Diary of a Poem: “Thoughts”
In General
Ideas and inspirations come in various shapes, forms, and energies to each of us. I may have an idea rolling around in the back of my mind for awhile, or, when an inspiration surprises me and surfaces, I write it down before it goes away. This initial prose or “poem” often has threads leading to an expanded and broader finished product.
Editing includes rearranging, simplifying, and articulating, and the elapsed time from start to finish is never the same. It may take a few days visiting it off and on, or, as with the “The Poet,” it can take longer. Indeed, “The Painter,” a work in progress that I’ve revisited over a three-year period, is still in the handwritten stage.
When a work is feeling complete and depending on the subject matter, I may “hit the street” to see how people respond to it in regard to flow, clarity, and impact. (There’s no coaching or leading on the witness!) This is fun, and nuggets of inspiration often come.
The finished product will come. Assuming no real or imagined deadlines, keeping the faith is far more powerful than forcing and sweating over it. When the time is right for a particular piece to be finished, the creative process will flow.
“Thoughts”
I happened to be going back through an old yellow notepad used for daily business, notes, and reminders, and there it was! Here’s how it went:
Page 1: The original page with the black circle was written sometime in 2009.
Page 2: The next handwritten page was the first iteration done about 10/15/11.
Page 3: The Initial typing was done as “Thoughts (10/18/11).”
Page 4: Next was “Thoughts II (10/19/11),” which was scribbled on, circled, and marked up.
Page 5: The last and final version: “Thoughts III (10/20/11).” Not shown, however, are the many subtle changes, musings, and times in the “zone.”
