I Don't Write Poetry

Everywhere I turn, I find a poet has been there before me. -- Sigmund Freud

Today I'm posting this old poem in response to a challenge put out by Faith, Friends, Fiction. Blogger Glynn Young is offering a book of poetry and a bottle of wine to someone who writes 100 words or less about poetry. Check it out.

Several years ago, my friend Lynne and I attended a Natalie Goldberg writing workshop in Taos. It was a fabulous experience but also surprising. Every morning I would take a long walk through Taos and, whether it was Natalie's workshop or the Taos air, something started stirring within me.

Answering the question posed by this poem led me into poetry, changing me, changing my life, changing my outlook on life. In other words, it changed everything.

I Don't Write Poetry

I am a practical person.
I don’t write poetry.

I have bills to pay.
I don’t write poetry.

I have people to impress.
I don’t write poetry.

So what is this stuff oozing up
From the cracks in my life in these Taos mountains?
This stuff that demands its space on the page
This stuff that will pay no bills, impress no people.
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About the image: "We Are Stardust," a new piece of art just completed