what, I wondered
looking out the window for inspiration
where the roses, in need of shaping
bent to the breeze
what a brief passage
or excerpt would look like
perhaps a quote would be better
brief, to the point, erudite
or a poem, flowing
like a river along the page
but fraught with danger
given I don’t properly know what poetry is
get over yourself, said the voice
familiar, haunting, undermining
it’s just an introduction
not a command performance
stay in the moment
filter out the voice
pay attention to the task
shape the words then the roses
From time to time, I work with Holly Bittner, writer and Jungian analyst in training who lives in Philadelphia. Holly uses Jungian understandings of the psyche to help me keep writing beyond the blocks. Today I began a new series of workshops with her and an interesting group of people in three different time zones.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I am very impressed by your poem. I would love to see more of them. Maybe you will come to Arini’s next poetry workshop. In talking with her some strong alternative voices to the usual plodders would be useful.
Thanks Garry. It’s very strange because prayers (poems?!) were the first things I started writing but have no idea what I’m doing. As I say in that one, I don’t know what poetry is and always assume it’s not what I’m doing 🙂 Yeah, I’d be up for a workshop. Let me know when one turns up.