1. Read the poem 

  2. Do your own reflection on it, noting what it inspires in you

  3. Feel free to use your own reflection as your prompt or…

  4. Use the selection of prompts below the poem

  5. Pick one that inspires you and write (feel free to use only one or write several poems using different prompts) or…

  6. Don’t use any of the provided prompts and follow your inspiration from wherever it comes

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine what my stolen eyes 
would see without artificial light. 

Or how wide a net my heart
would cast for safety. 

But what mostly bends my knee 
is the extreme improbability of it all. 

So, I welcome the night 
as an open ear for prayer. 

I have two: one for the blessing of protection 
and another for the blessing of fortune. 

I’ve already painted my walls with answers 
while fasting in the desert of solitude. 

I’ve already unlearned 
a catalogue of old ways. 

I’ve already transferred my shadow-crafts
and shapeshifting skills into a worldly presence. 

Now, the whispered voice tells me to follow 
a greater calling than my own salvation. 

Upon returning, I never expected a red carpet 
or flowers to blossom under my feet; 

only to live in the heartland
of my own undiscovered country 

and, now, to invite you to yours. 

© Nick LeForce
Published in The Undiscovered Country: How to Live in You Own Heartland

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May 21, 2021 at 4:00 PM PST

My Thoughts

We once all had eyes to see a New World because we could see from the inside out. A sandbox could be Jurassic Park; tiny toy figures could act out life dramas; a blanket draped over the table could be a secret hideout. We lived each day with fresh eyes in a magic land. That was before the bloodshed of innocence and the sunset of belief in magic. The real world, as we call it, is a harsh partner. We had to put our imagination in a locked box, narrowing the possible to the practical and eventually to the everyday acts of life needed to get a job, make money, pay bills, raise a family, etc. We had to be responsible and make things happen in the “real world.” So, we either lost interest or stopped believing that there could be a greater adventure or that we could actually live an extraordinary life on the inside as we dealt with the mundane realities of life on the outside.

To me, the inner world is rich and vibrant enough to be a continent, an undiscovered country we can perpetually discover and rediscover. I love roaming in my own undiscovered country, cataloguing the birth of wonders and mapping the untouchable terrain. I am excited to share the inner adventure with fellow wayfarers. That is why I rely on poetry, on innuendo and parlor play. It is the language of the heartland. Sober ears will find the gravitas even in laughter, having grown up in the cruel world, having forgotten how to get drunk on delight, having been hijacked by the worldly idea of “success.” From the inside, all that matters is living close to life. When I remember that I have all I need, I become an everyday adventurer. The surface stories slip from the shelf as I begin to wonder: how wide can I open? How deep can I go? How much can I give? The poem, I Can Only Imagine is a calling, an invitation, to step into your own heartland.

(Adapted from the introduction to The Undiscovered Country: How to Live in You Own Heartland)

Prompt Menu

  1. Use the stem sentence: I can only imagine… as a prompt and write what comes.

  2. What does the phrase “to bend a knee” mean to you? Write a poem inspired by that phrase.

  3. Write poem about “the extreme improbability of” something (you, your life, something in the world, or something that defies the odds) and how it affects you.

  4. Consider the night “an open ear for prayer.” What would you speak into that ear?

  5. Use the phrase “I’ve already…” as a prompt and write about what you have already done that prepares you for whatever you consider to be ahead or coming in life.

  6. Write a poem about the idea of salvation (not necessarily as a Christian concept or even as a religious idea). What does this word evoke and where would you take it poetically?

  7. Describe your own inner landscape as if it is your heartland. What is the geography like? What animals and people reside there? What challenges and opportunities does it present?

  8. As usual, write about anything else that inspires you from the poem or elsewhere.