Trying to Write the Poem

#tryingtowritethepoem #poetry15

It is hot. The air is sluggish. All around me, there is a haze draping all over everything. The bees buzz sleepily. The flowers are wilting. Sneakers drag on the sidewalk, making soft scuffing sounds. It is July.

In the spirit of this heat wave, which has been causing me to chug coffee like its water and water like its air, I want to think about trying. I am trying, in this heat, to stay cool. To be productive. And I am, damnit! And you are, too.

So let’s write about trying. Specifically, trying to write about something. And writing about that, the trying.

As inspiration, I encourage you to read Matthew Zapruder’s poem in the latest issue of Poetry: “My Inescapable Fate.” The poem begins, “I tried to write a poem about my astrological sign.” Look at how many times the poem uses the “I,” especially in the left margin. There’s an almost anaphoric moment in the poem, with “I turned… / I don’t … I am not forgiving… / I mostly liked…” Sometimes, in prompts, I ask students to find out what happens if they limit using “I.” In this poem, I say, have at it. Let the “I” be free, to disrobe, to swim in the waters of the poem freely.

What have you tried, and so far have not succeeded, in writing about?

Let’s tackle that.

If you need an iced coffee to make this poem happen, go for it. I’ll be joining you.

Prompt