Sunday, August 4, 2013

A Silence




Today's poem, originally published in Silhouette, is the end result of a self-imposed writing exercise. 

I pick a word at random, in this instance "silence," then I try to block out everything else, focus completely on this one word until images start gathering.

Then I write ... and write ... and write. After that, of course, comes the revision ... many revisions, until what I've written has been boiled down to its very essence.


Then, perhaps, it's ready to travel. After all, poetry – if that's what results from all this process – is meant to be shared. If it doesn't turn out to be poetry, well, it's been a good, healthy exercise, at least.

The poem:

A SILENCE

There was a silence
between them, a wall
that neither wanted,
yet they had built it
together, rock upon hard,
uncaring rock. And now,
from opposite sides
of it, he watched
his coffee cooling off,
she used her fork
to turn a cold remnant
of fried egg on her plate,
quietly examining it
like a fine jewel.
© 1997

Today's word: silence

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