Friday, January 22, 2010

Dark Poetry, Painting and Dance

I'm reading a great book called Poetic Medicine by John Fox. I began writing a dark poem about some past trauma and much to my surprise it was very powerful. I discovered that my current nervousness when driving home from work at night is connected with the fact that my subconscious mind still thinks my step father is at home; and he was a scary person. This was a profound connection to me. I decided to paint the Dark Mother Kali in connection with the poem. Kali is a Hindu Goddess who kills demons, the ones in our minds of course. I painted Kali stepping on Shiva as she does to connect us with God, except I imaged her stepping on my dead stepfather rather than Shiva. I also make a stepping gesture with my foot to remind my subconscious that my stepfather is really dead. This is a simplified version of a profound experience, but I was thrilled at how powerful it was to combine poetry, art and dance and all in the "dark." If you'd liket to write a dark poem about a heavy subject from you past or present, write me about your experience.
Munira