TIME ALONE When I spend time alone I am never lonely. In fact, I keep company with outlaws and angels in the far reaches of me. Here I am not awkward, broken or a stranger. I am free, airless - still enough to hear the land, sea and sky speak to me. In this place, I do not jump at every little thing or fight the magic, I'm never hungry or afraid. I am only aching beauty, trembling questions - a seasoned traveller through time on my breath alone. ~ ❤️AC
What about you?
How does time alone feel for you? Are you comfortable or different in your own company?
I’d love to know if you’re willing to share.
Thanks for being here and may you find ways to be you in solitude and in company. With much love, Amanda
P.S. If you’re curious about how my self-publishing project is travelling, read on below!
So this week I printed out all of the poems that felt like they might want to be included in my first poetry collection. With the help of Pookie, my associate in all things poetic, I re-read them and looked for threads and played with grouping them together. I really loved moving them physically and seeing them together in different groupings rather than on a screen.
I also started thinking about who and what outside help I might need along the way i.e. editing, typesetting, book design and marketing. Next week will be more of the same - looking for themes, honing in on the look and feel of the book itself including layout, font, and other inclusions like contents and acknowledgements - plus creating a spreadsheet so that I can keep track of all of the poems, their themes and groupings, and maybe make a start on editing. The title is there somewhere also, I just can’t see it clearly yet!
I really love the fonts and style of this little book of Pablo Neruda poems ❤️
It’s great to have your company here and I’d love to know if you’re contemplating/already self publishing or feeling the nudge now. I’m so grateful to friend and fellow writer Mary Walker who shared her self publishing journey with me and others a couple of years ago. It certainly made the the whole thing feel a lot less overwhelming and a lot more fun.
I’ll continue to share here for those of you interested in the process! Until next week, take good care. xA
I adore, adore time alone. It’s like fresh air. I so love the visual of it really being us spending time with our angles and outlaws. That feels more accurate. I love the Pablo Neruda fonts, and I love your poetry associate ♥️ Feeling very excited by the birthing of the book…
Hi Amanda, thank you for sharing this poem and the pictures of your poetry printed out with your cat! I've been thinking about self-publishing my own book of poetry for awhile but intimidated with where to begin! Seeing your journey unfold is taking some of the mystery/scariness out of it. I appreciate your generosity in sharing.
I have a fellow Substack poet I've connected with- Emma Campbell. She's a delightful soul who has already self-published her own poetry collection. I'll reach out via email and share her info. 💞