vtiv it's a treat! i would say enjoying anything slowly or in small amounts has the same effect - one song off your favorite album, one episode of a TV show, etc
Poetry is often short and so we just skim over it and are left underwhelmed. Sometimes we need to make ourselves hear and feel it more, I find that reading the poem out loud really helps with this! Also maybe try to find videos of poets reading their own poems. (I’ve attached a Mary Oliver reading, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Mary Oliver haha) Also remember that “poetry” is such a huge and nebulous literary form and that you may well dislike a lot of it (I detest so much poetry that I find it a little embarrassing as a poet). Just because you don’t like a poem, or a hell of a lot of poems, doesn’t mean you don’t like poetry, you’ve just not found the poems you like. If you find one poem that you like, find more from that same poet. If you like a poet, look at who their fans like, or who the poet has cited as inspiration. You’re allowed to find lines you love but not like other lines in the same poem. It’s all worth it when you find one line that hits right through you. “you do not have to be good…you just have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves”.
I don’t usually finish them, but I keep one beside my bed so I can read a random poem first thing each morning. I like to get the words in my brain before anything else.
For our last project in my grad school poetry class, our professor (adorable, brilliant, 80 yrs old) had us each choose a poet to "sleep" with for a few weeks (i.e., get hooked on them & read absolutely everything you can, dine with them, take them to bed, write emulation poems/make ur own art out of theirs, etc.). 💋💋💋💋
Choosing to consume just one thing—& consume it fully—felt like a small rebellion against today's attention economy. It stretched curiosity muscles I didn't even realize had become atrophied. So EVERYBODY SHOULD SLEEP WITH A POET! Or a novelist! Or a writer of some sort! I think summer is the perfect time to experiment w spending time w one writer !!
get to know their voice, immerse yourself in their world, attune your eye to their noticings 𓈒⟡₊⋆∘˚⊹ ࿔
being sincere is in, thinking you’re always the most interesting person in the room is OUT. take the opportunity to learn from this random human you have crossed paths with at the function. make a big impact with a little, casual convo. what are they into? how did they get into their line of work? what did they eat that day? what is their biggest fear? (lol) small talk is only shallow if you let it be. tell someone working in a super busy place that they’re doing great and you hope they get a breather soon. compliment an outfit you like when you see it. tell someone when you notice their beautiful smile. quick interactions =/= insignificant
very satisfying to prolong the life of things in a world where not very many things are made to last. just applied renovating cream to my blundstones. cleaning my car, sewing up holes or tears in clothing, trimming the wicks of candles, and using slip-on covers for old books fall into this category too
