*Don't panic! It is Monday and not Tuesday. Shaun anad I have switched days because I'm more organised than he is :)
This
week’s theme is a pun, a play on words, ‘March is on its stomach’, which
relates to the idiom an army marches on
its stomach. It suggests that to be effective, an army relies on good and
plentiful food, which made me ask myself: what ‘food’ does a poet require in
order to be effective?
Personally, I can think of quite a few things that help me to write – be that in the short-term or the
long-term – and which in some small way help me to be a better poet, or rather a more
inspired one. However, I won't bore you with a long list, instead, I
will mention three 'food' (re)sources that I've enjoyed over the last couple of
days.
BOOKS, specifically poetry books, fuel my mind. They offer a chance to see how it is done, to learn, to be inspired, to escape, to feel and to discover what you like and what you don't like. I'm almost certain that if I didn't read poetry, then I definitely wouldn't be writing it.
I've currently been reading Michael Donaghy's Collected Poems, as well as Memory Tray by Deryn Rees-Jones, New Collected Poems by Tomas Transtrӧmer and Profit and Loss by Leontia Flynn. All of which have made either an excellent snack or meal, and have successfully managed to prevent my mind from starving.
COFFEE & BISCUITS. Before January 1st, the biscuits would have been cigarettes. A single poem would have resulted in a lot of smoke and ash but now, since quitting, there is just a lot of crumbs.
Anyway, I like to sit down to write with a mug of black coffee and a couple of biscuits. It's like a reward for being brave enough to face the blank page...
Small sips and tiny nibbles that feel reassuring as you attempt to find the first line.
NATURE. There is nothing like a genourous serving of the outside world. Be it rural or urban, there are thousands of ideas hiding, flitting and just waiting to be caught.
On Saturday, Shaun and I went for a walk around Brock Valley. Trees, mud, water, wild garlic and dishevelled farms is enough to satisify my poetic appetite and cause my mind to start thinking of potential first lines, titles, ends.
So, on this indifferent Monday morning, why not treat yourself to something that makes you feel better, that inspires you, that makes you smile, that makes you feel freer, that makes you more effective.
Thank you for reading,
Lara