Ever felt like this?

[ellajam]

Hey, Leanne, I can't quite put myself in your place because I think art for me comes after the processing. It is more my way of grabbing private time when I am fully enveloped in my own thoughts as in Leave me alone, I'm concentrating on this, not the rest of you.

I haven't been finishing anything lately, edits go unposted, each occasional new piece temporarily abandoned. I've been reading fiction more, which is nice, and I bought a new iron and have filled my head with quilting patterns but haven't picked up a needle yet.

I don't stress about it, I know something will start up. I'm looking forward to NaPM, writing bad poems sometimes leads to a good one.

But for you, using poetry to live, I'd suggest you stop making yourself miserable, if there's a form you haven't perfected dig in, or see if you can write one haiku you like, it might take about a million. Choose to be happy, and if you need poetry to do it, best do it. If you can't right now make a serious effort to learn another art that will do at least some of the job. I know it sounds like bullshit, but choosing joy is real. Rise up. xo