Processing via Journaling/Poetry/Lyrics
have been using “lyric writing” as a way to process life experiences for about 20-25 years or so. I used quotation marks there because they so rarely end up turning into songs. It was a few years ago when I realized what I have been doing is perhaps more poetry than lyric writing, though I suppose there’s really not much difference. I find that inspiration can strike any time, and am one of those people who typically keeps a notebook nearby in case some words arrive in my head that feel like they should be written down.
I’m sharing because this is part of my self-care practice. This is one way that I do it, by carving out time to be creative and expressing myself through words. It feels good, helps me process my thoughts, and has the bonuses of creating potential material to put to music AND building that lyric writing “muscle” that I can use with clients as well.
I hope these pieces resonate and inspire feelings, hopefully good ones!
(this one showed up because I thought, "hey, I'm going to write a blog post about poetry/lyrics on Keynote’s music therapy website, I should probably write something about music therapy" and then I thought about what music therapy meant to me in that moment)
3-18-26 - MUSIC THERAPY
“I stand up next to a mountain,
and I chop it down with the edge of my hand”
so says Jimi Hendrix
and so says the music therapist
overcoming mountains with singing
crossing rivers through drumming
connecting neurons entraining
growing trees guided playing
and to do it all
without overstraining
it’s a delicate balance
medicine / art / skill / talent
ethics / confidence / empathy / wake up
so we can confront
the most serious of issues
with calm intent
there will be times when you can’t
learn and be careful
create the internal
observer, move further
or not, what do I know?
stand up next to walls
and chop ‘em down
with the sounds of our voice
music therapy
(this one came on the heels of thoughts about our cities here, what we’ve all been through one way or another over the last 6 years, and how the identity of this place continues to shift and change, slowly and rapidly)
3-17-26 - PRESSURES
what is your name
something’s lost, something’s gained
our city grows up around us
we grow too
the Twin Cities; my towns
pushed and jumped, leaps and bounds
changes, changes come
and we rally for another one
growth hurts
feels we’ve molted, slept then burst
and now all the glitter snow
hasn’t yet hit the ground
some is still floating
some has been blown away
by the difference in pressure
between us
(this one arrived last summer, as I was completing my last classes for MT coursework. Feeling overwhelmed with new-feeling knowledge and wondering how it all will fit together with practice over time, and hoping for the best through the process)
6-20-2025 - MAKE MORE LIGHT
swimming in my processing
life has been pouring into me
now I’m floating, kind of
searching for the ground
kind of blind
I can only see what’s in the light
there’s a lot of darkness
make more light
action, praxis, brackish water
life has been pouring into me
what happens is clear, then murky
so I float, kind of
searching for the sounds
modalities of truth / facets of existence / breathe the truth
senses … lenses … senses … lenses … senses … lenses … senses … lenses … senses …
fill your lungs with truth
and float on the brackish water
searching for purchase
in the fog of engagement
I can only see what’s in the light
darkness is effortless
make more light
