{"id":2061,"date":"2025-05-11T06:28:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T06:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2025-05-11T06:55:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T06:55:35","slug":"in-case-of-emergency-write-poems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/2025\/05\/11\/in-case-of-emergency-write-poems\/","title":{"rendered":"IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: WRITE POEMS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At RECASAS, we believe that writing\u2014even just a few words\u2014can be a powerful act of self-care. That\u2019s why our new pens say:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>\u201cIM NOTFALL: Gedichte schreiben\u201d <\/strong><\/span>or<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>\u201cIn case of emergency: write poems\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This post is for anyone who\u2019s struggling emotionally and isn\u2019t sure what to do with all they\u2019re feeling. Here\u2019s a simple writing practice you can try, combining Peter Elbow\u2019s <em>freewriting<\/em> method with the gentle structure of a <em>Haiku<\/em> or <em>Elfchen<\/em> poem.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Step-by-Step Freewriting Exercise<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>(based on <a href=\"https:\/\/peterelbow.com\/\">Peter Elbow<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>What is freewriting?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nIt\u2019s writing continuously for a set amount of time without stopping to think, edit, or judge. The goal is to bypass your inner critic and get to what\u2019s raw and real.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>What might help you while Freewriting:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You do not have to show your words to anyone.<\/li>\n<li>You can jump from topic to topic.<\/li>\n<li>Ignore grammar, spelling, and structure.<\/li>\n<li>Just don\u2019t stop writing, even if you repeat a word.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Part 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Set a timer and write <strong>nonstop<\/strong> for five minutes. If your mind goes blank, write \u201cI don\u2019t know what to write\u201d until something comes. Just keep your pen or fingers moving.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Part 2: Find a Spark<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read what you wrote. <strong>Underline a phrase or word<\/strong> that stands out to you. Write it at the top of a clean page and freewrite for another 5 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Part 3: Repeat<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Again, underline a new word or phrase from this second piece. Use it to begin a third 5-minute freewrite.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Part 4: Connect &amp; Shape<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now look through all three pieces. What feelings, images, or themes are emerging? Try to pull them together into a short poem, reflection, or even just a few powerful lines.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Try This: Create a Haiku or an Elfchen<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>From your freewriting, choose a few strong words or lines. Now, shape them into one of these simple poetic forms:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>What is a Haiku?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A traditional Japanese poem with 3 lines and a <strong>5-7-5 syllable<\/strong> structure.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nGrief sits on my chest<br \/>\nlike snow on tired branches\u2014<br \/>\nstill, I do not break.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>What is an Elfchen?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A German poem of 11 words, spread over 5 lines in this pattern:<br \/>\n<strong>1 word \/ 2 words \/ 3 words \/ 4 words \/ 1 word<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s often used in schools, but don\u2019t let its simplicity fool you\u2014Elfchen can carry deep emotion.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Example (in English):<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nRain<br \/>\non glass<br \/>\nsoftens my thinking<br \/>\nmemories blur their outlines<br \/>\npause.<\/p>\n<p>Or in German:<br \/>\nStille<br \/>\nam Fenster<br \/>\nich h\u00f6re nichts<br \/>\nau\u00dfer meinem eigenen Atem<br \/>\ngenug.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Reminder:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nYou don\u2019t have to share your poem. But you might want to save it as a reminder that <em>you made something<\/em>\u2014something honest\u2014from a moment of struggle.<\/p>\n<p>If you try this and something beautiful or meaningful emerges, feel free to share it with the RECASAS community (only if you feel ready). And remember: <strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">In case of emergency, write poems.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">FOTO: shutter stock royalty free von <a style=\"color: #ff6600;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/de\/g\/viki2win\">vikitowin<\/a> aus Kroatien<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At RECASAS, we believe that writing\u2014even just a few words\u2014can be a powerful act of self-care. That\u2019s why our new pens say: \u201cIM NOTFALL: Gedichte schreiben\u201d or \u201cIn case of emergency: write poems\u201d This post is for anyone who\u2019s struggling emotionally and isn\u2019t sure what to do with all they\u2019re feeling. Here\u2019s a simple writing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"2","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"floatbottom","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"3","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-715","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"coauthors":[55],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-care-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2061"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2062,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions\/2062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2061"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recasas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}