an orca whale friend, and you
a prose poem
poetic musings
I’m warming to dry heat.
I know in these parts (Red River Valley) there’s a real risk of wildfires considering the strength of the wind. I also know that a drought could very seriously affect food production. I know I have to drink more water and hydrate my skin more.
But if I step outside of the things that I cannot control and step into the experience my body is having: having a walk in 81F/27C with 26% humidity feels so so so much more pleasant than 81 and 96% humidity (there’s no thigh rub, my friends, there’s no thigh rub!).
And it has me asking Siri what the driest parts of Italia are (the south and Sicilia) and am watching those places on the weather app. I wonder if the mugginess creates the sensory overload, rather than the heat itself. It has me coming to realize that it is, in fact, sensory overload. Because of course it is and, damn, have I been gaslighting myself about that all this time?!
I’m peeping the small villages my ancestors emigrated from: Cantalupo nel Sannio, Isernia, Molise, and Montefalcone di Val Fortore, Benevento, Campania. I’m browsing properties for sale. I’m learning the difference between a province and a region. I’m looking for birds to love; it bums me out that Europe doesn’t have hummingbirds or purple martins.
I’m wondering what the fruit and veg tastes like (I’ve heard the produce in the States tastes bland to folks who’ve lived elsewhere a few years, and I’d like to find out).
I don’t know how to make this happen, but I’d like to find that out too: living and working at my own pace, following my curiosities, trusting myself to rest when I need rest, listening to the birds, and receiving a livable income?
I know, I know, it sounds wild to me, too, convinced as I was that if I wanted to earn income, I had to suffer. But my body has been showing me since primary school that there’s no other path for me, lest I want to live in a state of severe depression and chronic pain. I have to find out.
This is also why Italy appeals: the vibe of Italy is savor living; the vibe of Italy is work to live, not live to work; the vibe of Italy is two-hour lunch breaks; the vibe of Italy is il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing); the vibe of Italy is everyday awe and beauty. It’s a lot of other things, too. It’s not all sunshine and roses, but I’d like to find that out.
with love and gratitude,
an orca whale friend, and you
a prose poem by Libby Walkup
So I was having a dream about an orca whale friend. We communicate telepathically, in case you were wondering, orca whales can speak English, it’s just easier this way, hearing what the other’s thinking. We’re hanging out in her garage, where her pool is, after some pretty hefty rescue action on my part in which her nose became an elephant trunk. Still, either way, you show up and are chillin with us, and my childhood friend's dad shows up with a joint attached to a lolly stick as if it were a sort of roach, that's how the cool kids are doing it, he explains without speaking. And he smokes you up. Then a discourteous friend of yours shows up: he keeps picking things up and setting them on their sides, like my childhood friend once did when she visisted my room, so I become irritated, I'm protective of the order of my orca whale friend's garage, considering she has no arms and her trunk has transitioned back into an orca whale nose, to keep it tidy herself, anyway, you announce this plan, you tell me: I can do it, Libby. I can make cacophonous iron and wine music. And I could hear in my head then what you meant. You went on working out details for bandmates and sound, and anyway, how’s your winter? Haven't heard from you in a while.
in the post
The thank you (renamed reaching for gratitude) zines went out in the post last week! You have no idea how much joy it brings me to make and share these things. I’ve already started considering the next mail event. A small poem written on a postcard. I’ve got a collection of ~30 postcards. If you’d definitely like to receive a poem, upgrade your subscription with this link. You’ll receive 90 days free and the next 15 subscribers will also receive a handbound notebook. Remember to add your address with the link you’ll receive via email.
invitation to collaborate
What art, writerly, mind-body, or life practice are you leaning into? What does your creative life look like? What were the inspirations for your favorite pieces? What is poetry, art, mindfulness, practice to you? If you’d like to share about your creative, poetic, spiritual, well-being, or otherwise living life practices, please get in touch. unraveling, unmoored seeks collaborators. More info can be found on the About Page. Please message or email with questions.
The thank you/reaching for gratitude zine was very adorable. I liked it very much.
And of course we all know orcas speak English. I find it easier to communicate telepathically myself as well.
I had a dream about psychically communicating with a megladon shark....very similar