Rush

I wrote this poem as part of a group writing exercise.  We were tasked with writing a poem in three minutes using the following words ~ lavender, obsession, river, and scrub.  The poem could contain additional words but had to use those particular four.  The goal of this exercise was to move us out of what writer, Natalie Goldberg [Writing Down the Bones, Wild Mind], calls our monkey mind and into full-on creativity.  Fast.  Do you wanna play?  Okay.  Remember the four words ~ scrub, obsession, lavender, and river.  Get ready.  Get set.  Go.  You have three minutes and not a second longer.  Write that poem!  and if you want, share it with me ~ I’d love to read it.  

Here’s mine ~

   There is a river

of remembrance

that rushes by my door.

I hear it calling me

the moment   after     the day sky

flashes lavendar,

completely         it scrubs away

the problem

that missed its chance  to

materialize

in my mind’s eye.

There is a river

of obsession

for life that flows by my door.

I follow it.

Won’t you come with me?

     

@junemoon 2002    [photo courtesy of Flickr photographer]

Visualize what?

I have a little theory percolating around inside my head and it goes something like this ~ the drivers who are most likely to cut me off in traffic or flip me the finger or honk really obnoxiously at me while flipping and cutting me off, commonly adorn their cars with bumper stickers.  Not just any kind of bumper sticker mind you.  Peace bumper stickers to be exact.  Slogans such as ~ Visualize World Peace, Let Peace Begin With Me, One More Human Being for Peace, Teach Peace, or Just Another Peacenik for Peace.

I first noticed this bumper sticker – aggressive rude driver connection several years ago.  Initially, I laughed off this obvious incongruent behavior and chalked things up to everybody gets to have a bad day now and then.  But come on folks!  I mean really.  If you are committed enough to this ideal of peace thing to go to the store and purchase a bumper sticker or in some cases multiple stickers, and you spend the time to peel off the sticker’s back, and then take the time to slap/carefully place them on your beloved vehicle, then for cripe’s sake, practice what you advertise.  Puhleeze.  Cuz I’ve gotta tell you that when you whip past me blaring your horn and foisting your middle finger vigorously and forcefully toward your side window in my direction – you are definitely not generating peace-full vibes of any kind.   

Please consider this my little rant for the week.  Peace out.