On the Porch with Pat

Words

"A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket." ~Charles Peguy

This is my second attempt to share my thoughts about this quote.  My computer has been very finicky the last several days and picks and chooses when it will save something and when it will launch it into cyber space to wander the vast cyber universe for all eternity.  Whatever words were plucked from my pocket earlier may no longer be there or may be arranged in a completely different train of thought.  That fickle is my brain. 

As a rule, words do not avail themselves to me as easily as plucking them out of my pocket.  I usually chase after them, looking high and low for just the ones I need at the moment.  I may find all sorts of terrific words, some with cob webs on them, that just don't paint the particular image I'm after.  It often takes months of hide-and-seek for me to be reasonably satisfied with the word choices for a poem.  (Short stories are another story, altogether.  Pardon the pun.)  I think of my written works as "fluid" because they continue to change and evolve over the course of time. 

I do find that my supply of words directly correlates with how much reading I have done recently.  You see, as I read good poetry, I place a nice phrase, and terrific simile or metaphor, and any particularly descriptive words in my pocket.  I toss in any other conventions that strike me as interesting.  I find that the poetry of SWPoet provides me with numerous creative ways to format a poem.  She is one of those poets who seems to be able to sit down and let the words pour from her fingertips with ease.  She is able to break the lines and the verses creatively to give just the right flow of her thoughts and feelings and is a master of metaphor  I like mistress of metaphor.  Hmmm.  That may be my new nickname for her.  She has a treasure trove of poetry in her port. 

🌕 HuntersMoon 's port is never short of inspiring poetry either.  He loves the challenge of a difficult form and can meet the challenge every time.  Visiting his port is like a really fun field trip in a poetry class. 

There are times when words do seem to flow easily from my fingertips, but most of what you find in my port that is worth your time in reading has probably been edited more times than I can count.  I don't wait until it's perfect to post it in my port.  I take full advantage of the "Review" feature of Writing.com.  I can think of specific reviewers whose comments turned my poem on its ear.  One reviewer simply stated that he would like to see a few metaphors and/or similes in my poem.  I re-visited the poem and focused on changing some of the lines from literal to a metaphor.  It turned out to be one of my favorites. 

Another reviewer asked me to consider switching the last two verses!  As it turned out, that DID work better.  With a little tweaking, it made the poem really shine. 

My closing thoughts are that whether the words are easily plucked from my pocket, or torn from my guts, the end result is a piece of me on paper.  Something I wrote from inside me.  That's why Writing.com is such a haven for me.  I never thought I could write poetry until SWPoet invited me to join WdC.  I am forever in her debt for that.  Once I joined, I found so many supportive people encouraging me to keep writing.  I try to do that for new members now--help them hold on until they get the hang of things so they can find their own voices of expressing whatever they need to express. 

"Be especially kind, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."