IDEASTREAM WEEK 24
We Shall Overcome
We might not know when but we know we will, as long as we persevere
Hello beautiful people,
As more videos come to light and the protests go on, this is a time to explore the deeper roots of what’s going on. Please watch this insightful explanation by British author Afua Hirsch.
However you choose to protest, please make sure you take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health. The following is the way I protest.
If I do watch a video of an atrocity, I will sit with myself and think about whether I will share it and with whom. Then I will do something healing — it might be as simple as walking in the grass in my bare feet, reconnecting with the Earth. Then I may make an offering for transgressions in the form of a prayer, meditation, or a donation to a suitable organisation. Finally, I close the cycle, taking an action such as joining a protest march, a zoom discussion, or singing along to a protest song.
I’m suggesting we always aim for balance; it’s never healthy to over-indulge in anything, not even righteous acts.
Not saying this will work for everyone, but it works for me.
Writer’s Prompts
Poetry Salvage
Use these ten words to write a poem. Or prose if you prefer.
- Citizen
- World
- Righteous
- Understanding
- Overstand
- Passport
- Diabolical
- Injustice
- Protest
- Atrocity
From last week’s poetry salvage
Caroline de Braganza remembers another time of protest
Kim McKinney shares hope in a time of hopelessness
Limerick Corner
Limerick Starter
Fifty years he lived in Britain
But now has ‘no right to remain’
Last week’s offerings
Were we ever free? Marilyn Flower examines the evidence
More delving into history from Caroline de Braganza
Martin Rushton tries to get to the truth of the matter.
100 * 250 * 500 *1000
Write 100 words about what you miss most about the old normal.
Write 250 words about the craziest thing you did as a kid.
Write 500 words about your plans for this year’s summer solstice.
Write 1000 words, fiction or non-fiction, about your most favourite place on earth.
Recommend Reads
None of the above moving you? Try one of these stories below…
By Damien Dsoul
By Kat Lehmkuhl
By Barack Obama
By Peggy Haven
“What did you do in school today?” I asked my fourteen-year-old.
“We listened to protest songs,” she replied.
“Oh, fantastic, which ones?”
A Guardian Newspaper panel discuss George Floyd’s killing
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©Marla Bishop 2020
Marla Bishop is an editor for The Bad Influence and The Narrative and publisher of Lilith. A writer and relationship coach, she lives in London UK and is working on her first novel. You can support her here.