Tags
creative collaboration, creative writing, creativity, poem, sensible, sensitive, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop
“Too much sensible really isn’t good for one.”
I wrote this phrase in another recent piece of writing, so maybe that’s where the inspiration for this prompt came from. It is also a nod to my background as an English Language teacher, and the concept of false friends. Sensible in English is one thing, but the same word in French, pronounced sensible…means something entirely different – sensitive!
So, we began by writing sensible is… and then completing that with whatever word or phrase came, passing sheets of paper around the circle, until we’d collected some ideas. For example:
…thinking before you leap
…not putting your head in a lion’s mouth
…always carry an umbrella, just in case
etc etc
Then we turned the page, and began sensitive is…, and the circle became quieter and more earnest, while writing things like:
…what it must feel like when a bee lands on a flower and tickles its way to the pollen
…allowing joy and grief – all of it
…really being able to listen deeply
etc etc
The invitation was then to take that inspiration in whatever direction you wished, and write a poem in ten minutes! This is what I wrote:
Comfortable shoes
eight hours a night
eating less cake
when my jeans get too tight
putting my wellies on
when the rain falls
answering the phone
when my mother calls
paying my bills
and being on time
live life like this
and you’ll see how the time
ticks by with the monotony
of my grandfather’s clock
on a shelf out of reach
so it doesn’t get knocked
or damaged in any way
but it’s clockwork
so when I don’t wind it up…
I don’t know the time
so I look at the sky
and pretend I can feel
each moment fly by
I linger to chat
to a snail on the path
tell it “don’t be so slow!
The bikes go pretty fast!”
I’ve forgotten my water
so I follow a sign
I’ve seen for a cafe
but I never had time
now I have a black coffee
though I know I won’t sleep
and it’s hard to keep
in the laughter that creeps
into cells that have known
my routine for so long
they’re confused and excited –
what on earth has gone wrong?!
the heartbeat, the smiling
the caffeine, the song
I do hope she won’t
keep this up for too long!
I pay and I leave
with a bounce in my step
now where’s that next promise to me
I’ve not kept…
I had a lot of fun writing that, and thoroughly enjoyed all the other poems that came out of that gathering of thoughts and ideas. Such variety! Care to try this yourself? You’re welcome to share or link in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:
and here:
https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/
Writing to Freedom said:
This is a delightful poem Harula, especially the bubbling joy of being sensitive while mixing up our boring routines. May your week be full of pleasant surprises. 🙂
harulawordsthatserve said:
Thank you so much Brad! Glad you enjoyed it, and may your week be abundant with blessings also 🙂 Love, Harula xx
Kathy said:
Fun reading that poem, Harula. I am relating to this “sensitive” post because had acupuncture for the first time and the acupuncturist said, “You’re sensitive, aren’t you?” and proceeded to share about how that can be a gift or a challenge. And then there’s the sensible side of ourselves, which can also be both…
harulawordsthatserve said:
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment Cathy. Indeed, they can both be a gift and a challenge. I’ve never had acupuncture, but I’d love to give it a go some time. I hope it was helpful for you, whatever you went there for. I’ve seen these sensitive, subtle treatments can have truly profound effects, and often in unexpected ways, because they treat the whole, rather than just one specific symptom or concern. Blessings, Harula xx
Jill Winski said:
Oh my goodness, I love this prompt and I love what you came up with, Harula! I will have to try it out. I have struggled in my life with finding balance with both “sensible” and “sensitive,” so it should be interesting. 🙂
harulawordsthatserve said:
Thanks so much Jill, I’m glad you enjoyed this post – and hope you enjoy playing with it, if you do give it a try yourself. Yes, I too struggle with keeping these two in balance, and I do think they’re quite interestingly interlinked. I’ve been erring quite heavily on the sensible in recent months, so it might be time to honour and play with my sensitivity again a bit more for a while, and see where that takes me. Love and gratitude, Harula xxx
Jill Winski said:
I agree that they’re interestingly interlinked, Harula! I’m also thinking that sometimes I am “sensible about my sensitivity” in various ways. 🙂
calensariel said:
That’s a totally amazing poem, Harula! You sure got a lot of mileage out of that little prompt.
harulawordsthatserve said:
Wow – really?! Thank you! 🙂 Yes, I find the simplest prompts can sometimes be the most effective, because they leave so much space for imagination and interpretation. Very glad you enjoyed it. Blessings, Harula xx
roughwighting said:
You’ve nailed the difficulty of the creative:
We need to be sensible, we’re told,
yet if we forgo the sensitive, our poems won’t unfold.
I prefer mystery & magic to battle the cold
of those who always say “not that way” in a scold.
May we find a way that our souls can hold
a certain routine while love makes its own mold.
harulawordsthatserve said:
Oh Pam – I LOVE this!!! It’s so true, I think MANY creative folk struggle with finding a helpful, supportive and playful balance between these two – and your poem is a fantastic summary of that! Really enjoyed it! Thanks so much for this very wise and creative response! Much love, Harula xx
roughwighting said:
Thanks for giving me the excuse to write the poem, Harula. As always, your posts are wonderfully thought-provoking.