The Evolution of Art Creation - June 2018
Jen Altman's poem
Jaw-dropping
“Relax your jaw”
Three short words
Four soft syllables
“Relax your jaw”
As I move
The tension I’ve carried in my jaw all week
Releases
My movement
Deepens
Widens
I expand
The ground softens
Accepts me
No effort needed
Back home, I watch myself in daily life,
Jaw tensing all the time.
Not just in anger, irritation or frustration,
But when I think, concentrate, make decisions,
Walk, talk, write, drive – oh, yes,
If I’m short of time (or think I am);
And that damned computer can have me
Tied in knots for hours.
A hundred times a day
I find my lips pursed, a grimace,
A frown or scowl on my face,
Tongue hard, teeth clenched:
So many muscles to tense,
A life-times’ organisation of willpower
For getting things done.
“Relax your jaw”
My new mantra
Organism unfolds
I sense the impulse
Of my breath
Life slows
Posture frees
Movement softens
Colours brighten
Work flows
“Relax your jaw”
I’ve heard it so often
But the words have never
Connected
So deep in my being.
Thank you, Prapto
For those three quiet words.
Jen Altman, July 2018
“Relax your jaw”
Three short words
Four soft syllables
“Relax your jaw”
As I move
The tension I’ve carried in my jaw all week
Releases
My movement
Deepens
Widens
I expand
The ground softens
Accepts me
No effort needed
Back home, I watch myself in daily life,
Jaw tensing all the time.
Not just in anger, irritation or frustration,
But when I think, concentrate, make decisions,
Walk, talk, write, drive – oh, yes,
If I’m short of time (or think I am);
And that damned computer can have me
Tied in knots for hours.
A hundred times a day
I find my lips pursed, a grimace,
A frown or scowl on my face,
Tongue hard, teeth clenched:
So many muscles to tense,
A life-times’ organisation of willpower
For getting things done.
“Relax your jaw”
My new mantra
Organism unfolds
I sense the impulse
Of my breath
Life slows
Posture frees
Movement softens
Colours brighten
Work flows
“Relax your jaw”
I’ve heard it so often
But the words have never
Connected
So deep in my being.
Thank you, Prapto
For those three quiet words.
Jen Altman, July 2018