We're cooking peaches in our air fryer tonight.

If you haven't had cooked, fried, or grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top, you haven't lived. Try it before the end of summer, while peaches are still in season. You won't regret it.

`I get to know a new part of myself with every poem I write.`

#046 / 02.01.23

When a new poem, line, or prompt idea hits me and I begin to write, a glowing feeling of anticipation wells up inside of me. I get so excited because I know I'm about to be introduced to a new dimension of who I really am.

It's hard to explain, though.

I'm sure you've heard the theory that dreams are an expression of our unconscious thoughts and desires. But for me, dreams are so cryptic and fleeting. Poems on the other hand, while often cryptic to others, are like artifacts from my subconscious mind — fully realized and memorialized in a nice package that I can return to whenever I want.

That's so exciting to me.

Once a previously subconscious poetic expression surfaces, I get the chance to inspect it and add my conscious thoughts to make a full piece.

Here's an example:

The tension underlying this short poem is an age-old personal dilemma for me. Countless times throughout my adolescent and adult life, the essence of these words hovered right on the surface of my awareness, but never in a way I could articulate. Finally, one day the feeling crystalized into this poem.

Now, each time I'm haunted by the silly temptation to long for a more glamorous reality, this poem is there to help me process things and make it through the dissonance.

Before I let you go, a quick reflection: What's a feeling you feel often, but have never put into words before? Pause and answer this for yourself. If you feel like sharing you can reply to this email. (I'll give you my answer if you ask!)

Thank you for joining me.

See you next Tuesday,

Benny

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