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Unveiling Psychoskeletal Rhythms by Juliette Sebock

Psychoskeletal Rhythms

In the world of poet­ry, every col­lec­tion has a sto­ry to tell, and my forth­com­ing chap, Psy­choskele­tal Rhythms, is no excep­tion. Root­ed in the intri­cate rela­tion­ship between phys­i­cal and men­tal health, this chap­book is a pro­found explo­ration of how these aspects inter­twine with the act of writing.

As a poet, I’ve come to real­ize that my com­pul­sion to write, fueled by man­i­fes­ta­tions of hyper­graphia, is both a bless­ing and a chal­lenge. With Psy­choskele­tal Rhythms,I con­front this com­pul­sion head-on and delve into the whirl­wind of fear that accom­pa­nies the thought of los­ing the abil­i­ty to write. It’s an emo­tion­al­ly charged jour­ney, one that tra­vers­es the realms of fear, anx­i­ety, and loss—and a jour­ney that I’m still very much on. 

The poems in this col­lec­tion serve as a medi­um through which I’ve chan­neled my com­plex emo­tions. Each poem car­ries its own emo­tion­al ties, mak­ing them unique expres­sions of my expe­ri­ences. Poet­ry has always been my go-to out­let for work­ing through pow­er­ful feel­ings, and this chap­book is no excep­tion. When strong emo­tions, even those I can’t quite define, surge with­in me, I fran­ti­cal­ly draft a poem to pro­vide that much-need­ed release.

One of my favorite poems from Psy­choskele­tal Rhythms is ‘Por­trait of a Type­writer as an Idol.’ It cap­tures the essence of a writer’s devo­tion to their craft, the com­pul­sion to write, and the some­times com­pli­cat­ed rela­tion­ship with the tools of our trade. It’s a poem that mir­rors the rev­er­ence and hes­i­ta­tion many writ­ers feel when fac­ing the blank page.

Portrait of a Typewriter as an Idol

When you write words to cope,
write to sur­vive,
your gods become pen and ink,
paper and pages,
backs of envelopes
and cock­tail nap­kins
and receipts.

You can’t have enough pens,
in every colour,
in trip­li­cate,
because it’s unfath­omable
that you could some­day
run out.

You buy a type­writer,
like all “real writ­ers” do,
like a movie char­ac­ter
that just needs a new rib­bon
to sell his sto­ries.

You use the type­writer once, in a man­ic sort of frenzy.

You pack the type­writer away in a place of hon­our,
afraid that your stream
of con­scious ener­gy might be the end of your typing.

You con­tin­ue to write on scraps of inspi­ra­tion,
pil­ing the papers on a pyre to sac­ri­fice
to your new­found god of writing.

Poet­ry lover? Check out our book reviews archives for plen­ty of poems!

Psy­choskele­tal Rhythms is not just a chap­book; it’s a part of my jour­ney, a piece of my heart that I share with my read­ers. As they delve into these pages, I hope they find res­o­nance in their own expe­ri­ences, in the unique rhythm that is the human con­di­tion, and in the pow­er of words to cap­ture and heal the soul.

Psy­choskele­tal Rhythms will be avail­able 5 Novem­ber through Alien Bud­dha Press.

juliette

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