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For me, writing a poem is a lot like I imagine a chicken feels when trying to lay an egg.
When I feel the urge to write, I do, but I create when the mood strikes me, not on someone else's
schedule. The most important part of the egg is not the shell, but what is inside. The inside
should be substantive -- as nourishing as the yolk of an egg, as smooth as the white. So must my
poems be. I strive to fill my poems with interesting imagery, humor, or creative rhymes, and I
try to make my poetry flow naturally. But the shell of an egg is also important. I am careful to check my spelling and grammar so that the shells of my eggs are without blemish. The shell is the first thing a person sees when he/she looks at an egg. A strong, healthy shell is essential for the rest of the egg. Of course, some people deliberately play with misspellings and faulty grammar in their poetry to emulate certain dialects or characters. This is like eating "thousand-year-old eggs," a Chinese delicacy made by adding certain chemicals to eggs and letting them age until they are black and soft. But those who are careless about technical details inevitably damage the rest of their work. This is a shame, because it means only the desperate or indiscriminate will take the time to see what is inside. |
RANDOM MUSINGS |
THE TRANSPORTER ROOM |