At a writer’s retreat, I spent time with Julia Kasdorf. She was teaching a poetry seminar.
She began the session by having us introduce ourselves. One poet responded by saying that poetry is the thing he can’t stop writing. I followed by saying poetry is the thing I can (and have) stopped writing.
During the break time, Julia told me she was saddened by my intro. She didn’t mean to pressure me by sharing this, she said; it was just how she felt. I didn’t feel pressured by her reaction—just, somehow, loved by this new person standing before me.
I don’t know if Julia modified her second day’s presentation for me (it seems presumptuous to think so, yet possible). I do know that many of the images she used to speak of poetry-thin times seemed to grow directly out of our previous day’s conversation. I felt loved all over again as she spoke of winter images and something called “desire lines” (the paths that both humans and animals cut across landscapes, often circumventing manmade paths). In winter, she noted, you can see the snow-laden desire lines of the deer, crisscrossing the mountains.
After this, she shared a few ideas for how to meet such word-winter days. “If you can’t write anymore, ” she said, “lower your standards.” My writers block fell away just the tiniest bit. I can do that, I thought.
“Write a poem every day for a week, ” she added. “Or just write a poem every day, as part of your regular practice, and don’t expect it to be good.” Lastly, she suggested, “make your own beauty” and “use triggers.”
Then she offered a simple trigger. A white bowl of fortunes. Mine said, “Flee like a bird to your mountain.”
And that was it. Julia wakened me. I put the slim fortune on the ecru leather couch. I borrowed some of her spoken words (if you write without ceasing; fragments of Psalms; refuse that fortune), and I wrote six tentative poems. I don’t know if I’ll write anymore anytime soon, but here are two I composed near an open window above a quiet river…
1
If you write without ceasing,
you will find fragments of Psalms
on the body, in the hair,
in the brown eyes
imprinted with desire lines.
The lines will take you where you want to go
on the body, in the hair,
in the brown eyes
that blink like beaded pearls,
bird-eye pearls
strung along the body
of a hair-tangled
mountain.
3
If you would lower
your standards,
eat fragments of Psalms,
not require the apertif,
the blackberry on the ridge
of a pastry,
pork pulled in trails
across plates.
If you could
be content with knowing
that an empty glass
is an invitation
to make your own beauty,
you could stop refusing
your fortune.
Poetry Prompt
Make a bowl of fortunes to use as triggers. You can copy phrases from another poet’s work or perhaps from songs, to make your fortunes. If you get really inspired, you could try a fortune a day for three or four days. Sitting near an open window is optional.
Photo by Gemma Stiles, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by L.L. Barkat, author of Love, Etc. (full “Bird on the Mountain” poem included)
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Stephanie S. Smith says
I keep a book of triggers 🙂 Just small enough to fit in purse or pocket, in which i allow myself to be messy and scribble a little, and come back to later for quotes, snippets of overheard conversations, phrases that catch me.
L. L. Barkat says
Stephanie, sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll have to get a little secret book. 🙂
Marilyn Yocum says
I haven’t participated in these challenges before, but this one is calling me. Are there rules?
L. L. Barkat says
Marilyn, it would be lovely to have you participate. Are you looking for any particular kinds of rules? 🙂
Sandra Heska King says
I’m in tears again. Is it possible I have some left? Those desire lines and the winter trees, leafless for a season but going deeper…and the peaches for the eating. I am full. So full.
L. L. Barkat says
Sandra, you are such a sweetheart. 🙂 I forgot about the peaches. Did you write of them?
Sandra Heska King says
They weren’t in my fortune that morning. But I may. 🙂
Megan Willome says
I’m so happy to hear that your fortune yielded poems! Mine yielded prose, but I’m excited to play with it more.
Lovely image of Blue Hole!
L. L. Barkat says
Megan, I hope we’ll get some snippets of that prose somewhere 🙂 (Oops, the image of Blue Hole isn’t mine; it’s a standard from the Foundation. Not sure who to credit for it! 🙂
Eric 'Bubba' Alder says
I like the idea of ‘borrowing’ words or phrases from other poets. I’ve occasionally taken inspiration from phrases that caught my ear, especially from songs.
I also find inspiration in pictures. I even have a weekly feature on my photo blog to inspire people to create. You can check it out here: Bifocal Univision
Marilyn says
🙂 No, L.L., I’m not looking for rules. I just wondered if we are writing according to any kind of pattern or rhythm this time around.
L. L. Barkat says
Eric, I might try doing this with songs. If I find a little time and energy.
Marilyn, you are a free bird. 🙂
Linda says
I needed this gentle reminder Laura. I have felt almost too full of everything to write – sort of frozen in my tracks by it all. I had forgotten about the desire lines – hadn’t opened my notebook. The day has been so full, and I need to take time to let it all trickle down into my heart.
L. L. Barkat says
Linda, I know what you mean. Sometimes I need to just sit still while it sorts itself out inside. But I’ll say… Stepanie’s “little book” idea has been a good sifting device. I’ve been jotting little notes in it and I even found a couple poems!
So glad we had a chance to be together at Laity, Linda. Keep writing along those desire lines 🙂
HisFireFly says
I think I shall find my fortunes in Psalm 119 – picking a random verse for each poem
HisFireFly says
Meant to type Psalm 19 — Psalm 119 provides too many options!
Laura Brown says
I love that you felt loved by her comment. I recently missed a deadline that was optional but important to me because … well, let’s say I might have produced the work it needed if I had lowered my standards, which is to say gotten over the speed bump that kept me idling and stuck.
I’m going to try this. Thanks for reposting.
L. L. Barkat says
There’s something in that, isn’t there. I was surprised by it myself upon this re-reading. Sometimes we *can* feel pressured by comments others make; what makes it feel like love instead is a good question.
We can always raise our standards during revision. I think we forget that. Or we forget that a beginning can be just that. A beginning. Then we can go elsewhere.
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Jody Lee Collins says
Laura, I remember reading this poem in “Love, etc.” and not quite getting it…. now the desire lines make sense.
I’m inspired again. A poem a day, perhaps just a tweet…
L. L. Barkat says
I had forgotten that the desire lines were best seen in winter. I love that.
It’s okay to not “get” a poem, because I think we tend to get it at least emotionally and that is worth quite a lot.
SimplyDarlene says
How ’bout ya pop out the screen and dangle your legs out the window? 🙂
(These reposts are nice as I was without internet service from Sept 2011 to Feb 2012. Who knew what treasures I missed?!)
L. L. Barkat says
Ha. There’s a thought. (The dangling, not the lack of internet service 😉 )
Linda Reid says
This was wonderful. Will certainly the triggers.
Been going thru writers block lately, get depressed when I can’t write poetry. It’s life for me, like breathing.
Thanks so much, fellow poet.
L. L. Barkat says
I’d love to hear how it goes for you, Linda. What color will your bowl be? (And what treasures will you slip into it? 🙂 )
Linda Reid says
Hello L L Barkat,
I’m using a little pottery vase with painted, blue leaves on it.
I did write a poem about hummingbirds using
that method.
I have several hb in my back yard now and love watching them.
Another method that’s helped me b in the past is picking out 20 words from a book and writing a poem using only those words.
I wrote 2 good poems in the past that way.
Linda,
Megan Willome says
I was there. It is all true.
In honor of that sacred space, I have one of your “Bird on the Mountain” poems (4), the one I wrote from my scrap, and one of Julia’s in you know what. That was eternal stuff, that weekend.
L.L. Barkat says
Maybe you were part of what really changed the writer’s block. I am quite sure that laundry poem was magic 🙂
Chad Wilson says
When ever a line or two of something comes to mind that seems poetic, I write it down. I keep a text document of fragments. I occasionally go back and read through the fragments to see if anything is inspired. When nothing is coming up on my own, I enjoy finding poetry prompts from other web sites. Sometimes, I have broken a writer’s block why forcing myself to write about something inane or silly.
Otherwise, it is a good thing that I am not trying to make a living from writing, because I would go hungry pretty fast. 🙂
L. L. Barkat says
Ha! 🙂
I think you’re on to something. And that is, to shake things free in whatever way you can. A willingness to let that be nonsense is perfect. Love.