I did nature journaling for the first time this weekend. Sitting in the woods by a stream and listening to birds and jotting things down. Reading this was amazing.
Wow this hits a nerve - we just read “Nightbitch” in my book club and this feels so deeply aligned with the experience that’s being painted. There’s a part of me longing to be this free, and another that’s afraid of moving too far from culture and upsetting people that I love…
All the one-size-fits-all strictures of society that bind too tightly for allow us to be ourselves, let's not accept them as inevitable but choose what works for us and what we should be free of 🪁
I love your poem, but I’ve got to ask, does “feral” mean “wild and untamed” in some parts of the world? Because where I live, in Australia, feral animals are the invasive species. They are destroying habitats, and are one of the reasons many of our native animals are headed to extinction. So… I like the poem, but it felt a little jarring to me.
Interesting! We just call invasive animals invasive, however feral does mean wild or escaping captivity or domestication. So a feral cat for example, can be destructive to wild environments, so I see your point of view on that!
Yeah, see, feral cats are a huge problem in Australia. So, when I hear the phrase, all I think of are animals that destroy. For context, there’s a Wikipedia article called “Cats in Australia.” The introductory comments explain some things, and I’ll try and link it here:
i am a little biased because my name is desire. So my eye is immediately drawn to the word desire in a text…. but this paragraph really stood out to me. as if I was being pointed to trusting myself. the need to lead myself. not what the poem meant but exactly what I had to get out of it. it is beautiful
I do think this is part of what the poem means! To me, being feral would mean trusting myself and my instincts which I feel is hard to do in the face of so many societal pressures. And my desires can be hard for me to feel I deserve, trusting myself and leaning into my true nature might make them feel more accessible. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the poem!!
I love this! Thank you for sharing.
I did nature journaling for the first time this weekend. Sitting in the woods by a stream and listening to birds and jotting things down. Reading this was amazing.
Such a great and healing practice!
What great timing! Do you think the nature journaling is something you'll continue exploring?
Yes, everyone got so much out of it that they're going to try & turn it into a regular activity!
Christie I think you are on the right track. It is so important to be wld. You have inspired me to get feral. I think we are kindred spirits.
Carlos, I had a feeling you'd love Christie's poem as much as I did!
Some days I just want to reject domestication!!
I really like your wild ways!
I wasn’t raised to be feral either. I will go to the wild places with you, Christie. What an excellent poem.
Always a great idea to go to the wild places!!
<3<3<3
Wow this hits a nerve - we just read “Nightbitch” in my book club and this feels so deeply aligned with the experience that’s being painted. There’s a part of me longing to be this free, and another that’s afraid of moving too far from culture and upsetting people that I love…
Absolutely, I feel that All. The. Time!!!!
THAT TENSION. Yep. I feel it in my gendered body, in my neurodivergent body...in so many different facets of my life.
Wow, wow! I'm going to memorize these lines and chant them to myself when needed:
"I was not raised to be feral.
I was not raised to be bold.
I will go to the wild places.
I must learn on my own."
Thanks so much for the comment! I hope we can all claim more of our wild feral-ness!
Right?? There's an understated-ness to those lines that for me just makes them so much more powerful.
I love the framing of "if I were feral." There's a lot to think about there.
Yeah, I hear that 🐆
All the one-size-fits-all strictures of society that bind too tightly for allow us to be ourselves, let's not accept them as inevitable but choose what works for us and what we should be free of 🪁
The anti-inevitability of these things! Yes.
YES YES YES!!!!
I love your poem, but I’ve got to ask, does “feral” mean “wild and untamed” in some parts of the world? Because where I live, in Australia, feral animals are the invasive species. They are destroying habitats, and are one of the reasons many of our native animals are headed to extinction. So… I like the poem, but it felt a little jarring to me.
How interesting / surprising--I'm just as jarred by your take on the word, Evelyn, as I think you were on Christie's! Language is so bizarre <3
Big yes to the core message of wild and untamed, though--that's how the word lands here in the states, and with increasing enthusiasm, it seems :)
Interesting! We just call invasive animals invasive, however feral does mean wild or escaping captivity or domestication. So a feral cat for example, can be destructive to wild environments, so I see your point of view on that!
Yeah, see, feral cats are a huge problem in Australia. So, when I hear the phrase, all I think of are animals that destroy. For context, there’s a Wikipedia article called “Cats in Australia.” The introductory comments explain some things, and I’ll try and link it here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_in_Australia
If I were feral, I would slink off
Into the woods or mountains or meadows—
Alone
Whenever I needed to.
I wouldn’t worry about being judged.
I would trust myself
My Desire. ❤️
i am a little biased because my name is desire. So my eye is immediately drawn to the word desire in a text…. but this paragraph really stood out to me. as if I was being pointed to trusting myself. the need to lead myself. not what the poem meant but exactly what I had to get out of it. it is beautiful
I do think this is part of what the poem means! To me, being feral would mean trusting myself and my instincts which I feel is hard to do in the face of so many societal pressures. And my desires can be hard for me to feel I deserve, trusting myself and leaning into my true nature might make them feel more accessible. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the poem!!
I think I fumbled the message a bit, and it might have sounded like I missed the actual point of the poem… Classic lost in translation moment.
(It was late, and English isn’t my first language… so I’m giving myself a little grace!)😊
Because of my name, it added this unexpected extra layer, like a meaning behind the meaning.
Not what the poem was originally written for, of course, but it made it feel beautifully personal.
Anyway, just wanted to say: I really love the poem. I’m definitely keeping it close. ❤️
Thank you! And your English is excellent by the way!!
Ha--amazing! I love that.