FLOWER
Soft
Petals like armor
Spring forth
From dust
Dark, wet earth
Littered with poisons
All manner
Of dead things
Compost, soil, sand
Green sprig first
Twisting upward
In the sweetest strength
Will not be
Anything
Less than beauty
Note: I wrote this poem last night in a hurry before going to bed... because I went to bed at 3am (not wise, by the way. Why do I do this to myself?) I wanted to get something on paper with the clear vision I had, and thought that by coughing up some lines, I'd have something I could edit and play with before getting it up on the blog. Weirdly enough, I'm quite in love with this hurried, 3am poem. It has the exact rhythm and voice I had imagined. The more I think about writing, I realize I really struggle with- no, hate- editing my poetry. I always read it over and change a word or two. If its not working, it's not working and I rework the entire piece. Does this make me a good or bad writer? For my creative writing college class a few semesters ago, we were asked to bring an old piece of work to edit. I edited one of my favorite poems I've ever written, "Wondering" and felt like I was betraying myself in the process. I know I am not perfect and am always looking to grow- I welcome critiques and realize I am a novice poet, but I feel as if there is a fine line between making something too "perfect" and appreciating the rawness of a first drafts.
(Also have to acknowledge Hayley William's new solo project, Petals for Armor as inspiration here. Her musical aesthetic for the project was my first thought when hearing the prompt)
No comments:
Post a Comment