If this Poetic Interlude feels like a message or mirror, share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently.
What do you want to do with your life that has been given breath?
In this Poetic Interlude, Mary McAfoose reads her poem “Just because you can.”
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 Mary McAfoose and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.
Poem: “Just because you can”
My step-dad says just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
and my therapist says to look out for shoulds, so should I really be
messing with anything resembling my wants, my needs / I mean,
I can do a lot (or so I’ve been told) but not a lot of what I can
makes money, so I should choose wisely / because how can I have
what they say I should have / without money / a career, a family, food,
healthcare, a house, flowers in my yard, the benefit of the doubt /
when I went to summer camp, they didn’t ask me what I wanted
to be, they said listen to the trees / but what do trees know
about money / except everything, except how they sacrifice themselves
without being asked / for dollar bills / so I can go on living / today
and most Mondays I go to the land because I can / because I can help
a group of people take care of an area of land they listen to / I am never asked
what I do, I am welcomed / if I can and should, why shouldn’t I? / I’d like to think
this all means something, that if I can think long enough, try hard enough, I should
make a difference, it should be worth it / I might be worth it / but really
what I can choose is who to listen to / I’m done with the shoulding, imposing,
posturing / I listen to the whispered, muted, soft / I bury myself in the trees /
I can hear my own faint heartbeat among them / and what will I do
with that breath?
Reflections
This poem invites the reader to examine what they’ve been told — either explicitly or through pressure by societal norms — and question: is this something you no longer agree with, or that doesn’t serve who you want to be?
What are you DONE with — a phrase or expectation that you want to shed — so that you can live life to YOUR fullest?
The poem ends with: and what will I do / with that breath? What do you want to do with your life that has been given breath?
About the Poet
Mary McAfoose (she/her) is a poet based in Seattle, on land of the Duwamish. She is obsessed with making poetry relatable and accessible and seeks to further connect people with each other (and themselves) through writing. She is a member of Common Area Maintenance (CAM)’s writing leadership team, dedicated to cultivating a creative community in Seattle. Her poems have been published in Room, Prosetrics, Ink in Thirds, and elsewhere. Mary holds an electrical engineering degree, and when not working corporate tech jobs, she enjoys writing dangerous truths, reading, and playing video games.
WEBSITE: https://www.marymcafoose.com/
PUBLICATIONS: Duck Duck Mongoose
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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.