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ODE TO THE STONE
Private Notes
Private Notes
Notes
For a writing workshop I hosted recently at the Polish Baha'i Summer School, we practiced attention to detail by silently studying a stone for 5 minutes.Then we wrote an ode to our muse.
Ode to the Stone
I have been placed here by the hand of God just like you
Like you, I am made of both rough and smooth
Like you, I wear bruises marked by the careless and not-so-careless steps of others
Like you, I feel safe in the darkness of my earthliness
It's a bit cold down there but so familiar and full of company
But, alas dear, here our common ground ends
For here you lie in my hand
Here I think of you, but you not of me
Here you wait for my will
Will I use you to break bones? Throw you at others like words of hate and prejudice?
Will I leave you absentmindedly like trash which fills the rivers?
Or will I make you the cornerstone of a temple?
Crown you a stepping stone as I scale the heights of victory?
Will I cherish you for this and only this...
That you have been placed here by the hand of God just for me.
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Andrea, this is a very moving piece. I love your interpretation of the life of a stone and the way it relates to our own lives. This reaches me on a different level as well because I have had each of my children find a stone that represents creativity to them. I have placed each of these stones on my desk as my inspiration as I write. Their stories as to why they chose each stone is more inspiration than anything I have found anywhere else.
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Your piece here is like a mental Zen rock/stone temple.
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Yes! #NailedIt!
Thank you. That's amazing about your kids. Yes, human creativity never ceases to amaze me. I had about 16 people at my workshop and there was such a range of pieces - one man's stone reminded him of his late mother's nose, one teen girl wrote a love poem explaining that she had never gazed at something for so long.