“Touch has a
memory.” ~John Keats
Playfulness is sensate.
If you think about it, much play involves using one of the senses to
experience something fully. Today I am
going to write about one of my favorite (and I think most ignored of senses)—that
of touch. Remember the science
experiment in grade school where you reached inside a paper bag and touched an
object without use of other senses to recognize it? Often identification was not possible without
being coupled with vision, sound, smell or taste. Yet, our sense of touch brings about a
powerful sense of play as well as a sense of connection and well-being. Below is a happy list poem that I created about the
playfulness and connection of touch.
These are ways I have experienced (or perhaps wanted to experience) play
and touch during our March challenge.
Celebrate Touch
Today I choose touch to experience my world.
My body moving across pavement,
arms cranking, legs pumping
Sand between toes, as waves lap
gently across my feet
Lips touching lips softly with a
lover’s first kiss
Movement of Zumba, sweat sliding
across my brow and rolling down my cheek
New born baby skin soft and
fresh—nothing more magical
A light breeze letting me caress
spring’s first blush
Touching of a friend as we dance
the jitterbug
The heat of the sun touching my
face and calling me to shed my jacket
A child’s gentle hug, around my
leg and or neck, whispering connection
Squishy, gooey clay passing
through my fingers as it changes form
Massage touch, digging in allowing
passage of stress and space for joy
A motor purring kitten stroking me
with soft fur
Arms extended in exuberance
A heated bath, steam greeting me
as I lower my body into its cocoon
Touch has power.
Touch connects us. Touch is a
passage for play. What are ways that you
have experienced the playfulness of touch?
PLAY-TITUDE #22: TOUCH—FOR
THE JOY OF IT ALL!
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for dedicating space and time for writers and teachers of writing to
come together to share ideas, practice and life experience.
Your words remind me that our sense of touch is powerful to our emotions. When we lack the touch of love, we are lonely and afraid. We need to remember the power of gentle touching and play.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about it, I can remember exactly how each one of my former pets' fur felt, just one of the many feelings that touch brings, Deborah. Nice to remember & then the memory connects to the sounds & the smells, tastes, etc. Thanks for bringing this to us!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, Deborah - so many sensory details linked to memories...
ReplyDelete