In Wartime

In Wartime

I spend more time folding things,

smoothing out the creases of T-shirts

left overnight in the dryer, making

crisp edges of the fleece blanket draped

over the back of a chair. Altars appear

in strange places—peach pits and candle

in the kitchen window, dried hydrangeas

in a Mason jar, their dusty petals losing

their pink, but still catching the early

morning light, leaving a shadow in the

shape of a winged thing on the wall.

At a time of outer chaos and uncertainty, often what is most medicinal for us is deciding how we will control the flow of our own attention. This occurred to me earlier this week when I found myself giving more than the usual attention to folding blankets, making my bed, even cleaning lint from the dryer trap—making sure I had lifted off every single tuft. Why all this precision and care for things that are ultimate inconsequential? That’s when I realized: It all matters deeply. I recently came across a striking quote shared by my friend, poet and singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, from Marvin and Nancy Hiles: “To love and be inattentive is a contradiction. To love is to attend, to attend is to love.” This underscores one of the ways to keep loving our hurting, heart-sick world: To attend to all the things in it, and all the people who cross our path. We can’t wait for things to calm down and improve to offer our love; we must pay attention now, when the balm of undivided and undistracted attention is most desperately needed. We could even argue that a distinct lack of loving attention always leads to disastrous decision-making among those in power. When we feel seen and heard, we are less likely to start wars, both large and small, that harm the whole human race. Yet how does this relate to the simple, everyday images of my poem above? How can a folded blanket, peach pits in the window, or dusty, dried hydrangeas make a bit of difference? Because we are changed by how we use our attention. How we pay attention, and how we are given that same kind of love by others will always shift things, and alter the very cells of our bodies.

Invitation for Writing & Reflection: Take an inventory of what you’re paying the most attention to over the next few days. What calls to you, and what would you like to pay even more attention to? What strange altars appear when you choose to see the sacred in the everyday world around you?

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I'm thrilled to say that my latest book of poems, Breathing Room, is now out in the world! It's available wherever you get your books, but we have a bunch of signed copies available from my local indie bookstore, Battenkill Books, which can ship books to you wherever you are in the U.S. Order at the link below, and as always, signed copies of all my books are always available here. Thanks for your support!

https://battenkillbooks.com/book/9798887621517

photos by James Crews & Brad Peacock