On Poetry

On Poetry

A poem is an independent thing, existing in and of its self until someone reads it. It may be even the poet, long after the poem has been written. Anything can inspire a poem and it can happen at any time. I am most inspired when driving or when I go to bed – then I get up and return to the computer. If I do not do that, the poem could be lost. When driving I am writing on a notebook by my side. Often, I have to pull over so I will not have an accident. Sometimes, I cannot go to sleep because a poem is looking for a pencil in my head. This usually happens when I have several poems to write down. There is no stopping the drive of the poem, the creative instinct. It is a force beyond the person who claims it. We are just lucky to be the channeling incident in its momentary push to become a reality.