Sometimes when I write a poem it feels like I’m marching my past, present and future across the page to my reader’s eyes. Other times, the content is pulled from outside sources: the imagined relationship between two people on the bus, a particularly emotive news article, the way the trees sway in the breeze.
I would contend that even when the subject matter is totally separate from me and my experience, a bit of me still slips onto the page. She sneaks in, even when I don’t imagine her there. It may that no one else can see her. But I can.
What about you? Are you able to separate yourself from the subject matter in your poems? If you’re writing about a character, is it just that or is there a personal touchstone in your poetry? Let’s talk about it down below. .
See you down in the comments!
My poems come from everything – personal experience, friends’ experiences, nature….it’s hard to say when the muse will strike.
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Muses are notoriously unpredictable.
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I am unable to separate myself from my subject matter.
Good question!
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Me too. My subconscious must be super needy. She just spills out all over the place.
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At times, I separate myself and breathe words solely through my characters. Especially, with the darker stuff…if it was me, I’d be behind bars and sitting on death row, lol. Great question!
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LOL! For me, even with the darker stuff…I mean, I may not ever in life commit the action, but there’s something there that I can see linking me personally to the piece. No one else may pick up on it, but I see it.
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