Play and Poetry as Resistance

In Western cultures, we get a clear message from a young age that play is a privilege we must earn. Perhaps as a child, when you asked if you could play, a parent responded with, “Have you finished your homework?”

As adults, our work schedules dictate when we have free time, and often that free time is spent on “homework” like laundry, cooking, and doing the dishes. We may even feel guilty if we allow ourselves to play, because there’s always something “more productive” that we could be doing.

Some of us also feel like we should be doing more to protest the cruelty, corruption, and incompetence of government and other leaders. Or to help those who have been and continue to be harmed by those leaders’ abuses of power.

But what if things like play, poetry, and other creative acts are forms of resistance? What if they are also what enables us to have the energy and emotional wellbeing to resist in other ways?

Anastacia-Reneé led a workshop at Poets House last year titled “Play as Resistance.” As she explained in an interview:

‘Play as Resistance’ says, ‘Yes, life feels unbearable but—I am here. I am valuable. I will maintain my peace and part of my self-care will be to play! I deserve to laugh and smile as much as I am angry or cry. Joy is my birthright.’

When asked how we can resist tyranny in our daily lives, she listed 17 things, including “laugh,” “archive our joy,” and “Write, Art, Sing, Dance, and Make [sic].”

You may be surprised (I was!) to learn that there is a National Institute For Play. Its website summarizes research related to play and concludes that, “Play is not incidental to human life - it is fundamental to it. It is a core mechanism through which humans develop, adapt, and thrive. Play is part of how we survive.”

The site also includes a quiz to help you identify your “play style,” defined as “the unique patterns of how you naturally connect, create, and flourish.” It then suggests a few ways to play based on your style

I’m a “dreamer,” so one suggestion was to “book tickets to watch a concert.” Needless to say, for me that would be for a Bruce Springsteen concert, and I do that as often as possible!

Some poems (and songs, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis”) are clearly written to protest cruel and unjust behavior. Polly Castor’s poem “Joy is an Act of Resistance” includes these lines:

Evil and error need you
to sanction it,
to stand aghast,
to rail against it
to sharpen its blade.

But you blithely
refuse to go there. …

You read a good book,
entirely immersed and diverted
by a rip-roaring fictitious story …

You savor spicy gingerbread,
warm from the oven,
while planning some fun travel.
You cavort with family,
playing cards
next to the blazing
Sunday fire.

Other poems are a form of play; writing them is a way to focus on what’s good and enjoyable in the world instead of dwelling on what’s wrong. That mindset shift can move us from despair to joy and inspire us to add to the world’s beauty.

This morning, I was inspired to write a few haikus about some of my favorite things:

I live for beach days
Playing in the waves is fun
The ocean soothes me

This list highlights some of the many ways to play. Hopefully, it will encourage you to think about how you like to play.

• playing card or board games

• making art projects

• reading

• going to concerts or other shows

• visiting a museum or gallery

• doing crossword puzzles

• walking in a local park

• swimming

Play isn’t a frivolous activity or waste of time; it’s essential to our wellbeing. It’s also a powerful tool of resistance against the dominant narrative that our productivity determines our worth. Play is also a way to free ourselves from the fear and despair authoritarian leaders want us to stay mired in so that we won’t challenge their abusive behavior.

Scheduling time to play is at least as important as scheduling time to work. Look at your calendar now and block out a few hours to do something you enjoy!

P.S. If you enjoy the nature photos I share here and on Notes, check out my “Nature + Nurture” ebook. It pairs my best photos with original quotes to encourage you to embrace your uniqueness. Here are two sample pages:

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