Interview What We Fear: A Poetry Project with Xochitl
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Check out the video above where Workshop Coordinator Xochitl shares one of many poetry prompts you can try. If reading is better than video for your learning style, scroll down for some text from her video.
Hi! I’m Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, and I am a poet. All month long, poets and organizations are celebrating National Poetry Month with activities and readings, and some people even challenge themselves to write one poem a day for the whole month. That’s 30 poems in 30 days! Do you think you could do it? I’ve never been able to, but I’m trying this year. So far I’m 21 for 21, but check back at the end of the month to see how I do.
Here is one of the prompts I shared with artworxLA:
Start by making a short list of things you’re afraid of. These fears can be physical like snakes, planes, and ocean water, or they can be emotional like being alone, failing school, and getting sick.
Next choose one fear to invite into a conversation. Do this by sitting with a pen and paper in your lap. Take a moment to sit quietly listening to your breathing. When you’re ready, ask a question aloud and then listen for an answer. Be sure to write down whatever comes to your mind. Your poem can be the questions, the answers, or both.
If you find you can’t focus because of too many distractions, try the same process, but instead of speaking to a fear speak to your frustration.
This might feel a little strange, but maybe if I share where the prompt came from, it will help you give it a try.
In September 2017, I was awarded an artist residency in Gettysburg National Military Park, which meant, I got to live and write from this little white farmhouse for 3 weeks. Looks peaceful, doesn’t it?
The only problem is the house sits on land where a big three-day battle occurred during the Civil War in 1863. Thousands of men died in the battle from the north and south, and two Confederate soldiers even died in the basement of my little white farmhouse.
In other words, I was living and writing in a haunted house.
Every night I went to bed with the lights on and my tv blasting so I wouldn’t hear or see anything. During the day I was scared a ghost would push me down the stairs.
Then one day, I decided to go to the battlefield and ask the ghosts to talk to me. For a couple of days, I went out at sunset with a pen and paper, sat in the grass, and asked the ghosts all my questions. After that I stopped being afraid.
Here is the poem I wrote from those questions:
I guess I’m sharing this with you to show that, even though we are living in a scary time, there’s also an opportunity to listen and learn from what we fear. I hope you give it a try! Invite your fear into conversation and see what happens! —Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
