FE-MAIL TIES - Wrapped in a rhythm ...

D-Empress, Contributor

The other day, I smiled as I read how one of South Africa's most celebrated new-generation poets, Lebo Mashile, described herself. I sensed a strong conviction and strength in her evolution. The words read: Lebo Mashile: passionate poet and creative thinker.

Hers is an interesting choice of words. Knowing Lebo personally, I respect her to be a deep and mature thinker beyond her physical years. I also know that in her journey to share her version of truth, choosing brain-cell 'thinking' as a title, is a deliberate move.

I sense her intention is designed to jolt her fans (many like her, under 30), out of their materialistic reverie and wake up to the reality of themselves! An admirable mission and a truly heartfelt desire from a wordsmith who always probes deeper than many people are willing to go.

I wonder though, whether we, especially the gentler sex, sometimes think too much at the expense of feeling our way through our lives.

I'm not talking about Lebo's peer call to engage present state of reality. I'm interested in whether we generally regard thinking as a conscious state of reflection and activity as opposed to a silent drama-ridden meditation.

We have all experienced times when thinking actually compounds matters and magnifies the very aspects of the issue that we would rather release. How much can we truly reveal through thinking?

Popular poem

I also remembered one of Lebo's most popular poems and title of her first anthology, Wrapped in a Ribbon of Rhythm. That put her on the map of spoken word poetry. The poem, delivered with hearty expression that became her trademark style, aptly presents the image that I see when I think too much.

Being wrapped in a ribbon of thoughts creates a weblike structure that covers my face till I find it hard to breathe.

Tired of asphyxiating, I made a decision to tap into my body intelligence and be guided by the feelings in my heart and the bodily sensations I experience every single time I need to make a decision.

I'm cultivating the art of breathing and of feeling my way through life. It's an altogether more blissfilled way of living. As I grow with my practice, I find it's easier to tune into my soul's vibrations. I'm learning with time to trust what I hear.

From this vantage point, creative thinking becomes easy. For, in the joy of knowing and trusting what I feel, I am able to pick up the artists brush and design my life free from the web of tangled thoughts and emotions.

It's a biological fact your heart has a brain. It is intelligent and will never lead you astray. Take heart. Take the plunge and feel it work for you.

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