honey and sting

Yesterday, I finished assisting at the first week of a 2-week hypnosis seminar, and gave my all-day poetry workshop today. We wrote lots and lots of poems! There were many exercises, waking the creative (and editorial) spirits. I am exhausted and very pleased. Tomorrow, the second week of hypnosis training starts. Deeper, deeper.... sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Heh heh. Not really, but I'm tired enough now to be thinking that way. It was great, though. And very international (Canadians, a Belgian, an Italian, an Englishman, some Austrians and Germans, someone from Taiwan, and assorted Americanos). We heard poems in a variety of languages, some written in the class, some read from books, which was a highly effective way to tune in to the sounds of the words. Who knew Rilke wrote rhyming poems? And that Chinese sounded that delicate? Poetry is a universal language -- even if you don't understand the words. The rhythms and sounds are like what an infant hears, perhaps, listening to her mother before she's learned to speak. It was a lovely day.