We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.
--William Butler Yeats
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Recently I’ve received some compliments about my job performance, and a promotion is in the works for me. I was thinking yesterday how I am doing much better at my regular job versus my poetry endeavors. I was thinking that I am a businessperson who writes poetry rather and a poet who works in business. I talked to my wife a little about this. She pointed out that if I devoted as much time to poetry as I do my regular job that I would probably be met with different results. Hmmm….. This makes me think that I should structure my life so that I do more writing and reading of poetry.
I typically get a poem or two out of big vacation trips, particularly if they are overseas. Nothing on this trip absolutely stands out as a poem opportunity. Perhaps it would be nice to try writing a poem about visiting the room where Keats died and seeing a lock of his hair.
I’ve noticed that when I expect to get something in the mail regarding poetry it rarely shows up. It always seems that when I least expect to get some poetry news that it shows up.
2 Comments:
Write a meta poem---some ars poetica.
I am particularly fond of the form, but maybe you should write a poem about how Rome has yet to inspire a poem for you.
I've hit that poem writing wall recently...
I find that it helps to write through the frustration. I will start with something like "Why is it so hard to write about the..." and then go on from there. Of course, in revision, I take out a majority of that 'get going' language.
Anyway... I find poetry responses the same way... they always come when I least expect them.
By the way, I would love to see some pictures of your trip!
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