Mary Newell is one of the many-faceted colleagues I have enjoyed getting to know and working with over our long engagement as somatic explorers and educators. As well as being a teacher of the Feldenkrais Method of neurophysical education, Mary is also a published poet, an editor, and a teacher of creative writing at the University of Connecticut - Stamford.
To celebrate National Poetry Month. I asked her permission to publish a poem from her recent chapbook, Re-SURGE (2021). Focusing on embodiment and the environment, this ensemble of poems opens with a reimagined version of the mermaid’s tale. The sections unfold as a healing narrative between two characters, addressing the awkwardness of living in the body, ecological and personal loss, finding your voice, and recovering from trauma.
Mary was kind enough to allow me to reprint As If the Earth Could Feel You. If you’re wondering why I selected this poem, consider how it speaks to living in the field of gravity and the body experienced from within.
Credit where credit is due:
- The image is the cover of Re-SURGE.
- Mary's book is available from Trainwreck Press, a small Canadian press that spotlights innovative writing.
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Responses:
mary-newell -April 07, 2022
Hi, Bonnie!
Larry Goldfarb -April 07, 2022
I'm happy to "spread the word" and glad you loved Mary's poem!
Larry Goldfarb -April 07, 2022
So glad you enjoyed the poem!
Larry Goldfarb -April 07, 2022
You're most welcome, Carolyn Sue!
Moira Bayne -April 06, 2022
Nice! Thanks for sharing this!
csamvon Albin -April 08, 2022
Thank you, To you Both!
bonnie-kissam -April 07, 2022
Thanks Larry and Mary --- Love it!
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