does change my attention. No cats here… but maybe the counter cleaning deserves some attention… Thanks.
You’ve truly captured a moment in time and with just a few words conveyed the importance of finding oneself in the present. Thank you.
Oh, this is wonderful! Ridiculous and profound! Well done!
I have really enjoyed all your haiku and senryu, Liz (and thanks for reminding me of the difference). Twitter is so ephemeral for most of us that it frees me to just splat things out there and keep up a practice. I too have been observing my own reactions to our situation–time to do that is a gift, I guess.
I love you poem, and cleaning the litter box is a great topic!
Oh Liz what a moment of mindfulness. I love that, when we are mindful, we can find peace (and even art) in the most unlikely of places.
Your presence is appreciate – by me and I’m sure, your cat(s). 🙂