Poetry

I wrote my first poem at age 18. Having rarely studied and never liking poetry in school, poetry began spilling out of me among angst-ridden journaling between ages 18 and 20, when I finished my first 200+ page poetry trilogy. I was told book titles, to compile the poems in reverse chronological order—and hardest of all—to never edit, not a single word or punctuation mark. I have completed six trilogies with the same channeling process over a period of four decades. The subjects and themes have always interested me: surrealism, philosophy, nature, humanism, spirituality, and evolving consciousness.

There is an unmistakable and recognizable voice in my head from time to time. When it arrives,
whether night or day, I grab my vintage wood clipboard and frenetically scribble down the words I hear, including line breaks, verse structure and punctuation. I'm keenly aware of setting aside my conflicting, doubtful inner critic and instead flowing with my intuitive voice. When I read the finished, unrevised poem over the following days, I see how trusting my channeling, streaming voice pays off with a poem of elegance, depth and complexity that transcends a conscious, self-directed and laboring design.

Often and reluctantly I declare that never could I write a decent poem on demand or by sheer will. Proclaiming myself a poet and presenting my work publicly has been challenging all my life because being a poet is not something I choose or aspire to. My writing process is a primarily one of compulsion and striving to listen with more ease and clarity. Oddly, I frequently look at my poems in disbelief I wrote them—most are forgotten years later. Til now, I’ve stuffed my handwritten manuscripts in a fireproof safe…only sharing the occasional poem with friends.