Say over and over the names of things, the clean nouns: weeping birch, bloodstone, tanager, Banshee damask rose. Read field guides, atlases, gravestones. At the store, bless each apple by kind: McIntosh, Winesap, Delicious, Jonathan. Enunciate the vegetables and herbs: okra, calendula. Go deeper into the terms of some small landscape: spiders, for example. Then, after a speech on compromising the environment for technology, recite the tough, silky structure of webs: tropical stick, ladder web, mesh web, filmy dome, funnel, trap door. When you have compared the candidates’ slippery platforms, chant the spiders: comb footed, round headed, garden cross, feather legged, ogre faced, black widow. Remember that most short verbs are ethical: hatch, grow, spin, trap, eat. Dig deep, pronounce clearly, pull the words in over your head. Hole up for the duration.
Poem recommended by:
Sarah Sadie Busse
Madison Poet Laureate (2012-2015)
Why I chose this poem:
This poem crossed my screen in the early days of COVID-19, as we were all removing into our homes. I found it spoke to me directly and I've kept it close. It helps me keep the noise at bay.
In addition to being a poet and Qoya dance teacher, Sarah Sadie is the founder of Studio Sadie. You can learn more about her and her work at https://studiosadie.world
