Week 6 of the Artist’s Way is about abundance/money. One of AA’s promises is ‘the fear of money & economic insecurity will leave us’ – the trick being the word ‘fear’ as ‘economic insecurity’ never leaves us – just ask Trump about his tax returns & his fear flares up instantly. I’ve rarely heard anyone say they have too much money or that the money that they have makes them all that secure. Money can’t buy you happiness but it can get you a decent therapist.
As with the other weeks there are lots of lists to make. Here’s one of mine: silver cloud rolls royce; spaniel; lilacs; maple pecan ices cream; kiwi; cauliflower; bbq ribs & bake potato; endless list; red. Can you guess what this is a list of? In some ways this list a challenge because some of the items where areas of my life I that aren’t very relevant.
The artists dates have not been going someplace but cleaning neglected nooks & closets in my house & making discoveries. Caches of photos from 1973; rough drafts of early novels; old notebooks; boxes old bandages (do they expire? I tossed them regardless). An abundance memory, dust & paper-clips. Letting go of that stuff has become easier creating an abundance of space, space I’ll not to refill.
The Way doesn’t really address the culture of materialism – in which having enough is seen settling for less. Compulsive consumers are seen as the key to progress – so one wants to be unblocked creatively in order to make more money to keep the wheels of progress turning. In the USA now there are people who see social distancing impeding progress. I guess money $ for the funeral industry is actually a good thing.
One thing I did do that created an instant sense of too much & wow! was indulging in a sale that Brick Books is having – a box of 50 poetry books for $30. Mine arrived this past week & I was amazed. The books average at 18.00 each – which is $900.00 worth of books. Then I reflected on the nature of becoming a published poet & was saddened. https://www.brickbooks.ca/30-for-a-box-of-books-sale/ . But what won’t keep me from enjoying the books. Guess what my friends are getting for Christmas 🙂
My Luck
when I tell people
I’m lucky to be alive today
they react as if I’m over-reacting
because in many ways
my life has been a breeze
I didn’t suffer any physical
sexual
emotional
abuse growing up
never went hungry
my parents never divorced
so what do I have to complain about
it’s not that I’m complaining
merely making a statement of fact
I’m lucky to alive
that was a time
when gay teens
were put into institutions
to be cured
given shock treatment
lobotomies
behaviour modification
so they could be normal
gender conforming
boys & girls
what saved my life
was music
music never judged you
never waited outside school
to beat you up
didn’t tell on you
didn’t turn away
when you searched album covers
for inspiration in words
in the tight pants of lead guitarists
or the sturdy arms of drummers
mooning over Keith Moon
never knowing anything
about their lives
maybe if I had known
Jim Morrison
was really a backdoor man
Moon was a bi guy
I might have had a glimmer
of hope
but even though they had talent
fame
that allowed them freedom
but not enough to be out
careers would have been ruined
and when the music was over
they self-destructed
I was lucky to be alive
nothing thanks to covid19 😦
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TOpoet 