I wrote 30 poems, including a PowerPoint video poem and a few erasures.
I strolled up and down rolling hills, through gardens, around a pond, near trees, and harborside.
I sat in silence in a library alcove, in a great room in front of a fireplace, and on a porch.
I offered impromptu tidbits of historical facts.
I guided a poetry writing workshop about what history holds.
I am grateful for the Friends of Cedarmere, for this inspiring opportunity, and for the preservation of this historical place that urges us towards a better future.
Day One: I am a tiny poet in a very large house.
Day Two
Welcome to Christina Knows Nothing About NatureDay ThreeDay Four
Day Five: I chased butterflies. If I were them, I would have been annoyed at me.
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine: Tiny poet ponders in front of large fireplace
Courtesy Beth Beatrice SmithCourtesy Beth Beatrice SmithCourtesy Beth Beatrice SmithCourtesy of Brian GeraghtyCourtesy Jeanette Cincotta
How grateful am I for the opportunity to spend my days at Cedarmere, to come and go as I please, to take in the gardens and the harbor, to write and practice yoga, to chat with passersby, to sit in silence in William Cullen Bryant’s Library, to feel the history of a place, and to be in the immediate moments of now. I kinda wanna live there forever. While that’s not an option (right now!), I’m fortunate to have another week on the way. Here are some microblogs of what’s unfolded leading up to and then throughout my first week as the Friends of Cedarmere’s first Poet In Residence.
I stayed out way past my bedtime on a school night and it was so very worth it. I am grateful for good people in the world who support poetry and all arts. We had some good clean fun at The Muse at Industry for the most part. There was one very dirty moment. Sometimes stuff happens and how fortunate that it happened after dark, which is when dirty moments are meant to occur.
Growing up, I was awkward and weird and out of place. As an adult, as we all know, part of me still feels that way. There’s always the doubt of people showing up. Part of it is brain on worry. Part of it is based in reality because I have read to audiences of two people. It happens. This time, however, it didn’t.
This is life at its brightest: a room of people gathering to celebrate poetry and art.
My longest friend S of Southpaw Sweets handed me a bag of cookies that have the cover of What We Do To Make Us Whole on them. In return, I cried and called her a jerk. This is friendship.
Collage artist Brian Geraghty, graphic and fine artist ESS NYC, and jewelry maker Mindful Holistics shared their crafts. Dd Spungin introduced us all and shared her love of poetry, too.
Creators Come Through
So many people contributed to a group poem entitled “What We Do To Keep Us Whole.”
I was having such a great time that I forgot I was selling books until I turned and saw BMc holding money and forming a line of people to have their books signed. A huge thanks also for recording it all.
Poets showed up. Musicians showed up. Makers showed up. Supporters showed up. Oh! And some of my poetry students showed up! How exciting!!!! We all showed up. This is what we do to make us whole. Please let’s keep showing up for each other so we can rebuild this world into a better place for everyone.
My heart overflows with gratitude. I’ve been going through a rough time lately, thinking about how how we’re all living right now, and gosh, how good it felt to not have to think about all that for a while. Thanks for everyone who’s been reaching out, showing off their books by mail, sending me well wishes, leaving reviews, letting me know they’ve read and they’ve felt the words. So much love is in this world. Let’s keep it going.
If you missed the dog and pony show, here it is, complete with trivia and giveaways and a loud heater blower thing that kind of takes over during one of the beginning poems and is remedied by the good folks at Ground Central and poet-musician-mic-friend BruceAllOne.
I chose the YouTube thumbnail cover to reflect one of many crazy poet faces I made. Enjoy them all.
Thank you: VS and Mr. S, RG, AVP, HM, ED, BBS, all the fam, again my poetry students, JR & CR, BO, LC, SN, RG, SE and ME, and I know I’m forgetting people and I know I can’t include the strangers who came in and stayed to listen and then left before I could say hello. Thanks go out to you all.
Grateful I get to share my newest poetry collection with the world today. What We Do To Make Us Whole is the most honest collection I’ve written, and I’m so super proud. Really, I don’t say that a lot, and I probably don’t say it enough. I’m really proud of this work.
And I’m also a professional writer poet adult person. Evidence below:
Christina M. Rau 