A List to Listen By

I can’t think of a more powerful way to begin the 2022 Open Write than with poetry written by Stacey Joy and Kwame Alexander – two of my favorite poets to read! Stacey challenges us to write list poems to start the year. The link to her prompt is below. Beginning 2022 with a list poem reminds us that poetry can be free of rules and forms – it’s breath and thought and heart all blended in expression.

My one not so little word for 2022 is listen, so I made a starter kit of some ways I’ve discovered I can listen without using the word hear.

A Starter Kit of Ways to Listen 

1. Pray
2. Meditate
3. Observe 
4. Watch 
5. Read
6. Write 
7. Tune in 
8. Think 
9. Reason
10. Heed
11. Feel 
12. Look
13. Worship
14. Mind
15. Consider
16. Pause
17. Follow
18. Sense 
19. Play
20. Concentrate
21. Anticipate 
22. Dream 
23. Hug 
24. Reflect
25. Notice
26. Ponder
27. Plan
28. Embrace 
29. Teach
30. Learn
31. Change
32. Travel
33. Obey
34. Care
35. Empathize
36. Believe
37. Seek 
38. Attend
39. Consider
40. Accept 
41. Reach  
42. Wonder
43. Imagine
44. Reimagine

Today’s Open Write link:

For the Love of Lists