Five True Things

Last night I biked across the river and through the crisp fall night to Brookline, where I met my friend Liz for coffee and poetry. Liz had just listened to this podcast -- in it, a young poetry teacher encourages her students to list five things that they know are true. You're not supposed to think about it too hard, just write the things that pop into your mind. It can be what you ate for breakfast, or how your fingertips feel.

So we thought we'd try this. We sat with our journals and wrote true things in three minutes or less. Afterwards we surveyed our lists, and were intrigued by the truths that flowed out of our pens. "Caitlin, I don't know if I get your truths," Liz said, "they're so abstract. What if you tried giving examples of each one?"

It was a lovely experiment. Five truths listed quickly, over coffee, somehow freed from the heaviness that the word "truth" can carry. Each truth with three corollaries. I recommend that everyone try this.

Here's my list: 

(1) Everything is made of dreams, light, and something else.
       a. autumn foliage in new england
       b. choices
       c. stories

(2) Objects are loveable.
       a. my blue coffee mug
       b. pens of all kinds
       c. Shiva the teddy bear

(3) Moments are deep.
       a. this one
       b. and this one
       c. this one too

(4) Bridges, mountains, steeples, and lightning have something in common.
       a. "A Noiseless, Patient Spider"
       b. eye-contact
       c. love

(5) I am more than my thoughts.
       a. the weather in my chest
       b. intuition
       c. collar bones