Daily Nourishment for September 4, 2024: The Nutrients in Failure with Guidance from Susan Cunningham
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Failure: the renewable resource.” - Kay Ryan
Pause.
Read “Failure 2” by Kay Ryan:
There could be nutrients
in failure––
deep amendments
to the shallow
soil of wishes.
Think of the
dark and bitter flavors of black ales
and peasant loaves.
Think of licorices.
Think about
the tales of how
Indians put fishes
under corn plants.
Next time hope
relinquishes a form,
think about that
Prompt.
Read the poem aloud three times.
What sensory image catches your attention?
“Think” is used four times. What is this poem inviting you to think about?
What is your relationship with failure and/or hope?
Practice.
What do you notice about your thoughts, feelings or bodily sensations as you consider this poem or failure and hope?
Write for seven minutes about anything unexpected or surprising to you.
Want More?
Read this interview from The Paris Review.
*
Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The September Co-Writing calendar is live.
—Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th.
You can register here. All registered participants will have access to recordings.
—The Great Belonging Project is live here and The Great Belonging Project October Refresh will take place Oct 1-Oct 31. The Great Belonging Project October Refresh is open for registration with Early Bird pricing of $10.
This week’s Throwback Daily Nourishment offerings were originally provided by Susan Cunningham in 2023 before theywere shared on the website. All five of Susan’s offerings honor the poet Kay Ryan, the United States Poet Laureate from 2008-2010. Ryan has published seven volumes of poetry plus The Best of It, New and Selected Poems which won the Pulitzer Prize.
Susan Haroutunian Cunningham is a poet, therapist, soul coach and spiritual director. She specializes in counseling and training survivors of trauma and abuse to bring healing in personal stories of harm.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.