I didn’t date the poem below, so I don’t know when I wrote it. Can’t even be sure what prompted it (other than its suggestion in this book). It’s possible I’ve put it on this site before without using the right tag to find it again. If I don’t remember sharing it, I feel confident no one else will, either!
I was glancing through different places where I can find poems I’ve written, including the “Write The Poem” book, and I realized how often the below phrase, taken from a source on Instagram, is true of my poetry.
“They” say real people from our lives who we write into fiction don’t recognize themselves. I think that’s possibly even truer with poetry. As a form of self-expression, we can generalize in writing things we don’t want a specific person to hear. In my case, it’s usually to express my own pain without causing pain to someone else. Sometimes, however, my lyrics may be coming from one of my characters instead of myself. There are a lot of voices in my head. That can make it tricky for readers.
I’ve known other writers who use words as weapons, most often in essays, but sometimes in their fiction and poems (songs included). How we choose to express our honesty often reveals more about the writer/speaker than the “target.”
ETA: I just learned today is National Poetry Day. Timely.
Recently I read an article featuring a well-known actor/director/filmmaker because I’ve always loved not only watching movies, but learning about the creative and business aspects of making them. This particular article wasn’t about this person’s celebrity but was more focused on how independent film processes, particularly marketing and distribution, have changed from last century to this one. The way I use this kind of information fictionally has included many facets of filmmaking, especially in the Neverending Saga in all its iterations through the decades. Sometimes my writing spills over into fictional television and live theatre. But primarily, the Saga includes two independent filmmakers woven into many of my other characters’ plotlines.
This morning, I watched a romantic comedy I really enjoyed on Netfix, Love Again (2023). It didn’t do well at the box office, but I think a lot of movies have struggled with that post-pandemic. I read nothing about the movie before I clicked on it and got a nice surprise that Celine Dion actually has a part as a “fictionalized version of herself.”
I remember saying this was going to be my Ethan Hawke movie summer, but that plan got derailed for several reasons and is on hold. After this morning’s movie, I’m switching my summer theme (in Texas, summer doesn’t end in August) to RomCom Summer. More about that tomorrow on Sunday Sundries. Next feature from my personal shelves is Sweet Home Alabama (2002), which I probably watched before and liked well enough to buy a used DVD. Since it’s Alabama, and it’s Reese Witherspoon, and I see Candice Bergen, Jean Smart, and Mary Kay Place are in it, as well, all favorites, I’m game to see it again.
