Another One in the Dark

Co-Authors Unite!

2010-12-23T05:56:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a break from carving different versions of the same poem into the walls of my apartment, which I'm sure my landlord will appreciate. Oh well, no one much liked the poem anyway. Instead, I'm doing some exploratory work on a short story with a co-author. I've never worked with someone on a piece before, so I'm kind of flying blind here. Anyone out there ever worked on a project with another person before? Any advice?

Prose to Poetry: A Debt Owed

2010-12-15T16:08:00.000-06:00

I think that in some ways a human being isn't supposed to see people suffering every single day. Confusion, fear, pain, abandonment, restriction. But that's what I see at the nursing home where I work. Sometimes I'm even the cause.

Some days, when I'm home and lying on my couch, trying very hard to do nothing, I think that if I could give them my youth, I would. It must be horrible, sitting around waiting to die, but sometimes, that's all I'm doing. I doubt very much if it's an earnest wish, but it crosses my mind.

I can't do that, of course. All I can do is be strong enough to take care of them and not be crushed by the weight of their suffering. I owe it to them to live a life I won't regret. And I owe it to them to be open to the beauty in the world, and to bring a piece of it with me to work.

That's what I want my poetry to be. The beauty of the world passing through my eyes, not some expression of my feelings. I want to live.

To live well.

Prose to Poetry: Slowing the Hell Down

2010-12-06T15:42:00.000-06:00

Six days and I've almost recovered from NaNoWriMo madness. I emerged, battered and wobble-legged, across the finish line and into the winner's circle with 50,000 of the most hastily written words ever (Most hastily?!? What have you done to me, NaNo?). Six days and I'm back to working on my poetry. Blood, sweat, and tears over every word. It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle. I love it because it forces me to concentrate. Because like Orr, I want to leave behind the most efficient stove for my friends that I can. So I've switched my mind to a slower gear and settled in for the grind.