December I will sleep, in my little cup.

Ron Padgett

I know it is May/nearly June but this morning felt like December. Not just because of the low temperature and level of light (typical in Scotland) but also because of my mood. Sometimes I feel very much like I am “in my little cup.” These four words seem to capture a feeling for me that doesn’t have another analog.

I don’t read a lot of poetry, but I wish I did. I got a collection of Ron Padgett’s poetry after reading How to be perfect. I love skimming through it. I love that you can read fifty poems and get absolutely nothing from them but then you will read one that is just right. Poetry is about “expressing the unsayable experience.”

Poems are tricky and some hold on tight.

“In my little cup” is one of those lines for me. I love the symbolism. Being in my cup isn’t about having a negative or positive stance. It’s being in my own space, being quiet and still, charging up, thinking up, doing my thing. It might be because I identify as an introvert, preferring to turn inward, feeling restored by inner thoughts, loving my solitude. There is also something seasonal and temporary about it. I’ll go be in my cup and will be out again soon.

It might also be that this line grabbed me today because I need to get more sleep.

Regardless, it is almost June and today “I will sleep, in my little cup”.