A Poem for Plank Pose
"Tongue and groove, we come together into one solid part, strong enough to do nothing, but hold it, hold it all." from Plank Pose by Corie Feiner
The Process
Some poems come easily like a gift. They are fully formed and can come in a rush of inspiration, as if they come through you.
Plank Pose was not one of these poems.
Plank Pose, much like the pose itself, was a challenge.
I live in an old stone house with real wood floors. It is small and cozy and has a way of making me feel cradled and safe. Early in the morning, my family still sleeping and the sun still rising red in the sky, I got out my beloved composition book with the intention of writing a poem for Plank Pose.
I went blank. I started and stopped again. I turned the page. I did research on the pose itself and also, about wood floors and how they interlock. I got distracted and starting looking up pictures of old growth tree floors. Then took a conscious breath and refocused myself again on the work.
I tell my students that messy writing, scribbles, slashes, and arrows on the early versions of their poems was a beautiful act of creation, so I embraced the process with grace.
Finally, as the day started to break and the rumble of the garbage truck could be heard down the street, I got down on the floor and held myself in plank pose for what seemed like a long time. (Plank pose can seem like that anyhow:)
My tired hands pressed against the floor, I became present with my own wooden floors and I imagined myself as one of those planks…. and it started to come to me. How so many pieces can come together and work as one moving part, like our bodies.
If you practice plank pose, I encourage you to think of this poem as you practice it so that in addition to getting a great workout and testing your strength, you can embody the resilience and the beautifully simple grace of a single plank of wood. Here is the poem —
Plank Pose
By Corie Feiner We are the plank that creaks and crooks beneath every step. We are what bends and smooths under the weight of everything that has been set upon us. We are worn and more beautiful with age. We hold ourselves up with the joists of our wrists. Our chest forward, our heels back. We support ourselves with a softwood strength that allows for nicks and scrapes, and bends and breaks. Tongue and groove, we come together into one solid part, strong enough to do nothing, but hold it, hold it all. Sanskrit Name: Phalakasana
I would love to hear from you to hear how this poem landed for you. Be sure to like and comment below!
Workshops
Live Yogic Poetry Experience in Bucks County, PA January 26, 2024 at 6 pm.
Online Bodylove Poetry Writing Workshop Sundays, 10 am ET starts February 4, 2024.
Sample Bodylove Poetry Workshop on Sunday, January 28th at 10 am. Contact me for details.
