During my first trip to the desert, I hoped to write.

But the desert had other plans.

That heat. The landscape. The whole place unnerved and paralyzed me. Weeks later words finally came. I wrote a blog post about how I felt in that vast, sprawling geography and how I turned to a sketchpad to draw fences instead.

I wrote,

…if you’ve been to the desert, you know that the sun blazes and breezes are few and far between… I don’t think I ever felt so dried up, word-wise, especially in such a beautiful place. Especially with the gift of time. I simply couldn’t access them. The desert staked its claim. So I painted and sketched instead.”

Those sensations stayed with me for a long while. Years later I returned to the page to explore them. I remembered a moment in which I thought that the big open sky with so little distraction made a perfect place for revelation. The words desert dysphoria came to mind.

That’s when I wrote the following prose poem:

Desert Dysphoria

It was my first time in the New Mexico desert

and I was hoping for inspiration to write,

but had never felt so small or dried up.

That heat.

That dusty, arid landscape.

Muted grays.

I couldn’t think in words.

Only my body spoke, desperate for the relief of shade, eyes searching the horizon for an exit, panic rising.

And then a thought drifted in, steadying me, comforting me:

No wonder the desert was chosen

over the pyramids, mountains and

ocean for revelation.

The place where we first caught a glimpse of the divine.

Where we could see ourselves,

beyond our selves.*

Three themes emerged from that original blog: the heat, dried up and not being able to think in words. They beckoned, asking for reflection, urging me articulate them in a different way. To find new meaning. For self discovery. Poetry.

This is the beauty of revisiting work that lingers for you. You might find poetry in your prose.

Join me online on June 16 at Lighthouse Lit Fest for Literary Lightning: Finding the Poetry in Your Prose. We’ll dive into pieces you have written and tucked away in which there might be more to say or find.

*Published June 2023 on the Ritualwell site

In Other News

Seven Springs - the little book that made a huge impact on my life as well as so many others - just celebrated its fifth book birthday! If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, find it in paperback, Kindle or audiobook format here.

I’ve just completed my third writing guide, Writing Your Marker Story, available for $10 in PDF format here. Now you have DIY options for inspiration, craft and guidance for The Dig.

The Poetry in Your Prose

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