Actuellement, Je Pense en Français

Mary Beth Gets Intellectual And Overwhelmed

I'm spending most of my night writing a paper analyzing criticisms of capitalism in The Grapes of Wrath. It isn't a difficult concept- Steinbeck was seriously not into the American culture of greed and made that fact explicit in his work, especially in Grapes. He makes the point that the greed resulting from the constant need for economic expansion that is a characteristic of capitalism does much more harm than good for the average American.

And I believe him. That book was written long ago, but I understand and I agree with every brain cell. There is such a push for growth in this country- if a business is not growing, it is failing; if people are not making money, we are failing; if we are not constantly buying more technology to "improve" ourselves, we are failing. This race is so stressful, so overwhelming. No wonder the suicide rate is up.

I don't understand why we always have to be better than ourselves. Why must we keep buying new things, keep expanding our businesses until they harm the people? The world could be so much simpler if everyone agreed to spend their lives resting, without the pressure of having to "get rich or die trying."

We have so much here we think we need.

she says while writing a blog entry from her iPad in the quiet of her own room, surrounded by so many things she doesn't need.

That was unfair. A little contradiction is okay. It is, Mary Beth. It is okay.

I am trying so hard to stop criticizing myself like that.

We do have more than we need. Those first paragraphs were even more words than I needed. More is overwhelming. I am drowning in "more".

Let's tone it down, world. Let's be good to one another, be good to ourselves. Go slowly, be at peace.

Post-Poetry

Just a few days ago was the last day of National Poetry Writing Month. I wrote thirty poems in thirty days. I posted most of them here.

Finishing the 30 For 30 Challenge has given me a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm not someone who usually follows through on anything, really, and I always seem to lack the motivation I so desperately need to complete anything. Because of my past issues with completing projects, I am proud of myself for committing to and finishing such an extensive one.

Let's talk about it. I'd like to start facilitating more conversation on this blog, so let's have a dialogue about the poetry. What are your favorite poems from this month? Is there a distinct voice that permeates all of the poems? Sometimes I wonder if my voice is big enough yet.It's really interesting, I think, to note the differences in style between some of the pieces. What, in your opinion, are the biggest differences between any of these poems?

Use that comment box, please. Words are nice things to share.

I send all my love.