Cocooning

After writing my latest poem, Midlife Miracle, I was flushed with excitement


The poem, for me, expresses recent soul-stirrings not easily articulated in simple straight-forward conversation. But I knew it was provocative, so I figured I better have my friend Sally "preview" it. Just as I was typing the final line into my blog, surprisingly, Sally called. When I told her I'd written another poem, she immediately pulled it up on the computer and started reading while we were still on the phone together.

"What?" she half screamed? "You're having sex with Jesus?"

I couldn't stop laughing. "It's a metaphor, Sal, a metaphor! I'm not really having sex with Jesus!"

She proceeded to tease. "I'm removing the link from my blog to yours. I'll never get another speaking gig again. Neither will you!"

"Good!" I said. "I don't want another speaking gig!" But something in me pulled back with embarrassment. I relented, "Well, I guess I need to tone this down somehow." Later in the conversation, I asked Sally to re-read my poem when she had time and send edits. She's a wonderful writer, poet, editor, and friend. I trust her feedback implicitly.

But before I heard back from her, I started tinkering. For the rest of the evening, the poem sat nestled in my heart as I pulled lines, changed words, and eventually got the text to a point where gone was the "zing."

I shared the changes with my husband, Rich, and he could hear the catch in my voice. "You're sad that you changed it, aren't you?"

"Oh well. . . I admitted. I don't want the whole world thinking the worst." (I know only a handful of you follow my blog--those who know and love me, thanks for that--but, somehow I could imagine THIS poem being read worldwide, with a giant megaphone!)

So, changes to the poem squared away (pun intended-ha!), this morning I received Sally's edits via email. My heart swelled with thankfulness for such a wise, midlife-sharing friend and her comments:


Cher!

I'm sad you changed your poem . . . removed 'sexy carpenter hands' and 'arching back' . . .

Before reading the edits I awoke with images from Song of Songs thinking how apropos that in middle age - when a woman is supposedly at her sexual peak - you are being 'touched' in new and wondrous ways by the Divine Lover of the Soul. I felt compelled to study S of S again (because of your poem) and search for ways the sexual metaphor would invigorate/refresh my own faith and life.

I hope my playful comments about the original poem didn't hurt your feelings. I hope my joking around didn't come off as nudgings to water down your words. Instead, my strong reaction was because the poem rocked me! Its impact was true and organic and real: sensate in the best of ways. It made me think and process and revealed new truth to me the way any good poem does! I encourage you to return to the more powerful language of the first draft.

I love your thoughts and poems; and feel blessed to share this Middle Life renewal with you, Cheri. Thanks be to God for your poetic processing, your midlife metaphors, your virescent (even virile ;) ) verse! May it continue to be bold and full bodied like good wine . . . like YOU!

Love,

Sal