A CHAT WITH ELIZABETH CRAWFORD ~ MYTH-MAKING IN POETRY

Kids, in April Elizabeth Crawford, who writes at Soul's Music and 1sojournal, set out on a journey to explore myth-making all month long. I was very intrigued, and thought you might enjoy a chat about this very topic and, happily, Elizabeth agreed. So pull your chairs in close. I suspect this is going to be a very interesting conversation, as chats with Elizabeth tend to be. Elizabeth has also shared some stunning art: fantasy, photographs, pen and ink work, and digital paintings . She is a very talented woman!

"...don't be satisfied with stories, how things
have gone with others. Unfold
your own myth, so everyone will understand
the passage...Then comes a moment of feeling

the wings you've grown, lifting."

from Rumi's Unfold Your Own Myth 

Sherry: Elizabeth, my friend, I am so happy we are having this chat! I’d like to begin with how the idea of writing myth-making poems all during April came to you...and how you felt as you began. At some point did the story take fire and begin leading you? 

Elizabeth:   I think I have some answers to those questions. Please remember that this whole thing was no more than experiment on my part. Simply challenging myself to see what would happen, or if it would go anywhere at all. I really did get caught up in it, so your questions are right on, and my responses would be in the affirmative for all of them.

It all began with that one word, Mythopoesis, which means making myth. Most of the word poem is there at its center, and that was intriguing to me. And everything I read about the word seemed like a challenge to me. Every article I read stated that the myth-makers of each generation were the Poets and Artists of that generation. In correct English usage, the artists should have come first, but none of those articles did that. They all put the poets first. Perhaps because poetry is, itself, a myth-making tool. Its figurative language, metaphor, etc. are used in mythology, we just aren't always aware of that.

Sherry: That's very true, Elizabeth. Looking way back, in oral traditions, it was poets and storytellers who actually passed on the culture and history of the tribe. 

Elizabeth:  You are so correct. Story was the first teaching tool, even before language. In Prelapsarian culture (before language), the clan, tribe, or group would gather around a bonfire and act out stories that established those characteristics (archetypal) that would keep the clan safe and strong.

But Myth has become more than just story. It is a created environment, a time and place outside of those reality elements. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis both created just such an environment with The Lord of The Rings and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, respectively. Their characters (not only human, but other beings as well),  became archetypes, meaning role models for certain human attributes.

Mythology  has been an interest and fascination for a long time, even before I got into poetry. It was mythology that opened the door to poetry, not the other way around. Like others, I have stumbled my way through the experience of my life, being led by inner whims and wishes. Although I do believe that we are guided (far more than we understand), for me the reality of free will always takes precedence. It is the gift of free will that forever gives us the choice to  explore and develop our own individuation process, following the path that eventually leads us to conscious awareness and wholeness (Carl Jung, in a nutshell).

Sherry: This is fascinating, my friend. Talk on!

Elizabeth: There are three different types of Mythology. The first is Cosmic, or Universal. In other words, it is found throughout all cultures and nationalities. A good example of that is the Hero's Journey (sometimes referred to as a Monomyth). The individual chooses to begin a journey that eventually leads him/her into the individuation process, the finding of soul, and the magic elixir that will be brought back to his/her world and will begin the healing process of that world. When you joined me for the  Soul Card journey, (April, 2011), that is exactly what we were engaged in. 

Sherry: That was one of the best Aprils of my life, in terms of writing!

Elizabeth: As it was for me as well, Sherry. The next type of Mythology is Cultural. It is built around and through the particular culture we are born into. And it is meant to teach the individual how to be a good citizen of that culture. Family is the first culture we learn from, and that allows us to get some ideas about how to be a productive member of the larger community and culture we, as adults, will become a part of. As a child, I had no idea that a large piece of my ancestry was Native American. Yet, in high school, my best friend was Native American and she took me to my first pow-wow and figuratively and literally introduced me to my own unknown beginnings, long before I understood that reality.

Sherry: What a homecoming that must have been! 

Elizabeth: The third, and perhaps the most  important of the three, is Personal Mythology. It is the story we make from our own experiences. It includes, but is not limited by tales (including fairy-tales, which are rich in archetypal imagery), sagas, legends, etc. And music can also be included in that category. The music we listen to is filled with bits of story, and touches us deeply, on an inner core level, often becoming the impetus of actions and thought processes.

Sherry: I am so enjoying this discourse, Elizabeth. This might be a good time to look at your poem, Mythopoesis.

Mythopoesis

Looks a tad dense, like it might
carry weight found in ghostly veins
and flesh of granite.

Myth-o-po-ee-sis.
Slips through air at lips
and fills the mouth.

Makes a smile
(after circling back to O) and tastes
like a morsel of music on the tongue.

Nothing here to fear,
or even to howl about,
but certainly not empty of meaning.

Shares same Germanic stem
as the word named poem
in that other language.

Should find space on any writer’s
table because it owns the face
of making myths from truly
lived in moments.

Elizabeth Crawford  3/1/15

Sherry: I like that, "making myths from truly lived-in moments."

Elizabeth: Isn’t that what we do when we make poetry? Especially personal poetry. We use metaphor, figurative language, and sense imagery to express our feelings, thoughts, perceptions, and Impressions garnered in those lived in moments. The poem itself was a strong impetus in what I chose to do throughout April.

Between the birth of my third and fourth child, I spontaneously created my own Personal Mythology. I was looking for a way to create a form of meditation that would help me get through my current situation. My Mythology is populated by wild creatures (Native American influence), who came unbidden into my meditation and told me  their stories and much about the character qualities they had come to represent. That story, or at least its beginnings, may be found at 1sojournal, and is titled A Tiger Named Pain. For me, those wild creatures, including dragons and other human characters, most often represented the pieces and parts of my own personality.

Sherry: How did you hit upon the actual story-line of the myth you would create in April? That it would be a mother and daughter scenario?

Elizabeth: Although, I certainly didn't set out to do such a thing in thirty days, my little experiment is simply an attempt to see where such a possibility might take me. And, to my own surprise, I found myself building a few characters with archetypal attributes. The mother in the story, encompasses elements of the High Priestess (intuition), as well as The Empress (the soul of creation). The child is the beginner, that one who chooses to step out and begin the journey (the Hero's Journey). The Man from Interlude is both Mentor and Guardian of The Threshold experience. He is a master at his chosen profession (Poet) and seeks out, and tests, those who seem to exhibit the traits or qualities of that profession.

Sherry: I could feel that in your April tale, could hear you in the different voices, especially in the mother and Darien. 

Elizabeth: Until I attempted  to answer your questions here, I didn't realize that all three of these types of Mythology are clearly represented in the bare bones of that story I created during the month of April. The Fool, of Universal myth, is represented in both the child and the Bard, Darien. The Cultural myth is represented in  Love Loves Difficult Things , (a side-step I took to honor Earth Day), as well as the little white kitten with a black heart spot in the middle of his forehead. And the Personal Mythology by all of the characters, because they all stem from my own experience of living through the moments of my own life.

Sherry: One of my very favorite poems of yours is Love Loves Difficult Things. But now, let’s take a look at one of the key poems in this April journey of yours, This Poem, which includes Hannah Gosselin’s wonderful Boomerang form.

Doe and fawn

Mythopoesis 10 - This Poem 

Thank you, Mama, for letting me
play with the kittens. I love how
they bounce around, especially
that little white one with the black
heart spot on his forehead. He’s always
getting into things and his mama
has to keep getting him out.

He’s a lot like you. He can’t ask
questions like you do, but he is curious
about his world, so goes exploring
but doesn’t know what is good or bad,
so his mama has to keep rescuing him.

Maybe we should call him Fool,
but he won’t be a fool when he
learns all that his mama has to teach him.

Oh, but his mama is only his first teacher.
He, like all of us, will continue to learn
throughout his life, from other cats,
from everything he encounters and experiences
as he goes through his own adventure.

We could name him Walker,
or maybe just Traveler?

Those are both good names, child,
but come sit here with me, we’ll watch
the fire. I found an old book of poems today,
and one of the poems made me think of you.

Really, Mama? A poem
that made you think of me?

Yes, it’s called This Poem

This Poem Is A Foolish Child Awaiting A Hug

This poem is a child laughing and learning.
This poem is a fool walking.
This poem is a mother’s hug.

This poem is a myth in the making
held on the lap of a wise woman.
Taking place in a space that doesn’t exist.
In a time that is timeless, yet belongs
to all time. This poem is a child
laughing and learning.

This poem is a journey, made in pieces
and parts. A heart beating to the sound
of a traveler’s feet as they meet the path
that moves toward wisdom.
This poem is a fool walking.

This poem is a soft kiss on a questioning brow.
Cool cloth of relief when questions
are asked and find rightful answers.
This poem is a mother’s hug.

This poem is a curious child, laughing and learning.
This poem is an innocent fool walking.
This poem is a loving mother’s warm hug.

Oh Mama, I love that poem. It
is about me, about you, and even
about the Fool. Who wrote it Mama?

A woman named Elizabeth

Elizabeth Crawford  4/10/15

Sherry: How I adore this poem! As you wrote your way through the days, did the story begin to take you on a journey?  Were there moments of being astounded at what was unfolding? Moments of synchronicity?

Elizabeth: I had no idea where it would begin or what it might entail. Just knew I wanted to see if I could write mythos for thirty days. I began by trying to give a very basic definition of what myth is. It seemed appropriate to start off with a child's question and an adult's response to that question. And I want to be very honest here: it was my intention to simply write mythos during the month of April. It surprised me that the story, started on that first day, became the story.

Myth is, for the most part, story, or an explanation within a story. Mythos is a sense of mythic quality. That was my original intent when I started in April. I wanted to see if I could write mythos every day for thirty days. Instead, I ended up writing a myth about how one might begin to write poetry, and the importance of poetry within the entire scheme of reality. And again, no one was more surprised than me at the outcome.

As to synchronicity, and the role it played in this writing, it was present on most days and many of those experiences can be found in my notes below the daily postings.. Before I decided to do this experiment for April, I was cleaning out my files and came across the first piece of myth I wrote well over thirty years ago. I didn't understand what I had written at that time, other than a vague idea about humankind's seemingly deliberate need to destroy its own home. When I came across it, I immediately understood completely what I had written, and knew that it would become a part of  the story. How and when were simply a matter of finding the right place, lol. Interestingly enough, it served to introduce the Earth Day tangent I had created, in the spur of the moment,  with my challenge, Mythopoesis 18: A Myth Within The Myth.

Sherry: This is fascinating, Elizabeth.  When April drew to a close, how did you feel when the journey ended? Or has it ended?

Elizabeth: The story is far from completed. It is no more than the bare bones, and needs far more work to become, or fulfill, its intention. I went from one day to the next, not really knowing where it was going or how it might work itself out. But, I am essentially a poet, so that's where it led and I was more than happy to go there.

Hannah's Boomerang Poem Form  gave me that one essential tool, and it held the story together, as well as making it a good little tale I absolutely enjoyed creating. Her form  allowed me, not only to introduce the poetry, but then directed the story to the poetry itself.

Sherry: I LOVE Hannah's form so much! And your April poem that included one, where the child writes her own poem,  is one of my favorites. Let's take a peek at it.

MYTHOPOESIS 11 - DREAMING A POEM 

Mama, I had a dream
last night. A good one,
I think.

Do you want to tell
me about it?

A woman, Lizbeth came
and showed me how
to write a poem.

And what was the poem
about?

The white kitten out
in the barn.

Maybe, you should try
to write the poem, honey.
Would you like to do
that?

Yes, Mama, I would,
but I don’t know how
to write a poem. Can
you help me?

Come here to the desk. There
is a Dictionary, paper, pencils,
pens and that old book of poems
in which I found that one
we both liked. Will you need
anything else?

I might have questions,
Mama.

Then just ask, little one,
I’ll help if I can.

   And so it went throughout the day. As the woman worked, cleaning and cooking, reading a book in the afternoon, the child would come and ask about certain words, how to phrase an idea. The woman, who had once written poetry, explained many things: sound alike words that create a rhythm, a sort of music, poetic line and simple techniques, always leaving the choices to the child and her own imagination. After their evening meal, the child came, one last time.

I think it is finished, Mama.

Good child. Do you want me
to read it, or would you like
to read it to me?

I think I’d like you to read
it, so I can hear how it sounds,
and if it is really finished.

Okay, I think I can do that.

This Poem Is A Kitten

This poem is a small white kitty
with a black heart spot
right in the middle of his forehead.

This poem is a squirming cat
with four paws
reaching.
This poem bounces and pounces.
tumbling over itself
to touch, taste, and test
everything around it.

This poem only wants to grow,
to learn, to know.

This poem is just a kitten.

(After a few moments
of silence) I think it is
finished, Mama. What
do you think?

(clapping)I think it is a particularly fine,
beautiful, and wonderful first
poem, and I think you need
to show it to your teacher
on Monday.

Elizabeth Crawford  4/11/15

Sherry: Sigh. I am so drawn in to this story of mother and child, and their conversations. The mother is very wise and loving.

Elizabeth: As I said, somewhere in my notes, I think she is the mother we all wish we had and could become.  Hannah's Boomerang Form was a godsend. It allowed the characters to come together in a natural way and allowed me to play with the form. All three of the poems, within the story, are direct offshoots of the form itself. And let me be very clear here, I had no intention of writing a myth about making poetry. That was definitely directed by the characters and what was happening in the story. It was also one of the most personally satisfying aspects of this entire experience.

Sherry: I love how the project took over and led you where it needed to go. 

Elizabeth: My original intent when making the decision to begin this experiment, was to see if I could create a book for my grandchildren and their children. It was intended to honor my Mother and the best lesson she taught me and her entire family. That lesson was that it is never too late to begin. My mother, a dedicated housewife and mother until she was sixty years old, did a complete about face at that age. She found herself a teacher and began to paint beautiful landscapes. She had two public showings before she quit, and left a legacy that touched all of us who knew her.

Sherry: How wonderful! Such a blossoming!

Elizabeth: Yes, exactly. At my Mom’s funeral, I was talking with my nephew and told him of the lesson. He started laughing and said he felt and believed the exact same thing. He is a writer and a journalist. I wanted to pass on my mother’s legacy about the deeply personal aspect of finding a way to express one’s story, be that in images such as painting and drawing, or with words with poetry and prose. Any form of creativity is a healing agent. It is the magic elixir that allows the individual to find her/his voice of expression. And the world needs all of them, because each one of us speaks in a different language. It is, I believe, our individual task, to find that elixir and bring it back to our own small world and let it do its thing of healing.

There is always some magic in myth as well as a character who embodies the qualities of The Magician. No one was more surprised than myself, when the Man from Interlude became that archetypal character, and used the story of poetry to explain the history behind it. He was supposed to be my fail-safe, for when I couldn't think of anything to write about and could use music to fill out a post, lol.

            

Sherry: He was a very cool character.  I love when characters take over and start driving the bus, LOL. Let’s look at Darien’s Poem, shall we?

Darien’s poem

This poem is a myth
in the making, a story
unfolding, seeking
a place of its own,
singular space it might
call home.

This poem has traveled
for days, one at a time,
searching for ways
that its words might
be heard, might find
an ear that will listen.

This poem is a song
singing itself from here
to there, breath of fresh
air hoping to inspire,
becoming spark that ignites
burning fire of creation.

This poem is no more
than a whisper, on lips
of would-be poet, who only
knows that which grows
in his heart is a seed
in need of nurture.

This poem is a gift given,
that must be received
before it can truly live.

Elizabeth Crawford 4/30/15

Sherry: These poems, and the story they tell, are just that, my friend, gifts given. And most gratefully received.

Elizabeth: The different versions of the Boomerang form within the story emphasize how inspiration occurs in a very individual manner, like what happens on the poetry circuit more times than we realize.

Sherry: This is very true, Elizabeth. A word or thought often flies across oceans, landing  on another poet’s shoulder. Then we hear the same idea expressed in a very different way. It is terribly cool.

Elizabeth: Essentially, I am a poet. That is my means of expression. So, although it was not my intent to write this particular story, the story came out of my personal experience, which is that of a poet. Each separate piece of the story might better be called poiesis, which is the creation of a combination of forms.

Sherry: You are very knowledgeable, my friend. I am happy to know there will be a book to commemorate  this journey.

Elizabeth: Yes, it is my intent to fill out the bare bones I began in April to make a book that will hopefully continue that legacy.

Sherry: That is good news. As one of your biggest fans, I am placing my order in advance to purchase one when they are hot off the presses!

Elizabeth: Thanks so much for your interest, Sherry. I am surprised at how your questions have actually helped me realize my own process. I can't thank you enough for this opportunity to spread the gospel of Elizabeth, lol...and I mean that both jokingly and sincerely.

Sherry: It has been a pleasure and a privilege, my friend, to help spread the gospel of Elizabeth!

Well, my friends? Was this not an amazing chat? I have another couple of chats coming up in the weeks ahead, one on environmental issues and another on social justice. Stay tuned! I think these chats are becoming my favorite feature. Keep coming back to see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!