Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Process



WE WRITE POEMS
suggests a poem about writing poems.



THE PROCESS

How do I write a poem?
Well, first I need a trigger.
Then I let that trigger fester
In my mind till it grows bigger.
The trigger may be on the web
Or something in my day,
But it niggles me and niggles me
And just wont go away.
It sits there, like  a little nut,
In the back-room of my mind,
All vague and indeterminate
And totally undefined.
Then, when I'm doing something else,
Maybe making a bed,
The first line of a poem
'Pings' into my head.
Now comes a bit of tension
For the poem's on it's way,
But sitting down and writing it
May not fit in my day.
So when I'm walking to the shops,
Or fetching kids from school,
I have a glazed look in my eyes;
I'm preoccupied as a rule.
Then, as soon as I have a free moment,
I rush to set it down,
Finding I've almost written it
In my mind walking to the town!
Then, what a blissful moment
As I sort of 'let it out'!
*
There you are! You have it!
That's what my writing's all about!
*
---------------------------------------------------------

TAKE-OFF!

First the leap and then the slither!
Soapy bubbles, hither, thither!
Body flung aloft, uncaring,
Full of recklessness and daring.
Eyes squeezed tight, and mouth set grimly,
Knees together, almost primly.
Down he goes to swoop and slide,
Arms stretched out, he seems to glide.
Only when he finally lands
At the end and kneels then stands
Does laughter come, a joyous shout.
He's learned what life is all about!
*

5 comments:

Red Shoe Artist said...

I love this, I've only just started with meter and rhyme myself and I'm so glad I came here.
Thanks for sharing

Mr. Walker said...

I like your "process". Mine is very similar - I often have poems pretty much written in my head; it's finding/making the time to get them down on paper. Well stated.

Elizabeth said...

So many of the same places, I find in the process, especially that distracted one. And love the slide poem and the concentrated daring and whoop of laughter at having done it. Actually feel that way when I finish a poem, lol.

Elizabeth

Margaret Gosden said...

I liked that! The process for blogging begins for me
with a visual image, prior to shooting the photo; it is not until I am at the keyboard when the process of composition begins that the image as a whole sometimes emerges as something different from when it began or was first seen. It is not, then, a snapshot but an image that is changed in the way that a drawing is changed when it finally becomes a composed painting. To feel the moment of creativity occurring through one's fingers is instant gratification!

Mike Patrick said...

Brilliant description of the process.