{"id":2381,"date":"2021-08-23T22:34:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T22:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lyricality.org\/?p=2381"},"modified":"2021-08-24T17:24:05","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T17:24:05","slug":"how-to-read-now-we-will-speak-in-flowers-by-micki-blenkush-as-a-way-to-cultivate-empathy-with-a-mini-review-of-the-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lyricality.org\/2021\/08\/23\/how-to-read-now-we-will-speak-in-flowers-by-micki-blenkush-as-a-way-to-cultivate-empathy-with-a-mini-review-of-the-book\/","title":{"rendered":"How to read Now We Will Speak In Flowers by Micki Blenkush as a way to cultivate empathy, with a mini review of the book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, I will share a short review of central Minnesota writer Micki Blenkush\u2019s first collection of poems, Now We Will Speak in Flowers, <\/em>and then show you how you can read this book as a way to cultivate empathy. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to know anything about poetry to use this method for cultivating the art of empathy by reading poems. All you need is a willingness to be curious, which is the first step toward developing a stronger sense of empathy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now We Will Speak In Flowers by Micki Blenkush: a mini-review<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Micki Blenkush\u2019s first collection, Now We Will Speak in Flowers, <\/em>takes me to the heart\u2019s burial ground, that place where I\u2019ve covered over all that has been lost, discarded, or taken from the familial relationships that ought to, but don\u2019t, assuage my deep, human need for connection. And as in real cemeteries, everything I\u2019ve buried is surrounded by silence. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This collection grapples with the tensions between actual and idealized versions of reality. What keeps me from running away from these tensions are the persistent sparks of hope I encounter. In these poems I discover that even when life doesn\u2019t fit our idealized versions of it, even when we experience the pain of disconnection, there is<\/em> love.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This poet does not candy-coat or sentimentalize the nature of human experience. Instead, she boldly explores human vulnerability in themes of connection\/disconnection, and how extreme disconnection may lead to extremely altered states of perception.\u00a0 And it is exactly this sense of actuality that fosters the art of empathy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading this book gives me the feeling that the narrator and the characters created by the poet, the \u201cpeople\u201d I encounter in this book, are real. This poet (who is also a professional social worker) is showing us how people in real life actually think, feel, and behave. This works to challenge our assumptions about what people \u201cought to\u201d think, feel, and do, and that challenge works to develop our empathy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire collection works as a witness. But this is not the witness of accusation but instead, an enlightening testimony of what was and what is. The speaker of these poems, in a singular, compassionate voice, strives for the space and the process to achieve the goal of being a true<\/em> witness. That makes the achievement of this collection valuable. These poems are an accurate, representation of the narrator\u2019s experience, rendered with astonishing clarity, precision, and insightful grace.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to read Now We Will Speak in Flowers <\/em>by Micki Blenkush as a way to cultivate empathy<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a recent article about what empathy is, <\/a>some general ways people cultivate it, and why literary writing fosters the art of empathy, I shared 5 practices of highly empathetic people which we will bring to our reading of Now We Will Speak in Flowers: <\/em>curiosity; deep listening; vulnerability; seeing through the different eyes; and challenging our preconceptions and prejudices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Read with curiosity<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Business Review tells us that developing our curiosity has the benefit<\/a> of making us into creative problem solvers in the face of tough situations. Curiosity helps us survive a constantly changing environment, makes us happier, and boosts achievement, as well as expanding our empathy, which strengthens our relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poetry is not news. It is also not a diary of someone\u2019s self-expression. Poetry is art made of heightened language. We don\u2019t poetry read it to \u201cget\u201d it. We read to experience it, to be touched by it, trusting that the artist-poet knows what she is doing in creating an interactive experience for us, her readers. So be curious. Ask questions. What\u2019s going on here? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first page after the table of contents is mostly white space, with a 6-word quote by Theodore Roethke. You might ask who that is, so here\u2019s a link to more information about Theodore Roethke than you probably want to know<\/a>. It\u2019s probably enough to know that he\u2019s an early twentieth-century American poet who wrote the words, \u201cMay my silences become more accurate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did the poet open her book with those words? Good question. Carry it with you as you continue to read. Turn the page; notice the title again. Now We Will Speak in Flowers. <\/em>How can people speak in Flowers? Is Flowers<\/em> a language like Korean or Somali? Add those to your question kit and carry them along on your journey through this book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See yourself as an explorer. You\u2019re walking through strange terrain, trying to acquaint yourself with the landscape, its elements, and microclimates. Turn the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You find one poem clustered into five groups three short lines; Painted Cave. <\/em>Scan the poem with your eyes. Look at the last word of each line. This is a technique practiced readers of poetry use to look for patterns\u2014the way you\u2019d scan a convention hall or a landscape to get a sense of what\u2019s happening before going in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice the title, Painted Cave, <\/em>and the words\u2014crawling, memory, shapes, calligraphy, light, move, lived, maps, know, pattern, then, skin, sketches, beasts, know. <\/em>How interesting \u2014 we\u2019re looking for patterns and then we see the word pattern. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that I think I know<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

can be traced to pattern. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did she say \u201cAll that I think I know\u201d instead of \u201cAll that I know\u201d? Why is there a space between those lines\u2014a blank or silence in the middle of the sentence? What does this poem have to do with silences? What are<\/em> accurate silences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add those questions, too, to your question kit as you move on, because that\u2019s what curious people do. They want to see what\u2019s beyond the next turn in the road, over the next hill so they keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice the section Title: Milky Blood Evidence. <\/em>Pick it up and add this to your collection of specimens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep turning the pages to explore this book. After you\u2019ve given yourself an overview, revisit some of the poems and read to listen deeply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Read to Listen Deeply<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A good poem (or poetry collection) is like a good relationship\u2014we\u2019re not in a hurry to finish it because it makes us feel more alive. And there\u2019s also more to discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To listen deeply to a poem is to allow it to be incomplete. We understand that we can\u2019t ever know everything about a person. We have to give people time to reveal their histories and inner workings, and our relationship will change over time. The sense of incompleteness keeps us curious about people, which keeps us interested in the relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poetry is a relationship. To discover its depth and enjoy its nuances, we have to get involved with a poem. To coax poems to give more of themselves to us, we must have faith in them, we must give them our attention, and we must listen deeply to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This practice is based on an ancient method of sacred reading, a way of relating to words that transform us into people who know how to listen with the ear of the heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading as a practice in Deep Listening<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n