It’s funny how mosquitos, a cobwebbed cabin ceiling, heavy rain and soaked shoes can remind me of what I really love to do. Working with youth in nature was an incredibly grounding experience for me. Observing, listening, collecting and documenting. These are things we take for granted. When we’re surrounded by tall, leafy trees, it’s hard to forget how simple things are and how complicated we make them out to be. One of my students shared, after our poetry walk, his observation after not being able to find a walking stick, “Sometimes we don’t need something outside of us to give us support (it’s in us all along).” So simple. So complicated. Teachings are in acorns, rocks, shells, broken bark…and walking sticks.
I’ve worked through the exercises I developed with my students and am now offering a new spoken word/creative writing workshop program that focuses on “The Nature of Poetry”…and of course, the poetry of nature. Check it out: The Nature of Poetry Workshops- Sheniz Janmohamed
Spread the word.
shenizjanmohamed.com 