Marcela Iglesias, MA, JD, RYT-200, LFYP II, DTR Facilitator
May You Be Well - Conscientious Objector
Conscientious Objector
I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death.
I hear him leading his horse out of the stall; I hear the clatter on the barn-floor. He is in haste; he has business in Cuba, business in the Balkans, many calls to make this morning. But I will not hold the bridle while he clinches the girth. And he may mount by himself: I will not give him a leg up.
Though he flick my shoulders with his whip, I will not tell him which way the fox ran. With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where the black boy hides in the swamp. I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death; I am not on his pay-roll.
I will not tell him the whereabout of my friends nor of my enemies either. Though he promise me much, I will not map him the route to any man's door. Am I a spy in the land of the living, that I should deliver men to Death? Brother, the password and the plans of our city are safe with me; never through me Shall you be overcome.
—Edna St. Vincent Millay
Dear Rest Friends,
I had the great fortune to hear this poem recited by Maya Angelou at a Professional Business Women’s Conference in San Francisco back in the 90s. She stood tall, welcoming, and fierce as she spoke the words.
Ms. Angelou told us all then that we should memorize this poem. In fact, she said “All men and women should tattoo this poem on their heels.” She reminded us of her grandmother’s sage wisdom that “poetry puts starch in your backbones.”
This poem, as she recited it, did just that for many of us there. We felt fortified and strengthened, hopeful and whole.
These words come to me often and always at just the right time. It seems to be playing quietly in the background of my mind and heart until something calls it forward. Recently it has taken on a new intensity. I can still hear that deep resonant voice, I will die but is all I will do for death. I love the rightful and noble defiance living in those words. It stokes the fire of the rebel living in me. I got it from my parents—each a rebel in their own unique way.
We need that fortitude, that grounding and strong stance. The world is not the same and may likely never be what it was just a few months ago. As we “grow through what we go through,“ we need resilience. We need our inner companion, our power and our vitality. All found in rest.
Take a deep breath and release it with a sigh. Yawn and stretch. Repeat as often as possible.
And, rest on.
Love, Marcela
Listening/Reading/Learning/Supporting
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay Maya Angelou’s love of Edna St. Vincent Millay inspired me to read this biography and it is one of the best I’ve ever read. It is a favorite and one that I’ve passed down to my daughters. Edna St. Vincent Millay was a rebel and a revolutionary—a Conscientious Objector all the way.
The Nap Ministry Tricia Hersey, the Nap Bishop is a wise teacher who has been teaching rest as resistance since 2013. She is a powerful woman who describes with clarity why rest is heals and liberates. She has claimed the “Year of 2020 as ‘The Year of Grief. The Year of Rest.’” She is a rebel, revolutionary artist and poet and a deep source of wisdom and inspiration for rest and liberation.
EcoSilkArt Nani Pacal, a talented artist developed eco-silk-art—a delicately layered silk collage. Her images are lovingly made using hundreds of individual silk pieces. Her art is nothing short of magical—little tiny threads of silk coming together to create one-of-a-kind images that capture the beauty of Nature.
