Lame Poetry and the Zoom-In Theory

Did my Thursday pages today, but was rather dissatisfied with the result. Part of that is circumstantial stuff - I was rushed. I had too much going on today to be able to really sit down and take my time. Part of it was in my approach.

After the Vikings, I've been working mostly on raptor related poetry, drawing on my time as a Raptor Center volunteer. Raptor poetry came easily, it's all about slowing down a moment and painting a picture. I have an easy time of approaching this particular subject that way. Last Saturday I took my fountain pen and a stack of pretty paper to the bar and wrote a pile of stuff while I was there. One after another, bingo-bango.

By today, I hit a point where I felt like I was written out. What else could I say about the birds or the place? I'd covered it all. (Not true, of course, but it felt like it anyway). So, what else? I tried another subject. It was terrible. I kept trying to go at it head on. I should know better, but I couldn't think of how else to go at it. So, I plunged right in and flailed. *Sigh*

Frustrating? You bet.

When I was learning how to ride my bike, my mom taught me that the best way to get from the street to the sidewalk wasn't to go at the curb straight on, but to go at an angle. Then you don't get the big jolt. Same thing with poetry. You don't just say what is, you show it.

My struggle right now is I don't know what I want to show. My best poetry comes from isolating something - a memory, for instance - and breaking it down into little bits. The color of nail polish, the clicking of a hand decked in rings, mascara smudges... Today, though, I just couldn't get from the big picture to the zoom-in.

I just couldn't think of what I wanted to look at that closely.

So, let's get to the question, shall we? (No, that's not the question, you literalist). In this discussion of close looking and poetry, the relevant point is fascination. In order to get to the zoom-in, you've pretty much got to be fascinated by the subject to some degree. Birds of prey fascinate me - no secret there. What fascinates you? Don't get all abstract on me, either. Anything like "the human condition" or "kindness" doesn't count. Give me a tangible, like dental floss or cowboys.