We are continuing our exploration of poetry and mindfulness-awareness by balancing serendipity with planning. Here are themes we’re exploring in the coming months.

Poetry Pocket evenings are on the 4th Tuesday of every month

january: “mindfulness and renewal” – fresh starts, regrets, aspirations, old habits, time, social justice

february: “compassion” – love in all its forms: romantic, familial, self-love, transcendent, unsent love letters, dead ends

march: “keeping the imp in impermanence” – transformation, changes of nature that ripple through the personal, losar/shambhala day, water element

april: “right speech” – rejuvenation, cleansing, the beauty of imperfection, lost words, things to unhear, trungpa, lineage

may: “buddha birth” – spring and abundance, growing and thriving, fertilizing, planting, compost, heroes, war, earth element

june: “equanimity – more than cheap laughs” – witty, humorous poetry – chortle-worthy

july: “metta and fireworks of the soul” – what makes you say – ah! and wow!???, interdependence, hot dogs and freedom, air element

august: “retreat and meditation” – heat, resilience, mother earth, fire element, barbeques, soda, pretzels and beer!

september: “prajna and whispers of change” – autumn 1: transitions, letting go, leaves and leaving, work, equinox, the heavens

october: “non-attachment: shadows and secrets” – autumn 2,  light and darkness, harvest, the masks we wear, skeletons, bardo vs. bar dough, daddy death

november: “gratitude and generosity” – reflection, bodhisattva ambition, stuffing and gravy recipes, pies ‘r us, ether/empty-space element

december: “peace and stillness” –  cold and the warmth we seek in others or within ourselves, endings, darkness, holidays and hollandaise, solstice, joy without the oy

Our roots go way back:

Photos from the Chögyam Trungpa library at Naropa University.