14 Ways to Stay Awake

KEEP YOUR EYES & EARS OPEN @ALL TIMES
Be alert,alive,aware in every moment. Attuned to all,each,every  person you meet.
Even in dream state,remember your dreams. Seek answers in them.
We are all @various levels of awareness. Listen Deepen and dredge!
Seek core truths-paradigms unlocking paradoxes. Look for diamond eyes that shine-
Smiles that share awareness. Parables beyond desk calendar cliches. Read all Masters,Mistresses,Fools
Seek the oral and the aural. Resonate with landscapes & elementals.
Sleep when you are dreaming and dream while you are awake.
Someone, somewhere has already shared these modes and strategies.
There are always more. But you only asked for 14.

~Spirit Thom


When I read this poem by Thom Woodruff, AKA Spirit Thom, Beat Poet Laureate and Austin Poet Extrodinaire, I resonated with so many lines.  But the line that caught my attendtion most was "Resonate with landscapes & elementals."

So! I asked Thom if I could use his poem and this line as a seed for the Fall 2022 issue of fws: international journal of literature & art and he said, "YES!" I am indeed delighted.  Thank you, Thom!

Resonating with the landscape (earth) and elementals (natural forces) is a powerful way to gain consciousness and remain conscious.  It is so very central to the survival of our planet, our species and many, many other endangered species, in fact, all living things. 

What do I mean by resonating? I mean connect. I mean sense into the vibrations of. I mean go outside: dig your feet into mud or sink them in sand or stand in the ocean’s surf. Breathe it into your very being. Listen. Lie down on the ground. Feel gravity holding you there. Observe the natural phenomenon: moon cycles, storms, migrations. Remember your primal being. Realize you are one with all living beings. Realize that earth is a living being.

As poets and writers, our words and our stories are our way of resonating. Calling out. Echoing beauty, harmony, and mystery. Our words are our way of co-creating and sending healing energies into the world. They are our medicine!

Let’s co-create something beautiful in the forthcoming issue of fws. Send me your words. They matter. They are matter!

Read submission guides and find deadlines here (hint: June 1- Aug. 31, 2022):