so i was in one of those moods today. this has been a great week for me poetically. i finally feel like if i have a diverse enough set of poems that i can write for the sake of writing and not write to try to prove something.
(flashback- last year after the bar13 semi-finals- a talk with two friends)
“we came here to tell ya sumthin”
uh huh
“your work this monday was cool but we think…”
yes?
“we think you should be more funny”
huh?
“you are trying to hard to be a p_o_e_t and its messin with your writing”
ok, i’ll gibe ya that but i do want to be a poet
“yeah but you are trying to sound like how you think people want you to sound instead of trying to be how you are”
what do you suggest
(in stereo)”be more funny”
“you are funny in real life- your writing should be funny”
that right there was one of the best talks i ever had in my poetic life. nothing like some straight up critique to get you rolling. even if it does take nine months for the sheet to sink in.
(end flashback)
something that i read for inspiration from time to time-
Young Poets by Nicanor Parra
Write as you will
In whatever style you like
Too much blood has run under the bridge
To go on believing
That only one road is right.
In poetry everything is permitted.
With only this condition of course,
You have to improve the blank page.
it was one of those days whre i wanted to rememer who i was- a newbie in the back who was either listening intently or writing furiously. i’m still a good listener and have been surprised as to how much goodness there is out there. not the same furious writer but i’ve been hanging with some folks who only pause from their journals long enough to catch a breath and enjoy the new landscpae before attacking the blank page like a young poet should and, let me say this, until the last poem is written- we are all young poets.