Thursday, September 06, 2018
Herman Melville began Moby Dick with, "Call me Ishmael."
By: Donovan Baldwin
Herman Melville began Moby Dick with, "Call me Ishmael." Not to be outdone, I often begin some of my comments with, "I call myself a poet."
I have earned my "creds" as they say. Never claimed to be a "good" poet, but I do write stuff that others have recognized as, and acknowledged to be, poetry. Even had a few of my poems published back when paper was king.
You might say, BC = Before Computers. The dark ages of our modern era.
Anyway, in addition to having written poems and articles which others may or may not see, or have seen; a myriad of thoughts and images, snippets of originality, inspired by damn near anything (once wrote a poem about a tuna sandwich), flow through my mind, often aching to come out as something on paper or computer screen.
Still, with all that to work with, ninety percent of what is running through my scattered mind doesn't find any outlet, and runs off into the woods of my thoughts, and, although I may hear some laughter or squeals or giggles, or sobbing, from the departed ideas somewhere off in the woods, I am left to wonder who or what those strange creatures were ... beautiful and exciting, gloomy and brooding, bland and insufficient to maintain existence.
I was reading Hazlitt (William) last night and, in one of his beautifully crafted essays which rolls off the tongue of my mind, once one becomes an artist, it's all about art. It's in everything they see and think about.
Poets are like that too, I believe. And, like the artist, you never see some of their/our best work... sometimes only practice pieces... set down to keep our hand in.
Beware of brooding poets but remain calm. The gloom you often see upon them has nothing to do with you, but, with the creatures romping through their minds,disappearing into darkness and forgotten before they can leave a trace of their ephemeral existence.
Herman Melville began Moby Dick with, "Call me Ishmael." Not to be outdone, I often begin some of my comments with, "I call myself a poet."
I have earned my "creds" as they say. Never claimed to be a "good" poet, but I do write stuff that others have recognized as, and acknowledged to be, poetry. Even had a few of my poems published back when paper was king.
You might say, BC = Before Computers. The dark ages of our modern era.
Anyway, in addition to having written poems and articles which others may or may not see, or have seen; a myriad of thoughts and images, snippets of originality, inspired by damn near anything (once wrote a poem about a tuna sandwich), flow through my mind, often aching to come out as something on paper or computer screen.
Still, with all that to work with, ninety percent of what is running through my scattered mind doesn't find any outlet, and runs off into the woods of my thoughts, and, although I may hear some laughter or squeals or giggles, or sobbing, from the departed ideas somewhere off in the woods, I am left to wonder who or what those strange creatures were ... beautiful and exciting, gloomy and brooding, bland and insufficient to maintain existence.
I was reading Hazlitt (William) last night and, in one of his beautifully crafted essays which rolls off the tongue of my mind, once one becomes an artist, it's all about art. It's in everything they see and think about.
Poets are like that too, I believe. And, like the artist, you never see some of their/our best work... sometimes only practice pieces... set down to keep our hand in.
Beware of brooding poets but remain calm. The gloom you often see upon them has nothing to do with you, but, with the creatures romping through their minds,disappearing into darkness and forgotten before they can leave a trace of their ephemeral existence.
Labels: donovan baldwin, Herman Melville, ideas for poems, Moby Dick, poem, poetry, William Hazlitt
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
I Get All Kinds Of Ideas
By Donovan Baldwin
Every day I get all kinds of ideas for articles, comments, and poems.
In fact, yesterday I wrote a poem from scratch. Needs a little clean up, but, essentially done. A few minutes ago, I wrote a poem to a friend in about seven minutes because I wanted to give her a special "thank you" for something she had done for me.
At almost any time, I have between five and ten other poems in various stages of "construction".
Part of the problem being that I don't JUST construct these thins...put this word there, rhyme this, rhythm that. I am, a lot of the time, writing words that my brain, and heart, tell ME will tell the story that they see, thinking, experiencing.
I'm not bragging, because I have no idea how or why I can do this. Don't have a hell of a lot of control over it, either.
All of this is to say that not every idea immediately becomes a poem or comment.
Example: Thursday, mina stanovich gave me an idea for a comment. My idea was immediate and complete. Unfortunately, I was with my grandkids at an appointment, so, I made a quick note and thanked her. Have the note right here "Esoteric Diatribe People Online Asking What Words Mean".
Next day, The thought, and note, were still there, but Tinkerbell would have been proud of the fairy dust it became.
I'll get it together sooner or later, Mina. Hang in there.
In fact, yesterday I wrote a poem from scratch. Needs a little clean up, but, essentially done. A few minutes ago, I wrote a poem to a friend in about seven minutes because I wanted to give her a special "thank you" for something she had done for me.
At almost any time, I have between five and ten other poems in various stages of "construction".
Part of the problem being that I don't JUST construct these thins...put this word there, rhyme this, rhythm that. I am, a lot of the time, writing words that my brain, and heart, tell ME will tell the story that they see, thinking, experiencing.
I'm not bragging, because I have no idea how or why I can do this. Don't have a hell of a lot of control over it, either.
All of this is to say that not every idea immediately becomes a poem or comment.
Example: Thursday, mina stanovich gave me an idea for a comment. My idea was immediate and complete. Unfortunately, I was with my grandkids at an appointment, so, I made a quick note and thanked her. Have the note right here "Esoteric Diatribe People Online Asking What Words Mean".
Next day, The thought, and note, were still there, but Tinkerbell would have been proud of the fairy dust it became.
I'll get it together sooner or later, Mina. Hang in there.
Labels: article by Donovan Baldwin, article ideas, donovan baldwin, ideas, ideas for poems
