In the thick of editing -

but I do have a poem for you...

Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower

Written by Rainer Maria Rilke

Translated and read by Joanna Macy

Listen

Quiet friend who has come so far,

feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,

what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.

In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.

And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.

Sonnets to Orpheus II, 29

Love, Amy

p.s. I heard my friend and author

Melissa Sarno

read this stunning poem when she had a writing session a couple of weeks ago over zoom. After she read the poem, we silently wrote or knitted or painted (or whatever!) for an hour. I’m shockingly productive with this kind of meeting. Are you interested in a writing sprint with me over zoom? Let me know!

p.p.s. Did you know doing anything creative lowers anxiety and puts you in a more peaceful, meditative state? I think I’m finally understanding the phrase “making art is a form a resistance.”

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Baby Bump Painting of the Week: the banana

I did something new! I used acrylic paint - why was I so scared? It was so fun. I love the texture it can create. I probably overdid it with the yellow all over the place. Will keep practicing.

Painting these baby bump “fruits” week by week is helping me pay attention to the miracle of life, and remember - Attention is the beginning of devotion…

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The Last Part:

School visits: I’ll be in Peterborough, New Hampshire this week. I would love to come to your class, library, or book group! We can talk books, brain and heart anatomy, resilience, family relationships, reading and writing…be in touch!

Reading: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and Presumed Guilty

Editing: One last scene of my boarding school mystery…it’s almost time to hand back to my literary agent who will pitch to editors. We’ve got one shot at this, kids!

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖

Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽

The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!