Everyone Is My World

Pandemic Playlist & Found Poetry Challenge

I’ve been tagged by my beautiful sister-witchwyfe, Ena Dahl, in her Pandemic Playlist & Found Poetry Challenge.

I must admit, straight up front, that I’m not very good at composing found poetry. I could honestly work this baby another week and still feel like it wasn’t quite right. But alas…I will let go of my literary perfectionism this one time and post my attempt.

(Also, please forgive me, Ena, I didn’t follow the rule about arranging the poem in the same order as my playlist. I just couldn’t do it!)

Everyone Is My World

I’m home again in my old narrow bed Where I grew tall and my feet hung over the end Life isn’t easy Love never lasts I said, “No stop I am not giving up on us.” What is happening to me?

Oh grief in exile A lioness and a coward My head is full of voices My thoughts are filled with memories I scream, “Rev the Triumph’s engine!”

In the desert of my dreams I saw you there Through your eyes, the strains of battle like a brooding storm Everything crumbles sooner or later You can’t fight the undertow But I won’t cry for yesterday - I will learn to survive

Oh grief in exile Passion or coincidence My head is full of voices My thoughts are filled with memories I scream, “Rev the Triumph’s engine!”

Standing on the edge of the cliff High on the hills above the ocean All our labouring gone to seed Thought I heard you talking softly: “Love has no boundaries, costs nothing to touch.” I fall into the water.

Oh grief in exile A lioness and a coward My head is full of voices My thoughts are filled with memories I scream, “Rev the Triumph’s engine!”

I’m going crazy A little everyday But I won’t cry for yesterday I won’t cry for yesterday

I made a promise I am not giving up on us. I lost my way but now I’m following And the silent understanding passing down:

We’ll be riding out this storm… Everyone is my world Tend to the ones in need I believe in love.

We’ll be riding out this storm… Anyone is my world This is home, home I believe in love.

We’ll be riding out this storm… Everyone is my world. Bend with the corn and weed. I believe in love.

Pensive Pandemic Playlist

My playlist reflects the fact that I’m trying to turn this time of isolation into a time to soul search. I realize not everyone has that luxury, but I think it’s a good use of my time, considering my current circumstances.

I wanted my playlist to be soulful, poetic, soothing, reassuring, but also realistic, reflecting some of the challenges and sorrow of this moment in history.

1 I chose to open with Mariee Sioux’s Grief in Exile*, since (in my opinion) that so perfectly captures the theme of this pandemic. We are all experiencing the loss of the life we once knew, facing uncertainty, and managing deep upheaval. We are all grieving and whether we are actually alone or not, we are in a form of exile right now.

2 My second song is Ordinary World by Duran Duran, one of my top ten favorite songs of all time. I think this is one of the most passionate songs ever written. (Check out Joy Williams’ cover — it’s haunting.)

3 I had to include Tori Amos’s Cloud Riders because of its message of hope in times when we’re just gonna have to get under a blanket and “ride out this storm.” (She wrote this in response to the 2016 election. Turns out, it works well in a pandemic, too.)

4 Vox by Sarah McLachlan just makes me feel like a maiden from Arthurian times looking for a magical well that will heal my broken heart. ❤

5 My mom was always obsessed with Linda Ronstadt. (And who wouldn’t be? She’s gorgeous, has a voice that could reach across the entire planet with its power and purity, and her diverse styles are unlike any other singer I know.) My favorite album of hers is Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind and I had to include the titular song here because its lyrics are so damn accurate right now.

6 When I walk in the woods, I often sing to my owls so they know I’m coming (not that they can’t hear my footsteps). It’s my way of calling to them and believe it or not, they often call back, allowing me to follow their voices. Carly Simon's Boys in the Trees is one of the songs I sing to them, and since I’m missing my woods and my owls right now, I wanted to send this out into the world, a symbolic gesture of our connection.

7 Ivy’s Undertow is true to its name. Its passion will pull you under the moment you hear the first few notes. I wanted to include it here to explore the idea that yes, we have been pulled under, but we must find the strength to surrender to the undertow and trust that we’ll come up again.

8 Home is one of my favorite songs by Sheryl Crow. I love how introspective and melancholy it is, yet somehow comforting. And of course, it’s a little statement to the fact that we are all home right now, and this is where we’ll have to remain for the time being.

9 As a teenager, I loved the passion of Elton John’s songs from the 90s. Believe was one of my favorites, with its pounding beat and simple lyrics. I believe in love. I believe in love. I believe in love. We need to remind ourselves of that right now.

10 I discovered Lisa Hannigan after falling in love with Damien Rice’s album, O. Thankfully, he fired her from his band, and she went on to earn her own praise for her soulful, ethereal songs, like Lille. And by the way, if you want to see something that will blow you the hell away, watch the video for this song.

11 I had to end with a song (Silver Strand by The Corrs) that makes me feel like I’m standing on the cliffs of the motherland (Ireland), looking out over the ocean, feeling the energy of my grandmother and her ancestors soaking into me from the earth beneath my feet. We all need this sense of connection right now to our ancestral lands, our loved ones, our history.

And if you are feeling less contemplative and more like you just want to dance, check out my Dance by Yourself playlist, which has nothing much to do with the pandemic except that sometimes, you just gotta dance to keep yourself sane.

I challenge…

This is the part where I challenge five other friends to make their own playlists and found poetry. (You can find the full rules here, though I broke one, so you know…do what you want.)

I challenge Kaia Tingley 🌀, Kathryn Dickel, Faith Ann, James Knight, and Sam Kimberle.

Sending love to all of you across the cyberverse…. xoxo ❤

*Please note that Spotify only pays indie artists like Mariee Sioux $0.00402 per play and companies like Spotify make deals with big record labels that favor mainstream musicians. If you listen to indie musicians like Mariee Sioux on streaming apps like this, please give back to them by following them on social media, sending them tips (you can find Mariee on Venmo), or buying their albums (you can find Mariee’s here).