Between class on Thursday, October 28 and class on Tuesday, November 2 you will need to visit Lake Bonny Park. The park is off Bartow Rd., directly across from Lakeland High School, about five minutes from Southeastern: see
map. (Alternatively, you may visit the
Circle B Bar Nature Reserve, which is farther away, but larger and more scenic.)
The purpose of this activity, like similar activities we've done so far, is to get you into a setting that can inform your understanding of what we've read: nature poems, in this case. I also want to give you an opportunity to undertake
the spiritual practice of paying attention, which is a practice of poets like Mary Oliver and, I should point out, of theologians like St. Augustine.
The instructions are as follows:
- Reread one of the nature poems of your choice of those we've discussed in class or of the ones that will be discussed the following class (one of the poems from Mary Oliver or Robert Hass).
- Go preferably in the morning or evening when it is cool.
- Then find a quiet place to sit or stand in nature.
- Be still, be quiet, pay attention, watch, and listen.
- Go alone or go with someone else. If you go with someone, do not spend much time talking.
- Stay at the park for a minimum of 45 minutes; stay still for at least fifteen minutes.
- Don't read or write during the fifteen minutes of stillness.
- Write a nature poem of your own at least 20 lines (or several shorter poems adding up to that much).
- Blog prompt for the next post that you post after your visit: Write about your visit. You ought to include your poem in your post, though you still need to have the post at least 300 words in addition to the poem. Include in your post the following statement: "I went to Lake Bonny Park [or Circle B Bar Reserve] for this field trip, and I stayed there for at least 45 minutes." If you were there for less time, indicate the amount of time you were there for.
