Poetry is often thought to have a set way of formation: certain number of lines, must rhyme, not rhyme, etc. It's so confusing! Poetry is art. It's molded, and worked like a big chunk of dough. It should never be a chore, and to me, it's always a doodle: something at the spurr of the moment when a spark of inspiration ignites.
For example, I could be in an art show and happen to notice an old man looking at a clock as his wife takes her time scanning each painting. Then, I start to look at the most interesting details of the situation, like the wrinkles on the husband's face, his posture, and maybe why he's getting impatient.
Tick, tock, goes the clock,
upon the wall so old, so wise,
that the wrinkles in it sag.
Time begins to warp, to melt
and droop like the old man's frown,
but the woman continues to not notice a thing.
She stands bent like a flower stem,
so much she should've snapped by now,
yet the tick, tick, tocking of the old man's shoe gets her ready to leave, but is not enough to change her pose.
So instead, she keeps her place there, holding on until there's nothing more to do but give in and move on.
Copyright © 2013 Sarah Hamlin
That was just a ramble, but if you just let the words come, it's like scribbling on your paper at first. That's when you go home, and critique it to a better version.
1.) Where are you?: This could be lying in bed in a dark room, walking in the park, noticing the morning sun or something more interesting or personal.
2.) What feelings does it bring?
3.) Describe it: could it be heavy, light, vast, bright, old, dusty? Notice colors and scents
4.) Scribble: put words together the way they first form in your mind
5.) Doodle: Self critique it
6.) Revise, edit: Get other outside help for suggestions