"No Instructions" was inspired by the Denise Levertov quote I began with, words that not only spoke to me of how we're born into this life but what we often encounter when lost at sea in any big life shift, challenge, loss, or heartbreak. I was also responding to the news of October 7, 2023 about the terrorist attack in Israel and what we all knew would be a subsequent war. I often have to remind myself that, to paraphrase Buddhist nun Pema Chodron, humans are wired to want solid ground under our feet, but the world is the opposite. So often it feels like there's no clarity on which way to go, what to do, how to think or even begin to understand something unfolding, but there's also the life force all around us.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D. is the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate, author of 16 books (including poetry, a bioregional memoir, novel, and Holocaust book), and coordinator of Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College. A beloved writing workshop facilitator, she is certified in poetry therapy, yoga and Curvy Yoga, group facilitation, and grassroots organizing.

W: CarynMirriamGoldberg.com
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