Tree


Writing Prompts

Zen Bones

Boil your poems down to the essence.


from Writing by Heart by Meredith Heller | Posted 3/2/24 | Updated 3/24/24


CampingNature is my temple. I spend my summers camping and writing beside rivers and oceans, immersing myself in nature to remember to slow down, attune to earth's rhythms, and find the metaphors in nature that teach me how to be human.

For the past handful of summers, I've camped beside my favorite river in Northern California. Last year I fell so deeply in love, I married the river. There is something alchemical that happens for me when I live outside, woven into the elements. It puts me in a Zen state, peels me down to the essence, helps me remember who I am and what matters.

Come along with me now and commune with nature. Touch the essence of who you are, bone-deep. Together we'll discover the metaphors in nature that help weave us back into the great web of life.

Why Zen bones? My workshops are geared toward generative writing rather than deep-dive editing, but my students asked for practice editing. So to bone up on our editing skills, I added another layer of metaphor by making this section a practice in boiling not only ourselves but also our poems down to the essence, down to the shining bones.

For this writing journey, give yourself time and space after each piece you write to practice editing down to the bones, what my students refer to as "Zen-boning" a piece.

Please be kind with yourself when cutting away extra flesh and connective tissue. Keep all your drafts. Try a few versions. Remember, this is not a poem perfect, it's a poem practice.


Zen-Boning Guidelines

  • What is the essence, the bones, of this piece?
  • Which lines are the keepers — the most vivid, rich, juicy, fresh, chewy, singing, shining, raw, potent, poignant, evocative, moving, emotional, original, wow lines?
  • Which lines can you boil out so all that remains are the shining bones?

Trees


RootsThink roots, trunk, branches, leaves, blooms, fruit, seeds. The living cycle of a tree is extraordinary. Contained within the seed is the whole tree. Through their xylem and phloem, trees pull nutrients up from the soil to feed their highest leaves and branches.

Through photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. We should all be students of trees, sitting at the base of their trunks and communing with them until we remember how to live in harmonious reciprocity with each other and the earth.

What can we learn about ourselves from trees? I asked a little boy I once met at the river what he wants to be when he grows up, and he said, "A tree." Me too.


Body/Mindfulness: Go outside if possible; otherwise, look out your window. Find a tree that calls to you. Maybe it's tall or gnarled, weeping or fruiting. You'll know your tree when you see it. Go sit at its feet, its base, its roots. Close your eyes and breathe yourself in tune with this tree. Feel its life force.

Use your senses to discover the beauty and wisdom of this tree-being. What do you experience in its presence? What does it teach you about how to live in deeper harmony with your self and the world?


WRITE NOW! Write about how it feels to commune with your tree. Describe this tree. What does it look like, where does it live, what season of growth is it currently in? What moves you about this tree? Why did this tree call to you? Can you relate to this tree? What do you learn about yourself and life from this tree?


Next: Sanctuary


Copyright ©2024 Meredith Heller. All rights reserved.


Meredith HellerMeredith Heller is a poet, singer-songwriter, avid nature lover, and educator who leads writing workshops and wellness retreats. ....

Writing by Heart

From the book Writing by Heart copyright ©2024 Meredith Heller. Reprinted with permission from NewWorldLibrary.com.