Ten New Poems About Writing Poetry

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The best advice I’ve ever heard on writing came from Stephen King: “Read a lot. Write a lot.” Today on the Substack we are tweaking King’s sage and pithy advice for our audience of poets and poetry lovers.

Read a lot of poetry about poetry. Write a lot of poetry about poetry.

Below you will find ten offerings from poets who are wrestling with, celebrating, and reveling in the topic of poetry in their work.

Remember, in the words of one of the fine poems below:

Your job as a poet is to find what is ordinary,
reveal it to be offensivily miraculous, and lasso it
just near enough to be ordinary again.

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Support Group for Adult Children of Writers

by Heather Cadenhead

I heard a writer say there is no excuse
for not writing – wrote her first book,
single mom, baby screaming in time
to the sound of keyboard clacks.
Another writer agreed; they preached
a gospel of write always – write in war
(word count is the real war). Don’t speak
of bombs, babies or bills (excuses).
My mother told me that prolific writers
are neglectful parents, that their children
will curse their bones. That a blank page
is no better than brown-bagged liquor.

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Look, I Know Poetry is Hard to Read…

by JJ Brinski

Take poetry in sips
like fine, florid drink.
Swirl it around
in mouth and brain.
Chew it like tender meat or morsel,
let every bit of its flavor
and flare collide, coalescing
with every taste budding.
Work it around, with tongue
used for telling and talk. 
Make. Those. Sounds. 
with……………………………
Breath. Movement. Thought.
Back & forth, forward & behind,
swallow with savor and sigh.
May this wad of words 
be sweet sustaining 
to your gaping, hunger-sown soul.

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