Are you a lake or a river?
On April 13, 2024, the Writer’s enrichment in celebration of National Poetry Month revolved around imagery. Vice President Sharon Krasny introduced us to the concept – Are you a lake or a river? With notepads in hand, we took the first step: seeking the words that defined each one.
A lake.
Peaceful, calm.
Has a sense of location, a permanence.
Reflects sun and moon.
If it remains too still, can become stagnant, choked with algae.
A storm can send waves high and choppy and dangerous, but it always returns to its shores.
Dark, deep, from its warm welcoming surface to its colder, deadly depths.
A river.
Tumbling, searching, always in motion.
Glancing at the landscape as it passes, hurrying to a new place.
Creates brief stillness near the shore.
It stays clear and clean as it's cut by rocks.
Narrow, held in by its banks, controlled.
Carrying good things to me.
Later, we took on the personification of lake or river, writing of watery selves. Some wrote of the lake’s welcome of birds and other wildlife, of the rush of energy as a person dives in. Some of the darkness at the heart of the lake, so cold and mysterious compared to the warm, sparkling surface. Others imagined rushing along with the river, tasting the soil on the riverbanks, always looking ahead.
After sharing single lines or images from our writing, Sharon posted the words and we took them all in, gathering the images and thoughts of each of the writers to finally put together a poem.
It was a perfect metaphor for the writer’s life. How we gather insight and inspiration from the world around us, from nature, and, most especially, from each other. Whatever the outcome – poetry, prose, a single line, or a shared thought – we were connected, sharing this strange thing called writing, giving and receiving feedback and warmth as we encouraged one another.
Thank you to all who joined us and to Sharon for her inspiration! We hope you’ll join us next time!
