Join us on Tuesday, October 26 at 6pm PDT, via Zoom – no prerequisites, no homework!
Let’s go our old way
by the stream, and kick the leaves
as we always did, to make
the rhythm of breaking waves.
Frances Bellerby, FROM ALL SOULS’ DAY
As we turn inward with the season’s change to autumn, come and celebrate All Souls’ Day with us! Keeping the theme of remembrance in mind, we’ll settle into poetry that seeks to honor and commemorate the past – those places we have left behind, those people we have lost, those moments we have cherished. Traditionally celebrated in the Christian church on November 2, All Souls’ Day has a storied past tied to Celtic rituals associated with the harvest and connected to All Hallows’ Eve – the day we now know as Halloween. All Souls’ Day is a day of remembrance, a day of prayer and thanksgiving for the “Faithful Departed” who have passed on from this mortal life. In Mexico, the day is called “Día de los Muertos” (The Day of the Dead) and is celebrated with parades, costumes, and feasting. It is customary for families to visit the graves of their loved ones, bringing favorite foods and delicacies.
In honoring that tradition, we will read poems of remembrance: The Lost Land by Eaven Boland, It was the Animals by Natalie Diaz, Before by Ada Limon, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, and Talking to Grief by Denise Levertov . It will be a feast of sensory wonder and honor!
Time permitting, we may enjoy a bit of contemplative journaling to process our own remembrances.
Mindful Poetry meets the fourth Tuesday of each month
at 6pm PDT, via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 975 0515 6720 One tap mobile +12532158782,,97505156720# US (Tacoma)
Our Curator and Guide:
Poetry has been a life-long passion and solace for Rebecca Echert-Lennstrom. The beauty and playfulness of verse captured her heart early and became a well-spring of reflection and inspiration. For the last 25 years, she’s been sharing that love with high school students as an English teacher and creative writing instructor, steeped in words and imagery. She’s coached students in the National Poetry Out Loud Competition for ten years, paired with professional poets in the classroom to inspire student writing, and published high school creative writing magazines. This is her second year curating the Mindful Poetry Series as a ministry of the Episcopal Church.