Monday 20 September 2010

It

Some days I find it hard to write.
The paper is blank; inspiration has taken flight.
I ponder and wonder where it has gone.
Did it pack a bag; will it be too long?
Did it reel out string when it went away?
Has it gone for good or just today?
Did it take a watch; can it tell the time?
Did it chalk the walls; can it read the signs?

Why did it choose now to slip away?
Just when I have time to sit and play?
Can’t I choose? Can’t I be the one?
Who decides when things get done?
Is this revenge for yesterday in fact?
When I tidied my room and fed the cat?
We had all the time in the world back then.
And it was willing to be my friend.
But I was fickle; distracted and tired.
I failed to pay it the attention it required.
So now I have to learn again,
To listen anew and coax it in.
To block out time and let the words play free,
So once again inspiration will work for me.

It taps me on the shoulder; I turn around and smile.
Today it appears poetry was its style.
It doesn’t always do as it ought;
It doesn’t always appear when it’s sought.
But it never goes far; me and it are a team.
We both work together to achieve our dreams.

30 comments:

Joanna St. James said...

you and it have a very special relationship, I am still trying to make it feel comfortable so it does not leave, I feel helpless without it when it threatens to leave. :(

Kyna said...

My 'it' is an imaginary hamster, who is continually running on a little wheel inside my head. His name is Hammy, and he's responsible for the humour in my blogs. Sometimes he gets angry with me and goes on a vacation and I'm just not funny and I can't write. I wrote a blog about him awhile back...

http://crystalcoastgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/aint-too-proud-to-beg.html

Old Kitty said...

I think feeding the cat definitely coaxed IT back!! :-)

A lovely poem - may you and IT be together in harmony forever!

Take care
x

Joanne said...

I like how the missing muse inspired this poetry instead! You're right, it is always there, in some way, shape or form :)

Fran Hill said...

'It' doesn't always do as it ought ... definitely an understatement!

Julie Musil said...

Wow, this is great! Tweeting it now.

Natascha said...

Love it. You're very talented. :)

Eliza said...

You and it work so well together. That was a great poem. Maybe IT just wanted a day off :-)

The Words Crafter said...

Ahhhh, I don't believe it could have been better said. Superb post, very well put. I would like to print this out and put it on my bulletin board that hangs over my desk.....

The Words Crafter said...

Ahhhh, I don't believe it could have been better said. Superb post, very well put. I would like to print this out and put it on my bulletin board that hangs over my desk.....

Carolyn V. said...

You are a talented poet! So cool Jayne. I, unfortunately,struggle with poetry.

catdownunder said...

Purr!

Clair Humphries said...

Love this - it's so true! Excellent poetry and it reminded me a bit of Emily Dickinson (do you like her?)

Really enjoyed it, thank you x

Anonymous said...

Three cheers for your continuing relationship with it. You are a great duo.

Jayne said...

Joanna – Aw thank you. It feels a bit contrary at times.

Kyna – Hee - love the sound of Hammy!

Old Kitty – Thank you!

Joanne – I think the trick is to remember that although it appears in different guises, they are all helping in one way or another.

Fran – I think that was the politest way to say it!

Julie – Thank you for tweeting it! I am honoured.

Las Vegas Writer – Aw thank you so much!

Eliza – It likes its days off. It also likes a sugar rush and a belly rub.

The Words Crafter – Thank you! That is quite an honour. I do hope it inspires you!

Carolyn V – I spend a lot of time distilling my day into a Doctor Seuss rhyme. It makes it so much better!

catdownunder – Aw! I got a purr!

Clair Humphries – The only Emily Dickinson I know is actually an extract from a children’s book – the Trebizon series by Anne Digby. In one of them, the main character writes a poem that starts ‘There’s a certain slant of light’, and I always loved that beginning. In fact, I wanted to be that character in the book (her name was Rebecca) as she wanted to be a writer. Must find out more about Emily Dickinson now!

Christine – Aw, thank you!

Laura S. said...

Love love love this, Jayne! I'm glad you and your inspiration are understanding each other. :)

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Wow, if this is what you can write when your muse takes a day off, you must write dynamite prose. This was great. So apt, too. When the muse disappears, that's how it seems, and then you find out it's been working behind the scenes.

Jules said...

And what a lovely team you and IT make. Loved the poem. :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving me a comment. It means so much when I know people have visited.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Maggie May said...

Great poem. You never know what might emerge when you least expect it!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Kittie Howard said...

Jayne, I have a little something for you at my place. Enjoy!

cArLa said...

my "it" is the inspiration to keep expressing myself through drawing. i love this, great work, you are very talented! (thanks for the lovely comment) xoxo

Rachna Chhabria said...

A wonderful poem, Jayne. You do have a special relationship with your IT.

Zoe C. Courtman said...

Jayne, it was really lovely of you to visit my blog and push me over to 200 followers. Thank you SO much - terrific way to begin the day :D And I'm now a new follower of yours!

Jeanne Henriques said...

Jayne...I loved this. I read this on many levels...'It' is about life...
Some days I find it hard to write.
The paper is blank; inspiration has taken flight.
I ponder and wonder where it has gone.
Did it pack a bag; will it be too long?
Did it reel out string when it went away?
Has it gone for good or just today?
Did it take a watch; can it tell the time?
Did it chalk the walls; can it read the signs?

Today I felt this about the energy to clean my house instead of tapping at the keyboards...where has that energy gone?

Thanks for this...I really enjoyed it! Thank you also for following my blog and your kind comment. SO glad you came via Kitty...she is a sweetheart!

Jeanne :)

TK Richardson said...

Oh, this is just lovely! Great writing! :)

Kimberly Franklin said...

Thanks for stopping by my site! Love yours. I'm amazed that you wrote your whole post in poetry form! Seriously. Poetry's not my thing, but I love reading it.

Plain Jane said...

The people I am most jealous of are the people who write poetry. Beautiful, short, imaginative. If only I had "It".

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Sometimes The Muse likes to rhyme.

Shelley Sly said...

I love this! Such a creative, cute idea! :)

J.C. Martin said...

Such a cute poem! I've the mentality that a poem must always rhyme, so I loved this!