'write into the unknown,' . . . the poet Hermine Meinhard (Bright Turquoise Umbrella
, Tupelo Press, 2004) suggested to us last week . . . 'this is a space in which to experiment . . . begin to hear more deeply, learn to write into places that are new and unfamiliar . . . let yourself go without knowing where you are going . . .'space . . . unknown, unfamiliar . . . often uncomfortable . . . because we don't know where we are going . . . it can be scary to let go into space . . . and for that, many of us never allow it to exist . . . filling our time to the brim, running from one must-do to another, exhausting ourselves in the effort . . .
my daughter lulu's soccer team comes to mind. they had to learn to take advantage of space . . .spread out, use the entire field, embrace the space . . . in order to play as a team . . . it took time, several seasons, in fact. yet once they ceased converging on the ball and began allowing there to be space between players, they realized a new level of ability. It was exhilarating to witness, perhaps because it required trust . . . each player trusting her teammates as well as herself . . . discovering, once in the midst of it, space was not a deep abyss but, in fact, an empowering ally
now when lulu dribbles, she creates space where there appears to be none. exploiting the slightest of cracks between defenders, she dares to push through; she finds opportunity . . .
oscar, lulu's little brother, plays into the tiniest of breaks between defensive players on the basketball court. he trusts there is space there . . . as he dares to go in, he finds more and more . . .
space . . . it begins as potential. . . and can be transformed through courage and determination into so much more . . .
there are so many dimensions in which to consider space . . .
xo
cocoa
