Up early and having a look over recent scribbling. When write a poem I usually have a good impression in my head of its worth. Some poems are just tunings, to get the head into gear. We could have a long discussion here of the sources of inspiration, but I generally find that I cannot sit and stare at a blank sheet for too long. i need to begin the process, so I write the first thing that comes to mind. The act of writing is a catharsis, and after a while my poetic concentration kicks in, and something of worth comes out.
Anyway, after a day or so I go back to what I have written. If I have that feeling that a poem is good, I carry that fact around with me as I go about my daily business. The fact of writing a decent poem makes me feel good. I am alive, a poet, a worthy, and I can survive work and the constant niggles of life in a better frame of mind.
Then comes the moment when I sit back down in front of the work. Sometimes I am disappointed – it is not as good as I hoped. Often there are parts of the poem that shine, and I see parts I can prune, or condense, or change. The best feeling is when I can see one or two words that are out of place, but generally the poem is good. That’s when i start to feel like a poet.
It’s a great feeling, giving life to a sequence of words, engendering a poem. I remain convinced that poetry is the best use of language. A proper poem holds mystery, the seeds of prophecy, is entertaining in the highest sense, has a rhythm in it that echoes the spirit of all poetry previously written, is a communication unlike any other. Music runs it close in purely emotional terms, but poetry remains the essence of human communication.
One heart talking to another.