Preface to "Written by a Poem"
Opening poem
*Scroll for poem
Hey there,
It’s been more than 3 years since I last shared a poem publicly.
Not due to lack of inspiration or ideas. But rather because I wanted to let my ideas form fully before committing to the next project.
And because, frankly, I had to build upon my skills as a writer.
So during this time I read (a lot) with purpose and never stopped taking notes.
Now it’s finally time to do what’s probably my favorite thing in the world – sit down to wrestle with that blank page and create a world of my own.
Without further ado, please enjoy the preface to my upcoming collection “Written by a Poem“!
*Substack is not optimal when it comes to formatting poetry. I guess screenshots from my personal digital diary would do the trick.
Behind the Lines
My idea with this section is to keep things authentic and give you some insights. It’s the first time I do this and I’ve never seen it elsewhere, so let me know what you think 🙌
Character
June, 2024. I came back from a trip abroad with a family friend I hadn't seen in over a decade. While catching up I mentioned my poetic endeavors.
"Funny you should say that", he replied. "Because a few days ago I had another poet in that exact same seat. He was hitchhiking and I was just driving around with no particular direction in mind."
I don't know a lot of details, but I was left with the impression that most of their conversation was around religion.
Setting
Can you recognize the poet’s destination from the opening lines?
This will be a trend throughout the whole collection – describing specific places without naming them. What’s named and what’s not (people included) serves a purpose in the collection.
But you’re always free to guess. I’ll drop a hint on my Instagram.Kazantzakis influence
Literally on the very next day after returning from the trip someone recommended me to read "Report to Greco" by Nikos Kazantzakis. I started it right away.
Even though I've never been religious (neither was Kazantzakis for that matter), the following quote left a deep impression – “I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God.' And the almond tree blossomed.”
Is that because of the hitchhiking poet I was told about the day before? Could be. Anyway, my own interpretation of this quote really clicked with the core idea of “Written by a Poem“.
Rhyme pattern (and lack thereof)
I've spent hours obsessing over each word. If I wanted to write everything in perfect rhyme, I would have. Yet I didn’t.
Structure, rhyme, and other poetic devices are supposed to serve as a supplementary tool to communicate my message throughout the whole collection.
Foxglove
"Drop me there, by the foxglove" looks and honestly feels like a forced attempt to rhyme, but it's not.
This plant is native to the country that the poem takes place in, and I've also used it as a symbol.
The real-life poet was going where he was, because of a medical condition. I know neither what or how bad it was, but it's a detail I had in mind while developing the character.
I'll leave the interpretation of the foxglove up to you.
Hope you liked the poem and the format 🥂
Any feedback and suggestion is more than welcome.