Poetry about beginnings ft. Diane di Prima

#06 - When poetry reminds us we can always restart

Hi everyone, 

Happy New Year! I hope the first two (ish) weeks of 2024 have been treating you with respect. And if not, I hope you're finding ways to manage. Perhaps this week's poem will help with that. 

I felt called to share "Revolutionary Letter #2" by Diane di Prima with you today because when I read the line "we die a million times a day, we are born a million times" I just couldn't help myself. I mean, how good (and true) is that!?

Plus, it's the start of a new year – a time when many of us are excruciatingly hard on ourselves for not immediately seeing progress on our resolutions or intentions. This line, and the entire poem, remind me that every day I have the chance to restart. To reset my goals and maybe make a mess in the process. To trust in the love and support of the collective whenever I feel stuck or overwhelmed.

We can reinvent ourselves throughout the year, not just at the dawn of a new one.

Revolutionary Letter #2

The value of an individual life a credo they taught us
to instill fear, and inaction, 'you only live once'
a fog on our eyes, we are
endless as the sea, not separate, we die
a million times a day, we are born
a million times, each breath life and death:
get up. put on your shoes, get 
started, someone will finish

//

Tribe
an organism, one flesh, breathing joy as the stars
breathe destiny down on us, get
going, join hands, see to business, thousands of sons
will see to it when you fall, you will grow
a thousand times in the bellies of your sisters

---

I admittedly didn't know much about Diane di Prima, one of the only female Beat Poets to gain popularity, before reading this poem. And still, I don't know enough. But I now identify as a budding super fan, not least because she was arrested by the FBI for publishing "obscene" poetry in 1961 and because of her tax resistance during the Vietnam War. 

While I continue to hyper-fixate on the radical life and writings of di Prima, I'd love to hear your interpretations of this beautiful poem. What lines stand out to you and why?

Thank you again for being here! We’re back to our regular bi-weekly cadence this year, so stay tuned for another email in two weeks.

Cheers,
Allison