WOW, love this, Astrid! :) Beautiful! So well written and I love seeing so much of you in this ;) I especially love the way the last two lines really shift the tone into something just a bit brighter after a more somber and heavy experience for the author until that point.
Also, that's a villanelle! :D (I just learned about those in more detail yesterday hehe). I may (may) try to write one before these 21 days are up. Let's see! Thank you :)
Thank you so so much! You get me ;) ALSO villanelles have got to be my FAVOURITE poetic form! There's something about those repeated lines that just speaks to me. Sylvia Plath's poem "Mad Girl's Love Song" is an especially fantastic one imo. Hoping to see some more villanelle representation out there :D :D
I feel you in the poem. "Move in towards the pain." I felt this physically, emotionally and mentally - the many levels that pain touches us. Described so wonderfully in trying to learn pole dancing. Truly, this can be applied to so many other areas of life when we step into something new or reach a new level.
Thank you!! Agreed -- there are so many areas of life in which facing something painful is the only way to progress, and it's the fear of those painful feelings that causes the real suffering. Good luck in your experiences <3
This is remarkable, Astrid. Powerful and evocative. Your return to the phrase "I move in towards the pain" works verty effectively and nicely. Thank you for sharing this splendid poem!
Really beautiful, Julie! I'm grateful for the way you've grounded dance into the earth - so well needed, and certainly rejoiced over here! :D My dance on this day felt really tight, pressured, expected, and I just love the flavor of the release you offer in these words.
"Immanence as full presence" and "...the dance as the body" YES. Thank you :)
This is spectacular, Julie. The poem dances off the page.screen, and my body moves with each line. You capture the rhythm, flow and dance of nature beautifully. THis middle segment:
Her cycling rhythms,
circling
spiraling
as gyrating hips around and around.
Her beating heart,
pulsating
reverberating
rising and falling
as feet tapping rhythms upon her ground."
Oh my gosh, that is pure beauty. What a delightful poem you have crafted and shared!
Thanks Larry, I so appreciate what you have shared with me here. I felt this poem as I wrote it, and I love when others share that they are feeling it too. That warms my heart. Again thanks!
This part touched my deep rebellion from containment in my dancing. Dance is one of my most powerful nutrients, helping me to FEEL and MOVE energy through my body. Often intensely emotional in all directions. Your words about Pure Freedom feel so incredibly fitting. The spontaneity of moving with what is present. Love your words!!
Thanks Rhiannon! It is a powerful nutrient for me too! Most mornings it is how I start my day. Sacred tuning in to my body. I dance/move in and to what is being felt in the moment. And Yes, to being intensely emotional! Movement gets the the feelings flowing, unstuck or stagnant..
Nice work Chuck. In one of his stores, Jim Harrison has a character that is triyg to get his bearings who takes to dancing alone in the evenings, and it becomes a redemptive act in his restoration. I can't remember the title at the moment, but I will!
WOW. Steven. This is incredible!! (And you're already so in tune with other things I have planned a bit later ;D). SO FUN. Really, I'm smiling from ear to ear over here. That you even had the brilliance to incorporate the references as you did, much less off such a smashing message throughout your whole is AWESOME :) (I really love this one.)
And this question - "does the dance call to the music?" Oh, such a nice contemplation. Thank you :)
I LOVE THIS! Smiles and laughter and a longing for a playlist! I really FEEL your question at the beginning, "does the dance call to the music?" .... In so many ways I feel my dance calling to music, calling to harmony every day!
How fun Steven! Love all the song references and thanks for leaving the details about it in the reply. I did not see the reply till finishing your poem, so it was fun to feel into the song and remember when I heard it and who sings it as I was reading your poem.
This is wonderfully creative, Steven. I love the weaving of theology with the lyrics to great dance songs and the questions and wonders you raise. This is so well done. Reading through it a few times, I found myself thinking how we could incorporate this beautiful lifting up of dance and music and joy on Sunday or Saturday mornings, having folks share the dance tunes of their memory, developing a dancing community that sopeaks with our bodies much like the whirling dervishes of the Sufi tradfition and other ectstatic practices. Enough said, now I'll just shut up and dance!
Wow, such beautiful thoughts here, Larry! :) I would personally also love to see more dance in official religious activities. Love that you bring in the Sufi dervishes - that truly is an incredible and ecstatic practice :)
In seminary I took a liturgical dance class. For my final project, I did a dance to the creation story in Genesis as the scripture and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World". As the only dancer I was h'adam exploring the world through dance
Lovely! If you'd like to share links, or even just list titles, I'm actually feeling like maybe I'll try putting together a quick collective "Dance" playlist so we can have something fun to listen and return to. I might post a separate comment to keep it organized :)
Sure! A few I thought of were "Dance with me Tonight" by Olly Murs, "I Hope you Dance" by LeeAnn Womack, "Dance Magic Dance" by David Bowie, and "Save the Last Dance" by Michael Bublé.
Was part of your inspiration here "Rhythm of the Night"? Your first three lines kept provoking me and the song was in the back of my mind ;)
This is so lovely. Like a melodic perfect wave. I love the place it leaves me, feeling just a little windswept but so happy :) Thank you for another treasure, you're REMARKABLE.
Your beautiful poem felt like a kaleidoscope of images that opened my body INTO rhythm. Gentle and powerful communion with the dance of life! Wonderful!
This is just wonderful, A. What a beautiful flow the poem has. I read it several times in a row quickly, and my heart pounded and a big smile broke out and I put on some music! Your poems move me, figuratively and literally! Thank you lifting me up today!
Thank you so much, A.! I'm so glad you could love it. Truth be told, this one took me a LONG time to write haha, and there was such tension throughout the experience that, even now that it's published, I'm STILL not sure I'm completely at peace with it.
I think part of the beauty here IS precisely the space and time to take as long as you need <3 I'm glad you gave it time too.
Especially since this word moved through us all in such a joyous and celebratory way, I invite you all to participate in creating a collective Day 2 - Dance playlist! You can either share Spotify song links or write the song titles/artists (especially if covers) in the comments of this thread, and then I'll turn that into our own group playlist :)
Wow, Larry, what a gorgeous poem! Your love here is apparent, and indeed, as A. said, to be held by you in any capacity is a gift! So beautiful :)
I especially love:
"the evening sky rising like a symphony,
ready for the whole orchestra to join."
And also:
"Sometimes we dance like dervishes,
spinning and gliding above the ground.
Others we move slowly,
heart to heart, flesh to flesh,
needing no music to lead us,
our love shining the way."
I really love the way that, several times, you reference being able to dance without music. YES, for all the levels on which this speaks <3 Big love, thank you!
Thank you Jillian for such nice and affirming words. I did intend to write a short poem but was led another way. Thank you for the wonderful word today! And we dance, and we dance!
In all of your words, your love just comes pouring through, Larry. Steady and safe and so full of tenderness. To be held by you in any capacity is a gift.
Thank you so much, Deborah! And I'm glad you could listen to that set :) Miss Albi is one of my favorite up and coming ecstatic DJs in Israel, and this set is definitely energizing ;)
This is a gem Jillian! I'm dancing! This is a song, with or without music. I love the energy, playfulness, joy, love and acceptance in each line. May you keep on dancing!
Thank you so much, Larry! I really appreciate that, and love that you feel the music within it :) The roaring twenties came floating through a bit for me while writing, and that was fun. May your dance carry you onwards delighted as well :)
**Sub-par pole dancer**
I move in towards the pain,
The metal pushing hard against the bruise,
I put my hand around the pole again.
My feet so close to lifting off the grain
My wet palms slip the grip I always lose,
I move in towards the pain.
Knees bang the floor cause I’ve got shaky aim,
And I can’t manage cues;
I put my hand around the pole again
The music comes again to the refrain,
I get another bruise.
I move in towards the pain.
And yet another skill that I can’t gain,
And yet another disappointed move,
I put my hand around the pole again.
At least I’d like to say I’m glad I came
And make an effort even if I lose.
I put my hand around the pole again,
I move in towards the pain.
WOW, love this, Astrid! :) Beautiful! So well written and I love seeing so much of you in this ;) I especially love the way the last two lines really shift the tone into something just a bit brighter after a more somber and heavy experience for the author until that point.
Also, that's a villanelle! :D (I just learned about those in more detail yesterday hehe). I may (may) try to write one before these 21 days are up. Let's see! Thank you :)
Thank you so so much! You get me ;) ALSO villanelles have got to be my FAVOURITE poetic form! There's something about those repeated lines that just speaks to me. Sylvia Plath's poem "Mad Girl's Love Song" is an especially fantastic one imo. Hoping to see some more villanelle representation out there :D :D
I feel you in the poem. "Move in towards the pain." I felt this physically, emotionally and mentally - the many levels that pain touches us. Described so wonderfully in trying to learn pole dancing. Truly, this can be applied to so many other areas of life when we step into something new or reach a new level.
Thank you!! Agreed -- there are so many areas of life in which facing something painful is the only way to progress, and it's the fear of those painful feelings that causes the real suffering. Good luck in your experiences <3
This is remarkable, Astrid. Powerful and evocative. Your return to the phrase "I move in towards the pain" works verty effectively and nicely. Thank you for sharing this splendid poem!
This picture of pain and effort reminds me of how I sometimes feel during yoga, but I love the empowering context of pole dancing.
Nature is an ongoing dance,
an invitation as pure freedom,
to move as She does.
Non performative
connected
spontaneous
in the moment swaying with life.
Her cycling rhythms,
circling
spiraling
as gyrating hips around and around.
Her beating heart,
pulsating
reverberating
rising and falling
as feet tapping rhythms upon her ground.
Her modulating music of many sounds,
harmonizing
ebbing
flowing
as graceful arms receiving and giving.
Her gift is embodied movement.
Immanence as full presence.
Kinesthetic
tactile
intimate.
Joy in just being…
…the dance as the body.
Really beautiful, Julie! I'm grateful for the way you've grounded dance into the earth - so well needed, and certainly rejoiced over here! :D My dance on this day felt really tight, pressured, expected, and I just love the flavor of the release you offer in these words.
"Immanence as full presence" and "...the dance as the body" YES. Thank you :)
Thanks Jillian. Yes, the dance of life dancing as us!
And I loved your poem. It was so fun and joyful, what dancing needs to be about! The cadence through out it was a dance in of its self.
I love this notion that life dances through us :) and thank you, Julie!
This is spectacular, Julie. The poem dances off the page.screen, and my body moves with each line. You capture the rhythm, flow and dance of nature beautifully. THis middle segment:
Her cycling rhythms,
circling
spiraling
as gyrating hips around and around.
Her beating heart,
pulsating
reverberating
rising and falling
as feet tapping rhythms upon her ground."
Oh my gosh, that is pure beauty. What a delightful poem you have crafted and shared!
Thanks Larry, I so appreciate what you have shared with me here. I felt this poem as I wrote it, and I love when others share that they are feeling it too. That warms my heart. Again thanks!
You are wecome, Julie!
"Her gift is embodied movement." SO beautiful, Julie!
Thanks A. for bringing that line forward. For it is such a precious and sacred gift.
Beautiful Invitation!
"an invitation as pure freedom,
to move as She does.
Non performative
connected
spontaneous"
This part touched my deep rebellion from containment in my dancing. Dance is one of my most powerful nutrients, helping me to FEEL and MOVE energy through my body. Often intensely emotional in all directions. Your words about Pure Freedom feel so incredibly fitting. The spontaneity of moving with what is present. Love your words!!
Thanks Rhiannon! It is a powerful nutrient for me too! Most mornings it is how I start my day. Sacred tuning in to my body. I dance/move in and to what is being felt in the moment. And Yes, to being intensely emotional! Movement gets the the feelings flowing, unstuck or stagnant..
i think its too much pressure.
the rules, the expectations, the push-pull, the condemning eyes, the disappointed partner.
Yes, I suck.
It is home alone,
with no pressure, no rules in sight,
where i truly shine brightest
as the hands down most bad-assy-ist
lord of all things dance.
Pants optional.
rock on.
Way to keep it real, Chuck! :)
Rock on, pants forever optional ;)
Rock on. Pants optional. 🤣
Nice work Chuck. In one of his stores, Jim Harrison has a character that is triyg to get his bearings who takes to dancing alone in the evenings, and it becomes a redemptive act in his restoration. I can't remember the title at the moment, but I will!
David in his "priestly garment" flashed in my head. Gotta go google jim harrison
I think you may like his work, especially the fiction, Legends of the Fall is a novella that was turned into a movie some time ago.
dance
does the music precede the dance
or does the dance call to the music?
let's proceed to the dance floor
to discover the rhythm.
before there was anything
there was nothing
and the spiritual realm
was "dancing in the dark"
all by themselves and
the a voice
from YHWH or the universe
said "I wanna dance with somebody"
which brought about
vibration and music
to create the
eternal "celebration"
dance party
that has been
occurring for
billions of years
the "dancing queen"
bringing for
creative life
that evolves from
"twisting the night away"
to bring us to
this time and
this place as
poets share the
language and
experience of
the dance
with views of
"flashdance...what a feeling"
or "dancing on the ceiling"
while others are doing
sharing about the
"boot scootin boogie"
or talking about
"get jiggy with it"
even if we do
"the safety dance"
some of us
insist that you
"wake me up before you go-go"
because we have personally
experienced
that part of our being
that carries the beat
in our hearts that
keeps us
"staying alive"
which is the correct
cadence for cpr compressions
coincidence?
I hardly think so
our souls pull us
toward partners
that we can share
"the dance" with
even as friends
creation will join in
knowing we "can't stop the feeling"
because "life's a dance"
if I have to I will be
"dancing with myself"
but it is better
as a dance party
so would you please
"shut up and dance"
with me and creation
WOW. Steven. This is incredible!! (And you're already so in tune with other things I have planned a bit later ;D). SO FUN. Really, I'm smiling from ear to ear over here. That you even had the brilliance to incorporate the references as you did, much less off such a smashing message throughout your whole is AWESOME :) (I really love this one.)
And this question - "does the dance call to the music?" Oh, such a nice contemplation. Thank you :)
Thank you so much. Your poem inspired me. Also dance is a favorite thing to do.
I LOVE THIS! Smiles and laughter and a longing for a playlist! I really FEEL your question at the beginning, "does the dance call to the music?" .... In so many ways I feel my dance calling to music, calling to harmony every day!
Thank you and keep dancing
How fun Steven! Love all the song references and thanks for leaving the details about it in the reply. I did not see the reply till finishing your poem, so it was fun to feel into the song and remember when I heard it and who sings it as I was reading your poem.
Thank you. I am still thinking of songs. Lol
"Dancing in the Dark" Bruce Springsteen
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" Whitney Houston
"Celebration" Kool and the Gang
"Dancing Queen" ABBA
"Twisting the Night Away" Sam Cooke
"Flashdance...What a Feeling" Irene Cara
"Dancing on the Ceiling" Lionel Ritchie
"Boot Scooting Boogie" Brooks and Dunne
"Gettin Jiggy with It" Will Smith
"The Safety Dance" Men Without Hats
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham
"Staying Alive" Bee Gees
"The Dance" Garth Brooks
"Can't Stop the Feeling" Justin Timberlake
"Life's a Dance" John Michael Montgomery
"Dancing with Myself" Billy Idol
"Shut Up and Dance " Walk the Moon
This is wonderfully creative, Steven. I love the weaving of theology with the lyrics to great dance songs and the questions and wonders you raise. This is so well done. Reading through it a few times, I found myself thinking how we could incorporate this beautiful lifting up of dance and music and joy on Sunday or Saturday mornings, having folks share the dance tunes of their memory, developing a dancing community that sopeaks with our bodies much like the whirling dervishes of the Sufi tradfition and other ectstatic practices. Enough said, now I'll just shut up and dance!
Wow, such beautiful thoughts here, Larry! :) I would personally also love to see more dance in official religious activities. Love that you bring in the Sufi dervishes - that truly is an incredible and ecstatic practice :)
They are truly amazing and hearing a different plane and dimension.
In seminary I took a liturgical dance class. For my final project, I did a dance to the creation story in Genesis as the scripture and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World". As the only dancer I was h'adam exploring the world through dance
Thank you so much. I think of the song, Lord of the Dance as a wonderful song recalling a deeper meaning of dance.
Yes! That definitely is a favorite and one we sing from time to time!
A bunch of songs with "dance" in the title came to mind while I was getting started today, too! This is so fun.
Lovely! If you'd like to share links, or even just list titles, I'm actually feeling like maybe I'll try putting together a quick collective "Dance" playlist so we can have something fun to listen and return to. I might post a separate comment to keep it organized :)
Sure! A few I thought of were "Dance with me Tonight" by Olly Murs, "I Hope you Dance" by LeeAnn Womack, "Dance Magic Dance" by David Bowie, and "Save the Last Dance" by Michael Bublé.
Good suggestions. That brought to mind a duet by Jane Monheit and Michael Bublé to "I won't dance, don't ask me" that is a dance in itself.
THE SAFETY DANCE 🙂🙂🙂YES
You can dance of you want to. You can leave your friends behind because your friends don't dance
I want to dance
to the rhythm
of the universe
.
like
.
leaves
on the breeze
stars
across the sky
waves
on the shore
smiles
on your lips
fingers
along your skin
words
on the page
Was part of your inspiration here "Rhythm of the Night"? Your first three lines kept provoking me and the song was in the back of my mind ;)
This is so lovely. Like a melodic perfect wave. I love the place it leaves me, feeling just a little windswept but so happy :) Thank you for another treasure, you're REMARKABLE.
It wasn't, but I love that it reminded you of something happy!
And thank you! It means so much to know that my writing is capable of evoking those feelings in you.
Your beautiful poem felt like a kaleidoscope of images that opened my body INTO rhythm. Gentle and powerful communion with the dance of life! Wonderful!
This compliment means so much, thank you!
This is just wonderful, A. What a beautiful flow the poem has. I read it several times in a row quickly, and my heart pounded and a big smile broke out and I put on some music! Your poems move me, figuratively and literally! Thank you lifting me up today!
I love that, Larry! I'm familiar with that kind of physical reaction to a poem and I'm so happy that my words can evoke such a feeling for you.
Yes--and they conistently do!
Gorgeous. I felt the dance all the way through and all I can say is, Me Too, I want to dance that way!
Your poem today is so playful, Jillian! I am loving the word choices. Today's took me a bit, but I'm happy I gave it the time.
Thank you so much, A.! I'm so glad you could love it. Truth be told, this one took me a LONG time to write haha, and there was such tension throughout the experience that, even now that it's published, I'm STILL not sure I'm completely at peace with it.
I think part of the beauty here IS precisely the space and time to take as long as you need <3 I'm glad you gave it time too.
Especially since this word moved through us all in such a joyous and celebratory way, I invite you all to participate in creating a collective Day 2 - Dance playlist! You can either share Spotify song links or write the song titles/artists (especially if covers) in the comments of this thread, and then I'll turn that into our own group playlist :)
This is a great word! I sat down to write a short poem, but I read your all's poems, and just could not stop dancing!
Dance
Evening on a hot summer day,
sun leaves the stage as the moon and stars
enter stage right.
I can hear music.
the evening sky rising like a symphony,
ready for the whole orchestra to join.
I sit on the back porch waiting,
your return expected but never demanded,
knowing my words and flowers and dinner
don’t quite express what I feel.
The dance of our love moves beyond
any meager definitions and labels.
You pull into the drive from the dusty road,
Your weariness clear as you open the door.
I say “welcome home.”
And, “let’s dance.”
Holding open arms like safe haven,
we don’t need music to dance.
And we dance.
Bodies flowing like waves at sunset,
rolling and rocking and howling to the moon,
your agile movements tolerating the times
my feet just don’t match.
Our love is full of changing seasons and shifting tides.
Sometimes we dance like dervishes,
spinning and gliding above the ground.
Others we move slowly,
heart to heart, flesh to flesh,
needing no music to lead us,
our love shining the way.
Wow, Larry, what a gorgeous poem! Your love here is apparent, and indeed, as A. said, to be held by you in any capacity is a gift! So beautiful :)
I especially love:
"the evening sky rising like a symphony,
ready for the whole orchestra to join."
And also:
"Sometimes we dance like dervishes,
spinning and gliding above the ground.
Others we move slowly,
heart to heart, flesh to flesh,
needing no music to lead us,
our love shining the way."
I really love the way that, several times, you reference being able to dance without music. YES, for all the levels on which this speaks <3 Big love, thank you!
Thank you Jillian for such nice and affirming words. I did intend to write a short poem but was led another way. Thank you for the wonderful word today! And we dance, and we dance!
Haha, sometimes our short poems just aren’t so short ;)
In all of your words, your love just comes pouring through, Larry. Steady and safe and so full of tenderness. To be held by you in any capacity is a gift.
So well said, A., and I absolutely agree! <3
Thank you A. That is an amazingly kind and generous thing to say. I hold your words in my heart. I appreciate your kind and compassionate spirit!
Oh my, so much sweetness here! Acceptance, love, connection. Just Beautiful!
Thank you Julie!
Larry, you are magical. Swoon.
Hah! Thank you!
That was a fun poem and I also enjoyed the Wild woman Israeli song. An energetic way to start my day.
Thank you so much, Deborah! And I'm glad you could listen to that set :) Miss Albi is one of my favorite up and coming ecstatic DJs in Israel, and this set is definitely energizing ;)
Jillian, what a fun poem! It was a dance unto itself!
Thank you so much, Julie! I'm so glad you could enjoy it :)
This is a gem Jillian! I'm dancing! This is a song, with or without music. I love the energy, playfulness, joy, love and acceptance in each line. May you keep on dancing!
Thank you so much, Larry! I really appreciate that, and love that you feel the music within it :) The roaring twenties came floating through a bit for me while writing, and that was fun. May your dance carry you onwards delighted as well :)
I can't think of a better word for Friday. I love everything about your poem. Again, I am inspired. Thank you
I actually hadn't thought that much about the timing, but you're so right! Perfect time to dance ;) Thank you so much, Steven :)
Dance dance
Now is your chance
I feel the rhythm
I feel the beat
I can’t stop moving my feet
And I am unstoppable
I’m on fire
Full of desire
Any movement goes
As long as it’s on beat
Boom boom goes the bass
Making up new moves as I go
Sometimes I move fast
Other times I move slow
And I’m not ready
The beat is steady
Now is my time to move
I feel the groove
Got 500 people to dance
I started by myself
Then 2 more followed,
And finally the rest joined in
I love to dance
Dance the pain away
I dance every single day
And when I stomp
I feel so grounded
And when I jump
I jump for joy
When I shake
I feel so relaxed after
I can dance at any time
Mostly at home
When noone's watching
I get in my zone