Poemwork
Sometimes I give myself
a poemwork assignment
to fill an empty notebook page
I hunker down with pen in hand
imagining that I’ll see poetry
the way I see hidden pictures in 3D art
when I take my gaze off the obvious
When I trust that a poem already exists
just below the surface
and let myself fall into it
I start to imagine that I can track a poem
like the sun tracks the crystal
that hangs in my window
and makes rainbows orbit
around the room
I tilt my head and squint my eyes
concentrating on that rare alignment
like a birdwatcher with binoculars
waits for the wild sighting
and listens for the herald of its song
______Colleen Redman / Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads
June 9th, 2015 10:18 am
At times words donot come easily but sometimes they flow freely like a river!
June 9th, 2015 10:36 am
I think a paper and pen is the hardest way to create poetry… but I would love to be better at it… strangely enough I prefer to sit in front of my computer.. but I have tried to enter a dreamlike state to sketch it.
June 9th, 2015 10:46 am
Its true.. when one sets their mind at ease.. inspiration flows like a river stream 😀
Beautifully executed..!
Lots of love,
Sanaa
June 9th, 2015 11:40 am
Used to write before but the PC makes it faster
and a lot easier. Pen and paper is perhaps just an expression! Nicely Colleen!
Hank
June 9th, 2015 11:44 am
I like to douse for ideas and sketch them out on paper but the bulk of the writing after that does happen at the computer. I never would have thought it.
June 9th, 2015 12:48 pm
Bravo! I relate.
June 9th, 2015 12:51 pm
Yes, trust a poem already exists. It is so in poem work.
June 9th, 2015 1:24 pm
Never imaged poetry that way…now I will.
June 9th, 2015 4:12 pm
Granted it is an inexact science but worth the wait, n’est pas?
June 9th, 2015 6:45 pm
The progress of your poem follows your narrative in a content=form way, making me slow down, tilt my head and adjust my gaze. Sweet!
June 9th, 2015 6:46 pm
Well put! The process that goes into poetry creation can be so elusive, slippery and yet so dazzling one cannot help but chase after it 😀
June 9th, 2015 7:03 pm
Oh, I absolutely adore this whole concept as well as the way you have expressed it. I am reminded of stories I have read of Michelangelo carving the stone away from the figure waiting to be revealed inside it!
June 9th, 2015 7:46 pm
Nice! Gosh I sometimes do feel like this, and other times (like now!) the words are too deep to be accessed. Argh.
June 9th, 2015 9:18 pm
I can’t force a poem either.
I relate! I relate! You’ve captured the poetic muse so well here.
Fall in, baby!
June 10th, 2015 10:12 am
Poem catching! I like it. I see the speaker waiting behind a tree, watching the poem in its natural environment, then luring it towards a place they can share. Not a cage, for a poet would never imprison words.
June 10th, 2015 11:14 pm
Love “poemwork”. Sometimes it feels that way 😉
June 11th, 2015 12:56 pm
I ADORE THESE LINES:
When I trust that a poem already exists
just below the surface
and let myself fall into it
So much truth and insight into process.
June 11th, 2015 4:56 pm
I, too, stare and squint. And then sometimes I growl and grunt and curse. Occasionally I pray. Always I sweat and shake. More often than not…nada.
I hate poetry.
June 12th, 2015 2:48 pm
This is such gorgeous imagery and so very descriptive of the magical creative process of poetry:
“I start to imagine that I can track a poem
like the sun tracks the crystal
that hangs in my window
and makes rainbows orbit
around the room”
June 4th, 2025 10:24 am
Wow! Lots of poets here!
I actually hear the words in my head and if I don’t write it down at the exact time I hear them – no poem is written. I do like pen & paper & always have.