MOTION by Janavi Held

Has constant motion become an addiction, a distraction?

As I watch the inhabitants of the world spinning outward, instead of searching inward, and the world of nature commoditized, well, it makes me want to stand still: in the quite of a silver spark of moonlight, in the silence of the tapestry of a sunrise, in the whispering flow of a gentle river.

In this video, Naked Buildings, I tried to create a visual metaphor for the poem. I want to thank my dear friend for indulging my fantasy of stillness, by standing in front of my camera reading a book as a noisy train rattled by as she was jostled by bodies running, running, running.

'Lost Artist' by Katarina Silva

Motion

by Janavi Held

Naked buildings rampage by

fighting for time in my vision

That crash of city sound

marks the gnawed out air

And time, again, scrawls wildly

over the face of the ever-changing

Criss-crossed roots have no destiny

withdrawing to unconsciousness

And there is a secret savaging

the burnt-out fortress of blood

Ceaselessly turning the sharp mind of action

into the discarded atoms of useless tools.

When will there be inaction?

That falling away of distinct purpose.

Wandering is like alcohol in the blood

cup to lips

Feet and wheels to earth

ceaseless motion

inherited sleeplessness

searching as occupation.

(Click arrow to watch the author's video interpretation of her poem)

Janavi Held started writing poetry and wandering around with her father’s camera as a child. At the age of nineteen, she began practicing Bhakti yoga. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Goddard College where she studied poetry, photography, and media studies. She is on the verge of releasing her first book Letters to my Oldest Friend: A Book of Poetry and Photography.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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