Words That Coalesce

My Week in Photos 03

space for words to land.

For as much as I need to process the world through words, there are times when all I can do is allow myself the space to feel. Sometimes naming the feeling, relating the situation, describing the scene, sharing the story isn’t possible because it’s not accessible.

Yet.

Pope Francis passed away this week. All of Rome, the city I live in, turned hearts and minds toward St. Peter’s Basilica in a sweeping gesture of love, admiration and gratitude for him. Thousands upon thousands of people paid their respects while the city hosted foreign dignitaries from far and wide to do the same. This momentous time, so public and so personal, has left me without words.

While waiting in the {hours long} line to get into the Basilica, I caught myself going into journalist mode, documenting everything, framing the story, trying to capture the extraordinary moment (my background is in journalism).

As soon as I noticed this I stopped. I stopped and just let myself be a person. A person like any other experiencing the moment.

As a writer, I see everything as “writerly” – everything is material! But, it also doesn’t have to be.

I have plenty of thoughts and feelings that, with time, will coalesce into words on the page. But for now, I am holding this week close to my heart. I don’t have to write about it.

Throughout the week, as I continued taking photos for this My Week in Photos project, I noticed a theme: the extraordinary reflected in the ordinary moments of my day.

A cup of foamy cappuccino containing a multitude of feelings much like the Basilica’s cupola.

The morning light that will filter through windows over and over again, each day anew.

Everything is writerly, but it also doesn’t have to be. Not always.

Thanks for reading and keep writing, making, feeling, thinking, drawing, walking, painting, loving…..xx,

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As I said in last week’s photo journal, my intention with this photography project is to just see where it leads me. I don’t know the theme of the week until I sit down to review the photos. I’m just shooting whatever catches my eye.

My Week in Photos project also serves as a writing prompt. The theme that emerges becomes my prompt for a free write. I’m not editing what I write (which is really hard for me….) but for right now this is what I need to do to refresh my writing.

Thanks for reading Everything Writerly! If you are new here I am Michelle Ciani, a writer living in Rome. I work with women who are bringing their writing dreams to life and also write Letters from Rome here on Substack.

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