Now, I’m not a certified expert. I grant you this, but I have written me a bit of something here and there and I think from time to time I might have a helpful thought or two stuck in my gaping maw. So today I wanted to take 4-5min and jot down a few things that might help when you want to write a poem about this.
First, if you’re asking ‘what’s this?’ – it’s time for you to move along. I’m not answering that question today. I’m not here to tell you your mind. I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m not even really here to tell you how to do it. I’m just dashing off some ideas. That’s it. If you don’t like it, kindly go away.
Secondly, if you’re thinking I’m nuts – that’s fine. I probably am. It’s irrelevant, lots of insane people have written incredibly good poetry and prose. So, think what you want on that matter, I have no preference.
That brings us back to this. “What can I do to write a poem about this?”
I think the best approach to writing about this, is a sort of Socratic prosaic or poetic method. Ask yourself a series of questions, and jot down the answers. You can do it in a bulleted list, or you can just free write each answer, it doesn’t really matter. In the end, you’ll have material about this, and you’ll be able to produce something substantial.
I generally find it easiest to observe this, and then ask myself – what are the 10 words that best describe what I’m seeing? What are the 10 words that best describe what I’m hearing?
Word lists aren’t generally the best way to write great material, but, when you’re writing it’s nice to have them to glance back at.
Next I ask myself, what is the opposite of this? What is that? Once I know what that is, I ask myself what are the most complimentary two or three things to this?
Look at it this way, If THIS were a season, what would be it’s opposite season? What would be the seasons preceding and subsequent to it? If this were a letter, would it be a vowel or a consonant?
If this were a job, what type of person would stereotypically do it? If this had a gender, what would it be?
What religion would this be? What philosophy would it have about poison ivy? Why didn’t this come up at your fifth birthday party?
These questions might seem very ‘free-writing-ish’ but they’re not really. The entire point is illustrating creative thinking, analysis and observation.
The worst place a writer can be trapped is in their own mind. When thoughts twist and tangle until the sense of self is the only easy reality available, writing becomes a empty reflection of the least important parts of an ego. This often feels good for a writer, but it is shallow and not terribly rewarding.
The easiest path out of this mind-trap is it through active observation and engagement. Let the mantra be: Writing is not a passive thing. Writing is confrontational. Writing is active. Writing is creation through force of word and will.
And there it is. If you want to write about this – then look at this. then consider this in relation to that. Consider the physical and spiritual forms of this. Reflect on the nature of this. Writing about this does not require ‘knowing’ this or ‘understanding’ this – it requires considering this.
Now don’t get me started about writing about that.
