One of our students, Hana Goodkind, has a new blog called ‘On becoming; journey’s into selfhood‘, which will also be the title of her forthcoming second book. Her first book ‘A Dalliance with Language‘, is a collection of poems that she wrote prior to coming to MPA and whose proceeds helped pay for her first year at Miri Piri Academy. She is back this year after receiving a scholarship from the Hari Simran Foundation.

HANA GOODKIND

Hana’s new blog is just starting with three blog posts. In it she explores her process as a human and as a writer. For example:

“When I was younger (last year! lol) I felt like such a victim. I strongly disliked myself and felt like I really wasn’t living the life that I wanted to live. I felt like everybody was having a better experience than I was, that everyone was better than me. But I didn’t know I could do anything about it. I thought my life was just written, set in stone and I felt like I had no control over my internal and external reality. Then I found the magical, miracle gift of kundalini yoga and the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. But anyhow, the real crucial takeaway that I receive from my practice of yoga and meditation is that I AM in control. I mean, I’m not god or the queen of the universe but, I DO have control over how I feel and I do have control over how I live my life. And it’s incredible!”

Her upcoming book will have poems of various lengths. At the moment she says that she’s really enjoying writing micro poems. Here are some examples:

 

My brothers and sisters won’t have to travel all the way to India when they want to learn to love themselves.
Spread the teachings.
– Kundalini Yoga
Lately,
I’m taking suggestions rather than commands.
– meditative mind
I spent my summer slurping up a variety of sugar free ice cream flavors,
While I watched my grandparents play a game
of chinese checkers.
Oh, to be 17
Her work also includes longer poems, including this one entitled Memoir.

I sprouted in the dense forest
I was planted in nutrient rich soil
amongst the earthworms and deer tracks

I germinated alongside my counterpart
One species
composed of polar and yet like minded-
cells

epitome of duality

My branches  stretched abruptly north
as water colored leaves
rustled in the cleansing wind
I was fertilized with acorn flour, bay nuts, rice & beans
In the spring  my roots swam in  thick , deep mud
purifying rainwater washed away
mundane winters

Golden summers anointed with lavender and bermuda cheese picnics

Few necessary words and a combustion of energy
taught me the importance of communal living
engulfed in an ecosystem of such
beauty & rarity
In the fall,
I surrendered my beingto the hunger of the fungi.
and merged in the process of decomposing
with my oak tree friends and fairies.

If you’re interested in following Hana’s journey, check out her blog!

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