How To Go About Writing A Poem! Poem by Denis Martindale

Don't go about! Sit down and think!
Just rest your tootsies there…
Upon that sofa seat to sink
And squash out all its air…
Upon some paper, use your pen,
Just simply write a name,
Let pictures spring to mind and then
Treat writing as a game…
Be playful with a word or two,
A pretty phrase will flow
And followed by a precious few,
The time will surely go…

My bet is that, when doubts are dead,
The challenge can be faced,
Then suddenly, you speed ahead,
With pleasant rhymes embraced…
The verses jump from pen to page,
Like lightning from the sky,
Like lava streams that set the stage,
No time to question, 'Why? '
They just appear, from heart to mind,
From spirit then to soul,
As if each one you had to find
As you maintained control…

Piano players learn to play,
Yet writers merely wait,
It matters not the time of day,
Yet soon they celebrate…
Just press on till the very end,
Just press on till complete,
Success is tasty, yes, my friend,
Success tastes really sweet…
I ought to know, for I write plots
For poems, day and night,
I've got no mansions, cars or yachts,
Perhaps that's why I write!


Denis Martindale July 2016.