Photo: the author Stefania Lucchetti, in a portrait by © Emma Terenzio
“Shadows linger
Remnants of forgotten threads
A semblance of chaos”
Excerpt from the poem “The House in the Forest” included in the contemporary poetry collection Coffee Stains on My Books, Stefania Lucchetti, 2024
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Lately, I have been watching Severance, a television series distributed by Apple TV+ which is a psychological thriller. The plot revolves around the employees of Lumon Industries, a mysterious company that implements a procedure called “severance,” which surgically separates memories related to work life from those of personal life. This creates two distinct identities: the “work self” and the “personal self,” each unaware of the other’s memories and experiences.
Without giving away spoilers, it is clear from the outset that the story can only unfold into an unsettling mystery that explores themes of control, identity, and freedom.
Above all, it delves into the idea of the consequences of having parts of the self that are inaccessible to other parts. For this reason, I took the opportunity to share a few thoughts on my poem The House in the Forest.
The House in the Forest seemingly tells the story of a journey through a forest or woodland. But the forest is a metaphor. The journey is an inner one – into oneself, into one’s subconscious, memories, and fears. Whatever personal path this journey takes, it is one that initially instills fear but is always worth undertaking.
Each of us has our own forest and a secret house: a hidden inner place which, when we have been away from it for too long, seems at first unreachable. Yet by walking through that forest, following the path, we can find it again. We can enter, rediscover it. Personally, I believe that one of the most significant and important skills one can develop is the ability to refrain from creating impenetrable divisions between one’s conscious and unconscious life. The ability to know how to move gracefully along the boundaries between the two.
Returning to the series Severance, one evening while discussing it, one of my kids pointed out how this separation of parts of the self always occurs during sleep, when we dream. There are parts of us that are not freely accessible to others. This is true; however, one can learn to keep them close so that one part can observe and be aware of the other’s existence, striving to remember at least some aspects of it. Experts in lucid dreaming teach highly useful techniques for this purpose.
That said, I believe that often it is enough to simply give ourselves the time to think, to meditate: by walking, resting adequately, reading something that stimulates thought, and opening ourselves to new experiences.
“With hesitant hands I open the windows, inviting light
fearing monsters and terror
yet, none lurk within”
Excerpt from the poem “The House in the Forest” included in the contemporary poetry collection Coffee Stains on My Books, Stefania Lucchetti, 2024
Press
- Some press review of articles out lately (in Italian).
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