For the last couple of months, I have been untying my shoes when I take them off. Yes, that means I have to tie them when I put them on.
Yesterday I spent almost an hour trying to find the right word for a poem. A single word. I was working with meaning and syllable count for that word, but still, I spent time finding the right word.
My screen time is down almost 15%.
Over the last 11 weeks my steps have jumped up over 3,000 more steps a day.
I’ve heard the quote, “How you do one thing is how you do everything,” used in movies and TV shows lately.
Each day we have 24 hours. Everyone.
How we use it is the fundamental factor to the quality of our lives. Even when bad things happen, or unexpected challenges, it is our responsibility to decide how we deal with the time we are given.
I have decided to untie my shoes when I take them off.
On day two Robert challenged us to write a poem “from where I am sitting.” The idea was to pay attention to the world around us. My poem stays true to the heart of the prompt, but was written during a walk.
“After the Rain has Stopped”
I am walking
after the rain has stopped.
Mix of earth and evening
sits heavy in my lungs.
Grey clouds fading back to white
releasing the gloom
of the day.
The sun’s last rays
play with the mosaic blues
above me.
A painting even Michelangelo
would sign his name to.
The promise of spring
tickles my nose
and my heart moves to the
music of the birds
perched in the trees,
as if they are God’s choir.
This street morphing
into an aisle between
the pews of hope
and wonder.
–
I am walking
after the rain has stopped.
Finding myself
In the middle
of a sacred liturgy.
There are a number of reasons I wanted to discuss the creative process of this poem.
First, nature is a powerful source of inspiration. Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, and so many others have drawn inspiration from nature. Be it from walks (even Stephen King walks) or quiet moments in nature. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is an example of how deep a moment in nature can be.
If you feel like you have writer’s block, I suggest taking a walk in the park with the focus paying attention to the world around you, like the prompt for the poem. You will be inspired.
Second, I will be honest here… the idea of this poem was actually written the night before the prompt. My Notes app is filled with poetic lines, random thoughts, and even full first drafts of works. As life aligns sometimes, it was a perfect fit for the challenge. I reworked the draft from the app, even thought of using the viator poetic form for the final draft, but liked the free verse flow of the descriptions.
But here is the important point, being able to draw on ideas from notes or drafts. Besides my app, I keep notes, write single lines, and even draw drafts of ideas on any paper I can find when inspiration hits. At this moment, I have a single line in my Notes app that I can’t get out of my mind, but I haven’t been able to cross that inspirational bridge to create something yet. That is cool, and yes, frustrating. But I am excited for that moment when the line becomes more.
The third aspect is the use of imagery to bring forth the theme of the spiritual feeling I had during the walk. The use of literary elements is the art of poetry, of writing. Literary elements allow us to describe all the abstract feelings we have as humans and allow us to share those feelings with others in a way they can relate to. That is the bridge art builds for us. To connect us. To reveal the powerful aspect of this life. We are never alone in our emotions, both positive or negative.
I hope you enjoyed this small series of my creative process for a few of the poems I wrote for the Poetry a Day challenge. Share your process or thoughts in the comment section.
One of the most creative poetic forms is the nonce. Which is a poetic form the poet designs for a specific poem. The poet decides the rules for a poem. On day 20 the prompt was rest. I had a line start in my head, “In the stillness of love.”
And I wrote this poem. I am using the photo option because I couldn’t figure out how to get WordPress to keep the line breaks correct.
The idea of the rules came to me as I started the first draft. The first rule was that I would use a descriptive word followed by a simile. Through the edits, I had to work with both the descriptive word and a creative simile to match it. The third stanza went through a ton of revisions.
As I rewrote my ideas, I noticed that I had unintentionally used alliteration in the first stanza. So, I added that as a rule, and had to rework the second and third stanza again. I didn’t want the alliteration to be overbearing, but wanted it to be clear as the descriptive word was introduced in the second line.
I also went with the imagery of my hands in a type of prayer. Again, this idea came from the first stanza. Which happens sometimes, the base idea is easily transcribed on the page, then the poem is constructed from there. Honestly, the first stanza is almost as is. It is the example of the power of the muse. The other two stanzas took work.
I also like using line breaks and spaces in my more free form poems. It is something I did when I was a younger poet. I like how spaces and tabs can create flow, tells the reader to breathe. As I reworked the poem, the line breaks started to materialize as I scribbled on my yellow legal pad. But the final rules for the look was cemented when I transferred the poem to a Google doc. I could firmly set the rule for spaces and see how it moved on the page.
Because of the challenge of writing and posting a poem in a day, I went with the ending as I wrote it. I am unsure of the ending at the moment. I may revise it later, but the poem is presented here as it was written for that day.
Have you ever designed your own rules for a poem? Share your experience in the comment section.
On day three of the PAD challenge Robert asked us to write a short poem. Nothing longer than 10 lines. Now, there are quite a number of short poetic forms, Robert provided a few in the overview of the prompt for the day. Creating a poem in a few lines, and with the presented rules of a particular form can stretch one’s creative mind.
Throughout the month I wrote some short poems because of how the prompt inspired me. For day three I specifically wanted to use a poetic form. Without any idea for the poem, I decided to write a Shadorma. I like this poetic form (you can expand the poem by making stanzas from the guidelines).
But I had no theme or prompt word to go with it. So, I had a different hurdle to overcome. Here is the poem I wrote that day. I will discuss how I got the idea afterwards.
My heart is
a candle whose flame –
surrounded
by darkness –
jumps and sparks trying to keep
the light from fading.
Writing in poetic forms has a built-in challenge. Meshing my ideas within the rules of a form can take days, even weeks for me to accomplish. Throw in a short poetic form, and write it in a day for the PAD challenge and I sat there drinking my coffee with my head spinning.
With or without a poetic form, short poetry is not easy. The theme and intensity of an idea has to come through in just a few words or lines. And it has to hit the reader, hard. At least I think it does. Short poetry should be like drinking a shot, full flavor that then sits warm in the reader’s mind.
The idea for this poem started with the candle that sat on our island. We tend to keep a candle on the island that we light at the end of the day. Just a part of our family routine. I noticed the burnt wick, dark and frayed. Then, I started to consider how bad the year had been. I then considered the sayings about a single light against the darkness. In my mind I saw a candle in the middle of darkness, how small the light was. I thought about how fast the darkness would be complete if the fire on the wick sputtered and went out.
I had my idea.
I used my lunch period to work through the poem. I started with the metaphor, “My heart is a candle…” I actually had to work line 3 and 4 through a few different versions. These lines are only three syllables long. I wanted the tension of the darkness surrounding the flame to come through, to have that tone of sadness to hit and stay throughout the poem.
Here is where punctuation makes a difference in the poem. I could have used commas. But the emdash created the tone I wanted for the weight of the darkness. I then continued with the imagery of the flame that was fighting to stay alive.
Writing this poem encompassed the importance of punctuation, the challenge of short poetry, and how everyday objects, the candle on the island, can be the spark for inspiration. I think the poem also reinforces the power of writing in a poetic form, it can make you really delve into word choice, theme, and expression that you might not normally do.
Let me know what you think of the poem, or of any of the ideas I discuss in this post. Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Robert Lee Brewer has some favorite prompts he uses for the PAD challenge. One of them is the BLANK prompt. Robert gives a word and the filler BLANK with it. As poets we are supposed to use it as the title of the poem. This poem was written for the prompt, New (Blank).
“New Hands”
I wish I had new hands.
These do not write great poetry
or handle precious things properly.
–
My hands are callous and scarred
from traveling too far
from other hands
that only wanted
to know
I would never let them go.
–
These hands have broken
bread with no intention
of keeping
the promises set
at a table
I was invited to
but no longer
have a seat at.
–
I wish I had new hands.
These ache
with the weight
of carrying
the expectation
of caring
for a family tree
I’ve never enjoyed
the shade of.
I planted my own sapling
in soil I created
by breaking the stones
that held generational sins.
–
I wish I had new hands.
These are pale
from years spent in darkness,
fighting against the scales
Fate used in measuring
my worth.
No matter what I paid,
what dreams I placed
on the plate,
it never balanced
my life’s fulcrum
because Fate
kept its thumb
on the plot
I thought I was writing.
–
I wish I had new hands.
These are failing
in doing the work
of living a life
worth holding on to.
Poetic Form: Spoken Word
I sat with the idea for this poem for a while because of doubt. I am not sure what triggered the idea of having new hands, might have been just noticing my hand as I drank my coffee, but I was unsure of the idea. The idea of replacing my hands simply seemed unrealistic.
The line, “I wish I had new hands” just kept running through my head. I considered some poetic forms that use a refrain for the idea. Poetic forms like the quatern, the dansa, and the kyrielle. But as I wrote down a few lines, the forms didn’t feel right.
I actually tried to come up with some new ideas for the prompt, like “A New Day”, “New Words”, and some other ideas written on a post-it note. But I couldn’t shake the idea of new hands. I couldn’t shake the doubt either.
In fact you can read the doubt in the first stanza.
I’ve learned over the years to trust the muse more than doubt. It is hard, but once I take the first steps into the idea my creativity takes the wheel. Besides a few edits, this poem is as it was written on the yellow legal pad I used for writing during the PAD challenge. I wanted to write in longhand for each first draft during the challenge.
I also stayed with the more negative idea of why I needed new hands. But kept the idea of a refrain to start each section that dealt with the reason for why my hands were falling. I also focused on how the poem sounded as if I was at a poetry slam. That is why there is inconsistent rhyming, alliterations, and different line breaks. I do hope to use this poem in a poetry slam this summer.
The writing of “New Hands” highlights the battle I face sometimes between doubt and the idea the muse gives to me.
Please feel free to share how you deal with doubt in the comment section.
I thought it would be fun to share my creative process for 5 (of the 30) poems I wrote last month for the Poem A Day challenge. I did something like this in February and I have always enjoyed the stories of inspiration from artists. I have a number of iTunes Originals albums that combine an interview with music from the artist. So in that vibe, here is the first of five blog posts about writing poetry. Side note: I use the prompts provided by Robert Lee Brewer of Writer’s Digest.
Day 11 Prompt: Nature
“Clouds”
Even
when they look like a child cut them out of white fabric,
clouds are in constant motion.
Edges shifting,
water vapor colliding with dust.
Internal turmoil
that we can not see,
only feel when we get caught in the rain.
Poetic Form: Descort
First, the descort poetic form is one of my favorite forms to write in. The rules are simple, no line can be the same in the poem. That means no rhyming, different syllable count, no repeat of literary elements. Each line is unique. I love the challenge this form gives.
During the month of April, I tried to learn the prompt for the day as soon as I could, usually as I took the first sips of my coffee. That way I could think about it and try to write a rough draft during my lunch break. But on this day the idea came to me on the drive to school. Ironically, this is the second poem that was inspired during the same time (The Creative Process).
The horizon is clear for the last part of our drive to school, and the sunrises can be beautiful. On this day the clouds caught my attention, they were moving, shifting. And here is where ideas can be generated because you are thinking about something specific. The muse can be called. You do not have to wait for inspiration.
Knowing I had to write a nature poem, my thoughts started to center on the clouds, and why they changed. Even though I wasn’t looking at rain clouds, I thought about what triggers the cloud to release the rain.
When I got to school I researched how clouds generate rain and what conditions allow for the rain to fall. I had already decided that the theme of the poem would be centered on us (people) not knowing what a cloud was going through. A metaphor for people not knowing what other people were going through. Also, I had already decided that I was going to use the descort form because of its shifting style. In this case I felt the form perfectly matched the theme of the poem.
After researching how rain worked inside a cloud, I jotted down my main ideas. Very rough first draft.
Now, there is a mix of magic and artistic goals in any work of art. I wanted the poem to start out on a positive note, then move to the rain, and finish with the reveal of the theme. I knew I wasn’t worried about rhyming, but I did have to pay attention to my line breaks because each line had to have a different syllable count.
I think I revealed the tension of internal conflict well in the opening three lines (in fact a single sentence). Then I used the information I learned about rain and finished with my theme. That we don’t know the internal struggle of clouds (people) until we have been caught in the rain.
This poem’s creation came rather quickly, but highlights the importance of researching so that descriptions can be accurate, and that creativity can be generated with a focused mindset.
Let me know what you think of the poem, or if you just want to share your creative process with me in the comment sections.
I have coached football for almost 30 years. When I teach how to tackle, I teach the player to focus their eyes on the opposing players hips. To keep their head up. They should never see the grass of the field.
I was a running back. I was taught to read my offensive linemen’s numbers. To follow their lead.
I have coached basketball. When a player is dribbling, I instruct them to have their eyes up, never look at the ball.
I have coached every event in track and field. I was a jumper in high school and college. I never looked at the board when jumping. I coach my athletes not to look at the board because the body goes where the eyes go.
But in life, there is another part of ourselves that goes with where the eyes go… that is our heart.
This is important to consider, especially at this moment in our culture. Our eyes are practically glued to screens. As a dad I see parents just sit on a park bench as their child plays. I see it in the hallways of school. I battle everyday to get students to put their phones away. You can see people looking at their phones as they drive.
The heart goes where the eyes go. Just the fact of being locked onto the screen shows what matters to someone. Parents ignore their children, students don’t talk to anyone, people don’t even know when the light changes.
I believe that our actions show what we truly care about. At this moment, I see people care more about their phones than other people, the blue sky, a friend, because their eyes are on a screen. Their heart is for the screen.
I haven’t even discussed what is on the screen, just the action of staring for HOURS a day at a screen. Our heart goes where our eyes go.
We are missing out on relationships, beauty, and a depth to our own lives because we don’t look up. We don’t observe. We don’t think. These actions strengthen our hearts. Good and bad times strengthen our hearts, but only if we look up. Observe the complexity of loving someone. Of striving for a goal. Reacting to another’s tears. We have to see these to feel them.
If you want to know what condition your heart is in, follow where your eyes go.
It has happened. My youngest daughter knows that mom and I are Santa, Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny.
But not by me. I officially have never ended the magic of childhood. Last night my youngest daughter (11 years-old) asked my wife about it. And mom confirmed what my daughter had figured out. Ironically because the Tooth Fairy has been inconsistent.
Ironically, two nights ago my youngest daughter asked me about the Easter Bunny. About how we knew who’s eggs were whose. I said I received a magical letter that had the instructions. She asked to see the letter. I said it dissolved into magical pieces once I read it. She thought that was cool.
But as we grow older, the magic of life seems to dissolve into dust and we can’t get it back. Last night, mom informed our daughter that I still believed. My daughter asked my wife not to tell me that she knew the truth.
The magic of believing… in joyful expressions.
I still believe in Santa, in the Easter Bunny, in the magic of the idea that life should be joyful. For my consistent readers, you know I believe in expressing our love to others everyday. But there is a deeper joyful feeling in believing in the magic of this life. Of childhood, of receiving a gift, or hidden eggs, simply because you are you.
So, even though all my children know that I am Santa, I still believe…
I was walking last weekend and decided to listen to my top songs from 2022 on Spotify. I have saved my top song playlist for each year. They are like musical historical documents. I enjoy writing my musical blog posts, and my first idea was to share the number ones, but that seemed to be too obvious of a choice. I had a few other ideas, but then it hit me that I would use the twenty fifth song… because 25 was my football number. And that felt right. So, here is a look back at my 25th favorite song from the last four years with a small comment for each song. Enjoy learning a little about me through music.
2021: “I can See it in Your Eyes” by Men at Work
Comment: The first cassette I ever bought was Men at Work’s Business as Usual. Which is the album that this song comes from. As I have grown older, this song has become a classic break-up song. And one I understand better. The mix of nostalgia and how a relationship can just change without a reason why.
2022: “Life in a Northern Town” by The Dream Academy
Comment: This song always painted a picture of hope amongst hard times. The song was inspired by the shipyard closures in northern England. But for me the music and lyrics mix in a way to inspire a sense of hope. When I was younger, I imagined it was me at the end of the song leaving. Even now this song comforts my spirit (as does the whole album).
2023: “Nice To Meet Ya” by Niall Horan
Comment: I do like modern music. And I enjoy songs that make me want to move, that indulge in a little romantic vibe. This song does both. I remember hearing for the first time on the commute to school. When I got to school I found it on Spotify and played it on repeat. Every time it came on the radio, I sang it to my wife. She just rolled her eyes (LOL), but with a smile. She knows my musical taste. (I have a playlist dedicated to these kinds of songs.)
2024: “Headed for a Heartbreak” by Winger
Comment: I was actually surprised that this song was this high when I first looked up the songs for each year. But after considering all the personal events and other challenges that the last couple of years brought, I could understand. And yes, it is kind of a sappy song, but that is another part of me (yes, I have a playlist dedicated to these kinds of songs, too). I was in high school when this song was released and going through some turbulent times trying to change the trajectory of my life. This song just fit for me at that time. And like the history lesson music is for all of us, it has stayed with me. It is number 12 on my top 100 of all time list.
Honestly, I was a little surprised at the songs sitting at the twenty fifth spot for the last four years. I thought the songs would be more modern but three of the four are songs that best represent my history. Songs that remind me of where I came from, but still inspire me to move forward to become the person I wanted to be when the songs entered my life.
What are some of your foundational songs, songs that represent your history? Share them in the comment section.
Over the last two years I have made a number of trips home to Wyoming. Regular readers know why. As I traveled north on I-25 I always enjoyed seeing the mountains in the west. When the sky is just blue, Laramie Peak cuts a wonderful scene against the sky.
Like many people, I think about how cool the view would be from the top of the mountain.
I am not much of a mountain climber, but there are lots of people who have that drive. According to a number of different sources, about 800 people reach the summit of Mount Everest each year, even though Mount Everest is the deadliest mountain to climb. It has a death zone that starts at the elevation of 8,000 meters. Twelve percent of the deaths over the years are from exhaustion.
On my walk I was thinking about trying to go home this summer, and then I started to think about the past trips and the mountain range (and actually of the handful of poems I’ve written from those trips). In one of those magical moments where ideas lead to ideas and then to connections, I thought about how we use climbing a mountain as a symbol of reaching our personal goals.
And why the symbolism works.
Everyone loves the view of their goals as they travel the road of everyday living. We think about how great the view of life would be when we reach those goals. But that thought is not enough to motivate most of us to actually put on our gear and start climbing.
I’ll use Mount Everest as an example for reaching our goals.
First is time. On average it takes 6 – 10 weeks to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Part of the reason is to safely adjust to the altitude.
There are milestones and adjustments when striving for a goal. Be it time, sacrifices, or even self development. Trying to fulfill a dream takes a commitment of time that we sometimes don’t want to give. It’s easier to continue on the highway and look at the goal on the horizon.
Second factor is the cost. Just the license to climb Mount Everest is $11,000 from the government of Nepal. Also, there is the cost of equipment and the Sherpas’ services to reach the top.
The cost of reaching a goal varies for sure. But I am in the red for the total amount I have paid for gas, bookmarks, and postage compared to how much I’ve made selling books, and it’s not even close.
Then there is the cost of pain, physical and emotional. While climbing Mount Everest, climbers will experience altitude sickness, fatigue, and the weather conditions can change quickly. I can’t even imagine how many times they have to deal with the voice in their head telling them to give up. Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first climbers to reach the summit, said, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
Isn’t this true for everyone who strives to reach their goals? It is one of the most important reasons to go after our goals. There is a reason why we have a dream. It is connected to our spirit, it is a reflection of who we can be. So, even if we never fully reach the summit of our goals, we become the person we can be by striving for that goal.
It’s easy to just drive past the mountain ranges as we travel this life. Gaze at their majestic beauty. Think about the view from the top, how wonderful it would be, but keep the cruise control on.
Or go after that dream that beckons you. There is an exit coming up that will take you to the base of the mountain. It has always been there, just like the mountain range.
It is all Connected 