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Self-Definition by Edward Dougherty

waves on seashore
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One of my favorite poets is Edward Doughtery. Not only because he is a great poet who loves his craft but as a person I got to know many years ago who has constantly inspired me to be more that I think I can be. Ed’s poetic voice is that voice inside – it is the one who understands the deepening dialogue within an introspective mind.

Ed has a new book of poetry, 10048, that I just got and have not started to read yet. I am still trying to digest one of his other book of poems called Grace Street.

I thought it might be neat to explore some of the poems in Grace Street and share some of what my soul speaks as I read these poems. Grace Street is filled with meditations on the mundane and the natural world. Finding life as we find it in the moment   – where we are.

The first poem is called Self-Definition.

 

“how many startfish grip the sand 
when the tide pulls over them.”
 
 
For me, this poem explores the rhythm of Self-Definition. The habit we all have of seeing our selves in a rhythm of the pattern. It can become tiresome at times. But like the starfish above we hold on to these habits and rhythms in our lives. But maybe a more telling theme is to name ourselves. To put a definition onto something that has no definition that fully expresses the wonder of being human. The complexities of our humanness in all it’s mundane rhythms of waking, working, playing then sleeping. I hear a call to break out of this rhythm and start a new rhythm.
 
 
As a drummer, these images resonate with knowledge of the stick to the drum head. The feeling of floating that happens when the groove is particularly strong. So strong that one change by another musician can send it in an exciting new direction. Each player making small changes –  guiding each of the other players to a new place.
 
 
These are the extraordinary moments of life. But in the end, we return to our breathe and the breathing of the ocean wave pulled by forces bigger than itself.  And to ourselves.
 
 
I recommend listening to Ed talk about Grace Street on the Out of Bounds Radio show. 

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About the Author

Lisa Missenda

Lisa Missenda

With a lifetime of experience working in the creative industry, my passion is helping others craft an authentic and compelling brand that helps them reach their own creative potential. I am a photographer, graphic designer and musician. I help creatives create. Learn More…

 

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