If this Poetic Interlude feels like a message or mirror, share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
The Rest of Us is doing something different for Season Two. Every other week, we will feature over 30 poets in a segment we call “Poetic Interlude,” launching during National Poetry Month. In this Poetic Interlude, Susan L. Leary shares her poem “Idle.”
Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. 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 Susan L. Leary and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest. (originally published by Postcard and also appears in More Flowers by Trio House Press, Feb. 2026)
Poem: “Idle”
Despite madness, beauty. Despite common sense, an idyllic
garden, which in time, makes us ignorant once more. We enter
the shine of the path before we enter the path & I’ve seen
too many people cry.
Here is a shade of opal. Here, the warmth
of a body just struck at the side of the road. It feels
necessary to justify my behaviors, yet I want nothing more
than privacy.
Snow demanded an alibi. The rumors as apologetic
as the knife. Sometimes, all the dog can do is lie down
at the door to sleep.
Because the title speaks as the title does
& dreams are the first real classroom, says I
who rarely dreams.
Reflection
“Idle” captures the tension between commotion and quiet, exposure and privacy, the need to justify oneself and the desire to rest, or “idle” into the heart and mind’s interior. Here, the speaker seeks respite–slumber, an idyllic garden, the wisdom of dreams–even as the world demands explanations, alibis, performance.
How do you reconcile this tension between external demands and what your mind and body actually require? How do you “idle” amidst the chaos?
About the Poet
Susan L. Leary is the author of six poetry collections, including SENTENCE (Nine Syllables Press, fall 2026), selected by Eugenia Leigh to win the Nine Syllables Press Chapbook Contest; More Flowers (Trio House Press, 2026); and Dressing the Bear (Trio House Press, 2024), selected by Kimberly Blaeser to win the Louise Bogan Award. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in such places as North American Review, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, Smartish Pace, Diode Poetry Journal, Third Coast, and Verse Daily. She holds an MFA from the University of Miami and lives in Indianapolis, IN.
WEBSITE: www.susanlleary.com
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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.