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Visual interpretation of "Stay with the painful thoughts": Imagine compassion built from the; times you

No. 041

November 10, 2024·11 lines·1 min read

Stay with the painful thoughts

stayed with the painful thoughts.

Imagine compassion built from the times you stayed with the painful thoughts. Like the breaths you take on the steepest part of the mountain that feel like they're taking you. And the words hurled at you from others will feel like the memory of those same breaths when you're resting at the peak.

Stay in the room a little longer.

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If this poem stayed with you, the next one will find you.

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A studio reading for the archive, voiced with care and restraint.

Studio reading
Stay with the painful thoughts0:00 / 0:23
Read the original post on Instagram6 likes on Instagram4 comments
Part of a living collection since September 2024.

A way further in

Not the final meaning. Just a closer read, a better question, and a few nearby poems worth opening next.

Pay attention to the shift in the middle. That is often where the poem chooses who it is becoming.

Opening line

Where the door opens.

Imagine compassion built from the

Center line

Where the temperature changes.

that feel like they're taking you.

Leaving line

The line to carry out with you.

when you're resting at the peak.

If you came here carrying something

Start here if you are shedding old skin, rebuilding, or trying to become more honest.

MemorySurvival

Good company for the seasons when you can feel your life changing shape under you.

Stay in the archive a little longer.

If this one stayed with you, keep it. Then either leave a note, keep moving through the archive, or ask the Studio where to go next.

Notes for Collection No. 41

A guestbook for the poem itself. Leave a response, an image prompt, or an image link if it belongs in the same room.

Imagine compassion built from the

A good note starts where the poem stayed with you.

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The reading room

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