Feathers ruffled, all shades of black,
dark eye shining directly into mine.
Paws rooted, nose quivering
to catch subtle delicacies in the wind.
Being still, waiting for one of us to move
we are part human, part crow, part dog.
I haven't been writing small stones very regularly and I miss it! I'm not sure why it seems so difficult to write down a few words describing a carefully observed, fully felt moment in my day. They're the antithesis to the rushing, roller-coasting, list-driven, worrying-about-things ways in which I tend to spend too much of my time. This is why they can be such a helpful way to *pause* and slow down, just for a moment, and imprint that moment more indelibly in my memory. Even if they are born right out of the heart of the rush or the list or the worry!
So I'll be joining the Mindful Writing Day on November 1st and maybe that'll begin gearing me up for the annual January month-long Small Stones challenge!
Join the event on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/writingourwayhome#!/events/374292422646744/
All of the following is copied from the 'Writing Our way Home' blog: http://www.writingourwayhome.com/p/mindful-writing-day-on-1st-of-november.html?spref=fb
Mindful Writing Day on the 1st of November. Join us?
How? Pay proper attention to one thing and write it down.
Why? Because writing small stones will stitch you to the world, one word at a time. They will point you towards the deep pink frilly roses in next door's front garden, and the swooshing sound of trains in the distance. They will help you to fall hopelessly in love with the world.
You don't have to have any experience of writing to write small stones. You just have to find three minutes, open your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, fingers and mind, and then write down what you notice. You can read examples of small stones at our blogzine, a handful of stones.
People all over the world will be joining us on the 1st of November and posting their small stones on their blogs or Facebook or Twitter (using #smallstone) or G+, or emailing them to their friends, or writing them in their journals. If they live by the sea, they might draw them in the sand with a big stick.
Get your friends to join you by inviting them to our Facebook event or pointing them towards this page. You could make a little local anthology if you get enough of you together...
We'll be publishing all your small stones here on our blog (if you want us too), and we'll be giving away five paperback copies of A Blackbird Sings, our second small stone anthology, to our favourite five (wherever in the world the authors live). We'll also be making A Blackbird sings free on Kindle on the day as a special gift to you all.
Our Mindful Writing Day will also give you a chance to decide if you'd like to join our third annual January Challenge, where people all over the world write a small stone every day during January.
Oh, good post! I must follow your example. :)
ReplyDeleteDid you know that apparently crows have funerals?
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, I think I have heard of it but don't know anything about it. Do you know what they do? Must google!
DeleteI read it quoted in an article recently about how animals have a concept of death and mourn, to do with animals having the right to live same as humans. But the article it was quoting which I think was a more in-depth study was unavailable to read without subscription.
DeleteBut what I got from it was when a crow finds a dead crow, it lets out a cry that attracts other crows and then they all land and surround the dead crow in silence, sometimes bringing twigs or grass to lay near or on the body. I think that's fascinating. I like crows - it's a shame they are such a symbol of evil for some reason.