If this Poetic Interlude feels like a message or mirror, share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
Who are you and the people you come from? In this Poetic Interlude, Elizabeth Spenst reads her poem “I Am.”
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Elizabeth Spenst and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.
Poem: “I Am”
I don’t know a thing. Or only know half-things. And think
that’s the thing in its fullness. Whoops.
No, I’m too old to hide my hands. My friend
says she’s good at parallel parking. I say
I’m good at pacing. Back and forth back and forth
mostly ovals, big gorgeous loops when I’m lucky.
I’m looking for a way to be in the world. All paths
lead to another question.
This is not a woe-is-me poem.
But what if it was? Look – I am:
An anxious person from anxious people
A sometimes careful person from careful people
A proud person from humble people
A reckless person from big jump people
A joker from joking people
A doubter from sanctified people
A retracing mistakes from don’t mention them people
A mother’s worst nightmare
A grandmother’s secret heart
A possibility of living – within, outside, directly
Reflections
The refrain “a blank person from blank people” is from Lucille Clifton’s “my poem” where she writes, “I am a love person from love people.” Fill in the blanks for yourself five times – who are you and who are the people you come from? How do these categorizations relate to your reality?
About the Poet
Elizabeth Spenst is a poet with work appearing in Rattle, On the Seawall, The Ekphrastic Review, and elsewhere. A child of Trinidadian and Mennonite Diasporas, she’s currently at home in Brooklyn, NY.
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Meet the Host:
Dana Tenille Weekes
Dana Tenille Weekes made the conscious decision to live in a mindset of rest as self-liberation after nearly 15 years as a lawyer-lobbyist in Washington, DC. In 2020, Dana faced the darkest period of her life, which eventually led her to resign from a top global law firm and take a year-long journey of rest in 2022.
In 2023, Dana launched Thrive Architects, a strategic advising and professional development firm building advocacy, organizational health, and well-being platforms for organizations, communities, and people to thrive.
The Rest of Us podcast is one way Dana is building community for professionals and advocates on the brink of burnout to think about rest differently. If you’re interested in embracing rest as liberation, especially after the podcast episode ends, join our community where we converse, connect, cultivate, and lean into our creativity.