A Poem for Reclined Twist

"From the sky I could be a stranded / mermaid, a one-legged / sea star, a piece of kelp washed up / on the wet sand...." from Reclined Twist by Corie Feiner

I distinctly remember the first time I imagined what I must look like from the sky.

I was seventeen years-old doing my homework by myself on my mother’s glass coffee table, textbooks and loose-leaf papers strewn in front of me, and the company of the television murmuring something inaudible.

It was sudden. I saw myself sitting there from the ceiling, then from the roof of my NYC apartment building, then from the clouds. I looked so small.

I slowly descended back to my body wearing my black turtleneck, my fingers holding a blue Bic pen in front of me. I remember sighing in relief—

Everything in my life that seemed so important and dramatic— my boyfriend troubles, my parent’s divorce, the chaotic state of the world— seemed less heavy, less important. It felt like wind.

In my poem for Reclined Twist, I imagine what I look like practicing this pose from the sky.

It zooms out to a figure, who, from above, takes a both a literal and metaphorical watery shape. And for those of you who love craft or lore, the extended metaphor of ocean imagery throughout pays homage to Matsyendra, the fish who received the teachings of yoga from Shiva after whom the pose is named.

I hope “Reclined Twist” inspires you breathe and stretch your body. And perhaps, to take a step back from all that ails you right now and feel a moment of reprieve. Our lives are both large and small at the same time. And ultimately, we are one living breathing heart.

(I encourage you to read my poem for Reclined Twist out loud to yourself. And if you are one of those amazingly supportive paid subscribers, you can also listen to a recording of me reading my poem here.)

Reclined Twist

By Corie Feiner   


From the sky I could be a stranded 
mermaid, a one-legged 

sea star, a piece of kelp washed up 
on the wet sand. I could be 

an ancient silent letter who once murmured 
the secrets of the wind. Or I could just be

a woman twisting my body and wishing 
a part of me could be washed away— 

my stiff back, my sore sides, my hunched over 
head.  How I sigh like a siren of the seas singing 

to the lost ship of my seeking soul, how I  sway
my hips from side to side, twisting like a piece

of driftwood tossed into the wild waves. From the sky 
I could be seen as a lost soul

yearning for a smoke signal that would say, Help me. 
Or I could be the shiny shell you lift to your ear

and swear you hear the sonorous sounds of the ocean inside. 
But it isn’t the ocean. It’s your heart. 




Sanskrit: Supta Matsyendrasana II
 

---

---

Paid subscribers can listen to me reading an audio recording of my poem for “Reclined Twist” and also can watch an extensive video of me reading through select drafts and explaining my revision process here.

Audio of "Reclined Twist" & Video Masterclass About My Revision Process {paid subscribers only}

Learn more about Reclined Twist

If you want to learn more about Reclined Twist and the magic of twisting, I highly encourage you to read this post by Janine Agoglia.

Thank you, as always, for your time and presence. It means so much to me that you are here! Please feel free to reach out, comment, ask questions, share your heart, start a conversation - connect! I promise, I will always answer.

With gratitude,

Corie