The first six weeks of school have been filled with busy and hurry. I found myself moving so fast without really thinking. I knew I needed to carve a bit of time out for myself, so my husband and I took a long weekend to head to the mountains. Every October we head north to New Hampshire to take in the splendor of autumn leaves turning into their full golden glory. I cherish this time away and feel myself relax immediately as the mountains rise on either side of the road, enveloping me in their sloping arms.
This past summer, I was intent on finding a new way to relax using the rhythm of words. I played with poetry forms and created my own form, which I called “Mindful 8 Poems.” These poems are 8 lines long, and each progressive line has words with one to eight syllables. The first line contains a one-syllable word, and so on until the last line, which has eight syllables. I chose the number eight because it reminded me of the infinity symbol. Also, the number eight is a lemniscate loop, and because there is no clear beginning or end, it can be a wonderful tool for mindfulness, focus, and movement-based meditation. I want my Mindful 8 poems to represent an infinite, unbroken path, which would help quiet the mind and serve as simple meditations.
As my husband and I took our weekend road trip, I thought I’d select some of my favorite New Hampshire photographs and write Mindful 8 poems to accompany them. As I wrote them, I was struck by how peaceful I became. I concentrated on nature and tried to distill the essence of its beauty with spare words. This is becoming an important practice for me, and it also helps to alleviate writer’s block. The photos conjure up memories, the placing of the words helps me center my thoughts, and the entire creative process gives me a sense of calm. The poems may be more somber than I usually write. I think Autumn gives us all that sense of change and transformation, lulling us into the quiet winter ahead.
