Today, I have been thinking about physical activity and how glad I am just to be ambulatory. Here is a photo Karla took of me at Stone Mountain in Georgia, and below a poem I wrote and published here on April 6, 2016, my first year of indulging in the vigorous activity of the April poems.
A Holey Prayer Rug It’s when I wonder where I’m at That I unfurl my yoga mat. Although it’s tattered like a tarp, it Has become my magic carpet. On it I fly that sense of doom That seeks me daily in my room; No matter muscles—ached and pained— My inner poise can be regained. No matter where my thoughts have flown I chant, become one perfect tone. Leslie Schultz
My yoga mat used to be unfurled regularly in public but it is now a very private retreat.
Background on My Poem “Athleisure”:
This morning, I was musing about the word constructed not too long ago by marketing guru- trend analzyerTypes: “athleisure.” It is very true that as a society we are both living longer and are “aging” more actively as a whole. I have many friends who have a couple decades on me and who are far more physically fit than I ever have been or probably ever will be. And yet, the recent combination for me of continued pandemic restrictions and a (now-healing, but still compromising my walking) pinched nerve have, over the past year have made me see the value of prioritizing comfort while still asking for some measure of style. The word “athleisure” makes me giggle but the concept is, I think, a sound one and here to stay.
It is a new word that is coined for a reason, I see, only since writing this poem!
Working in reverse and reading this before your poem. Sorry to hear about that nagging pinched nerve. Some great photos. I can’t quite wrap my tongue around “athleisure” but maybe after I read your poem I will.