For instance, I've always had a fear of failure and of being inadequate. As an adoptee, I always felt I had something to prove. Even though my adoptive parents have always been loving and supportive, my twisted psyche was afraid of not being enough, of not measuring up to some arbitrary standard. If you had asked me even 10 years ago about this, I couldn't have told you why.
Everything changed for me when I attended a week-long writing seminar in 2010 that literally broke me open. I had dabbled in journal writing before that, but the intensive and nurturing atmosphere at that workshop dug into my fears and my tears so deep that in less than a year, I was hospitalized until my mental health could be stabilized.
Now I get it. I can name my fears and we have become something akin to friends. When they show up these days, I know how to deal with them in healthy ways, through painting and writing. I also have a standing appointment with a therapist who gets me. I still feel afraid sometimes, but the fear no longer controls me. Instead, it fuels me as it pushes me out of my comfort zone.
The Prompt
Make a list of your fears, however large or small they may be. Then pick one fear to work with. Write out a conversation with the fear. Ask it questions and record whatever "responses" pop into your mind. Trust your intuition on this and see where it takes you. I have no doubt there will be lots of poems from the things that come up!
Acronyms to Consider
Forget Everything And Run
False Evidence Appearing Real
Face Everything And Rise
False Evidence Appearing Real
Face Everything And Rise
Images and Quotes
Remember, our prompts are only suggestions, you can find your inspiration wherever your muse leads you. Please visit the other participants, share the hashtag, #OctPoWriMo, on social media, and share your link in the comments below. Let us know how this journey into poetry is going for you.
We've made it to the halfway point! Thank you for being here with us!
I wish you words,
Amy McGrath
Posts
