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“I scroll & scroll.”

For today’s Poetry Friday selection I chose Tiana Clark’s “My Therapist Wants to Know about My Relationship to Work,” which you can read over at the Poetry Foundation. Plus also, you can listen to the poet herself reading it, which I recommend. This post’s title is from one of its verses. I love how Clark uses language in unexpected ways, as in “I stutter the page” and “I short/my breath.”

“My Therapist Wants to Know About My Relationship to Work” appears in Clark’s most recent collection, Scorched Earth, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry.

The Poetry Friday roundup is at Linda Baie’s TeacherDance.

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30 responses to ““I scroll & scroll.””

  1. Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing Avatar
    Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

    💙 this part of Clark’s poem, “lavender, more bubbles

    & bath bomb,” and her lively reading, thanks Susan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Yes, I like that part, too! You’re welcome, Michelle. Thanks for stopping by the virtual front porch. (It was snowing again here earlier. Big sigh.)

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  2. Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing Avatar
    Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

    Sorry about your snow, it’s supposed to come our way too and into the teens by Monday, yikes…

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thankfully, it’s just cold now, no snow. And not as cold as February!

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  3. lindabaie Avatar
    lindabaie

    Oh, her reading, the thoughts that jump and stay, connect, then stray, Susan. That feels close to what I imagine we all do, and endless spiral of living! Thanks so much for sharing! And, FYI, others, including us, are having strange, and changing, weather. Sorry for your cold days!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Yes, Linda, that’s it! The “endless spiral of living.” P.S., the snow did not stick. Hallelujah?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. margaretsmn Avatar
    margaretsmn

    ”Again I child back” Thanks for sharing this poem. So true. So me. I feel seen.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      You’re welcome! It’s so impressively frantic (initially) and delightful.

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  5. maryleehahn Avatar
    maryleehahn

    What a fascinating wander through someone else’s thoughts!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      The short lines get longer as the speaker calms down. We don’t see her writing but we see what else (a lot!) is going on and then we have the poem that we’re reading. Pretty cool!

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  6. Alice Tabor-Nine Avatar
    Alice Tabor-Nine

    Thanks for sharing Tiana Clark’s poem. I love how she gives a twist with a subtle change of form that suits her shift from anxiety to relaxation, from the overload of hustle and grind to self-care: “I make tea.”

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      I like her work, and included the name of the book mostly so I’d remember to get it!

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  7. Alan j Wright Avatar
    Alan j Wright

    Susan, in reading and listening to this poem, it invokes the phrase- ‘Stop the world, I want to get off.’ It is a most pertinent depiction of modern life. All that debilitating hustle and rush. An important commentary. Thank you for sharing this poem that reflects modern life for so many,

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      I agree, Alan. All those distractions keep one from writing!

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  8. cvarsalona Avatar
    cvarsalona

    Susan, listening to the author read her poem followed by me reading her poem was a delightful morning treat. I also liked the words, “I stutter the page” and “Again, I child back”.

    It’s amazing how creative some poems evolve with twists of thoughts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      I’m glad you liked it, Carol! Tiana C. gave me some ideas to try out with the unexpected way she uses those words.

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  9. janicescully Avatar
    janicescully

    Thanks ,Susan, for sharing this. I thought to reading really resonated.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      The Poetry Foundation is such a treasure chest of resources. I enjoyed her reading, too. Thanks for stopping by, Janice.

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  10. Mona Voelkel Avatar
    Mona Voelkel

    Printed out this poem to savor, and especially love the Phyllis Wheatley references, as what she overcame to learn, create, and accomplish is so inspiring. Thanks so much!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Mona, yay! Among other things, Tiana C’s poem reminded me to read more poems by Phyllis Wheatley. I do like Lucille Clifton, too.

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  11. Karen Edmisten Avatar
    Karen Edmisten

    Oooh, I love the way she plays with the language and structure of sentences/expressions to express the oh-so-many feelings. Thanks for the bonus of listening! I’ll be seeking out more of Tiana Clark. Thanks, Susan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      You’re so welcome, Karen. The first poem I read of hers was “Nashville,” which ran in the New Yorker in 2017. I was blown away! (The link only works if you have a subscription, alas.)

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      1. Karen Edmisten Avatar
        Karen Edmisten

        Lucky me, I have a subscription! Headed over. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Karen Edmisten Avatar
    Karen Edmisten

    Wow, Susan. That’s an incredible poem.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Isn’t it! I learned something reading that poem. My mom’s side of the family is from that part of Tennessee and I went to school in Nashville. Thank goodness there is still opportunity to learn. Here in my town in CT, the construction of Interstate 95 divided an old Italian American neighborhood in half, and pretty much ensured that people moved away. I can’t imagine how many times this happened across the country.

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  13. mbhmaine Avatar
    mbhmaine

    Her creattive use of language is so powerful and inspirational! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      It is, Molly. I agree. If I were to attempt doing something similar, I’d start out slow and build up! Tiana C. shakes up language so expertly.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. mbhmaine Avatar
        mbhmaine

        creative!!! One t…ugh!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
        Susan.Thomsen

        Ha. No worrries.

        Like

  14. patriciafranz Avatar
    patriciafranz

    I read and re-read this beautiful ode to our over-workness. How I love, each time, “glory–– be my buoyant body” — the release! Wow! Thanks for sharing it with us, Susan.

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