sometimes i sit
at a shaker desk
and begin to write
my direction vague
and uncertain
i follow the poem
to the end of itself,
only to look back
in surprise
other times the sky is clear
road smooth and straight,
map unfolds crisp
in my hand
i navigate gracefully
landmark to landmark
along a predetermined path
but
much of the time
i write the last line first
ignorant of its origin
i think i am most comfortable
working this way
perhaps
because i often craft
alternate beginnings to my life
imagine
over and again
every possible way
to arrive here at this desk
i am all the time
writing myself backward
from now to everywhere before
or
maybe i'm impatient,
anxious to know how
it all turns out
it was that way with this poem
the final line
first to reach the page
and then the journey back
it came to me
in a passing thought,
slipped from a daydream
and at once i knew
i had discovered
the end of something
some lines are born for this,
resonate with a deep finality
long after the page has turned
like so many of my poems
its end was its beginning
a single stunning phrase
simple really
yes, this is the one
Comments
1 - 44 of 44
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i think that no matter which process you use to write, there is always a loud explosion that happens within the reader from your poems... in the best sense of the word explosion, of course.. and i think the line "yes, this is the one" is one of those moments.
keep featuring ...
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lol I had told you that some poems could be read backwards hahahaha..
I love this..
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This is still to today my favorite write of yours. I have read it many times over and it still always fits and always turns my mind inside out writing my life backwards. If you know what I mean.
~Carlie
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I love this
and one reason for that is that often when I write
I have some random line that I squish into the rest of it. I don't start backwards, but somewhere in the middle, which makes me interesting, I suppose.
I never do things in proper order, writing fits right in there, too.
Fun to see this perspective from the backwards angle, and know I'm not the only disorganized one.
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Oh my how true this is...
so vibrant inside my mind sometimes...one single line.
Used to weave my thoughts around it...
"yes, this is the one"
Thanks Al
What a wonderful person you are
Becky
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Sometimes I do this, think of a line for a poem but know it's not for the beginning.And it ends up at the end or even somewhere in the middle, yet the poem seems to revolve around it.
Your poem makes sense to me, it doesn't really matter what came first, just that it came.
A very good piece, A.J... makes a person think
Dee
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I wanted to see if I'd missed anything lately; and came upon this one, featured.
I don't know if I ever write a poem with a clear path..lol..it seems to take on it's own life as I write; sometimes backwards, but usually one painful word at a time till it makes some kind of sense! lol.
I love this one on the creating poetry process..and the last line, yes.
So glad I backtracked to find this one.
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I'm rather happy when I miss a poem along the way - it gives me something to take a step back or two in order to find, enjoy, indulge in -- and then imagine, "sure, he'll write something else soon". But, in the meantime, I can find such poems as this in the mixt of some others I may have not read as of yet. Nice little works of art that have me wishing they were mine. (I should be so lucky!)
I can relate to the thoughts on this one - the ending line being ever so critical to start with at times. It's rather a process I enjoy as well, filling in the rest of the poem once that has been decided, sculpted - placed so carefully.
Well done indeed.
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bookmarked
Kj
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This makes perfect sense when thinking of the way the mind works. By the time actual sentences are formed, so many synapses have fired, ideas generated and connections made that one has to work backward to translate the initial ideas into words.
Reading your work is very rewarding. Your poetry is provocative and gets my mind working.
This is much longer than many of yours, but at no point does it sacrifice clarity. An excellent write.
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Thank you so much Vieve
al
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This is a brilliant write. I agree that it is just as valid backwards, if not more so. I too write this way, as you, so Right On, express in these words:
"it came to me
in a passing thought,
slipped from a daydream
and at once i knew
i had discovered
the end of something
some lines are born for this,
resonate with a deep finality
long after the page has turned"
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COOL POEM. I WAS ANXIOUS TO GET TO THE END ONLY TO READ IT ALL OVER AGAIN
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Thanks Trew
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Mr.Morelli,
This piece is a beautiful interpretation of the oft-confused state most poets encounter, at some point in their written expressions. I'm very pleased to know I'm not alone.
Continue to inspire us with your mesmerizing creativity.
Peace and Love to you and yours! -
We never know where we're going until we get there and then we find that it's really where we began.
This poem gives you the feeling that you're reading in a circle seeking the meaning that is elusively one step ahead or behind you and yet it is all so simple on the surface. Great writing, very intriguing. -
he is the one
i enjoyed this - you give writing such clarity and vision
elaine
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This was a treat- much longer than I expected. A really locely piece. It had a different from feel from what I've come to see as your 'usual' - less sharp and tight - but free-er and more stream of consciousness style. It suited it.
Nice work
jess -
Yep! That's how it is often done. I feel you gave youeself and the reader too many outs. It wasn't cute enough to be applaudecd for your usual word mastery and ingenious layout. It seemed unoriginal and with a purpose that wasn't poetic. I love your work but not this one. Thanks for the thoughts and words.
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I don't know what to say, that was a wonderful compliment coming from such a gifted poet as yourself, I'm blushing..
Thanks Mary
al -
It is poetry like this that makes me understand why exactly you will be famous some day-
m -
Beautifully written. I understand well what you say. I am the complete opposite. I often have the vision, the sight and cannot write until I find the first line that opens the door. For me it unfolds from the entrance. If the first line is not right I toss the whole effort aside. I loved seeing a different vision. Love, Tom B.
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You are very welcome.. and thank you
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Liza, that was an incredibly nice thing to say and it means alot to me coming from you.... thank you so much
al -
I find sometimes a certain line will resonate with me and I try to work it into a poem. It could be a line I use for the middle of the poem, but usually the end. I rarely use a line that I think of for the beginning of a poem. I think it's okay to write that way, though. You never know what may come out of your writes. It's like a pen is part of a journey and you have to write to see where that journey can take you. Anyway, good write. Keep up the good work.
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you know, there are a lot of poets, and a lot of wordsmiths, but few who share the skills of both..
you do.
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More fascinating to me, than the write .. itself is that I also write backwards.. and I recently had a discussion about that with someone..
.. I can definitely relate to this.. very much so..
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I sometimes have no idea what the ending will be like when I start writing - ususally it is this way. All of a sudden I am done and it does come as a surprise to me what I have written and where I have come from. Will havae to try it your way, and write that last line first and word towards it from the top down. Interesting look at writing processes. Easy to read and understand.
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WOW! that is great! I've never known anyone else to do the same as I do! great write!
Always
Ky Blake -
The way I write depends upon the day...at times I begin with a certain thought in mine and end up somewhere completely different than where I started. Other times I create lines and make them the end as you speak of here. I enjoyed this little romp through your muse...Trina
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amazing...this is to show that how it spills out doesn't matter at all, I often start backwards too great to know I'm not alone this is a great write as to how we think as we write the words that are to be...great job!!!
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"i navigate gracefully" Indeed, you do, Al...This is an elegant depiction of the art & craft of writing...These are my favorite kinds of poems, actually; they lend great insight into the heart, mind & soul of the artist, revealing the revelations of inspiration...This is an incredibly gifted penning...Your words are profound & observant, rife with indelible imagery that leaves a gentle mark on your readers' souls...Your format & technique is most convincing, as well as being quite unique...Your flow is pure...I hope you always continue to develop & hone your writing skills; it is very much a craft, just as woodworking, composing or sculpturing are...It is your gift to the world and this world needs all the Poets it can hold, as you well know...Well done, Poet... Wanda
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utterly amazing!!! I can't even express how wonderful this is. I do hope you are getting published, because this is fantastic!
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it's the journey not the destination.. yes- i love how words come
sometimes, i have jumbled up phrases, little nuances of something, sketches and ramblings.. that when i unscramble them become hopefully something worth writing about
I like this piece alot Al.. it has style and class
simplistic and eloquent
Gill x -
Ooo, I really like it. I find it really awesome that you wrote the last line first, and then still made the rest of the poem make sense and flow. It's really good. I like the images that you create, and the way you explain yourself and tell a story, yet still making it poetry. Keep writing.
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I think I write from the middle..lol. And peek at the end.
I never know where my mind will take me, but I all my poems feel unfinished. "The one"..is always the one I'm writing that day, and then I look back later at it, and think, well..that was crap. lol.
I like the process of this write, it was something every writer, and poet can relate to. And it was written with obvious skill, and
thought. I really liked this, very thought provoking.
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A thought provoking write,delivered in a languid,relaxed manner.The reader could imagine the author at his desk with pen poised to frame moments.I was interested in the perception that you feel you write backwards,in effect,we all write back this way,whilst a key word or phrase may inspire us all we have to utilize is that which has gone before,backwards in time and we marry that to our creativity.However,I agree with the duality of the concept that the key word or phrase that inspires provokes the beginning and that it is this that we try to portray poetically by the end of the poem.Found this phrase extremely interesting "perhaps because I often craft alternate beginnings to my life" I could relate to that,have wondered since I was a child where and who I may be or what I may be capable of if born elsewhere.At first I did this because of my Mom's despair that I was not a boy,I wondered if I had been a boy how I could have been any different for her or anyone.I was the only red haired child and she disliked it,used to tell me I had been found under a bush and had gone rusty and I wondered if my "real" Mom had abandoned me for being a girl and for having red hair and I thought it rather unfair as I hadn't chosen either my gender nor colouring.As I grew older those imaginings,experiences and circumstance meant I could empathize with anyone,the opposite gender,different colours,eldery or disabled,I could walk in their shoes with them and fully understand they had not chosen either,they just had to journey with the start they had been given until destiny decreed their end of journey and all they,I or anyone chooses is what they do with their circumstances and thoughts in the interceding time,that's why thoughts are so important,thoughts provoke action and either colour or discolour our lives.Oh my,have rambled on,will applaud and leave the building quietly lol
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Stellar!
Yes, BRILLIANT!!! Love the metaphoric quality. Love that it can be read from both directions. That is so awesome when a poet can do that. Great subject, great title, great graphic!
I'm lovin' this piece!!!
Cris
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I love this. I tend to write that way too...I know how and what I want the ending to be, but how to take my characters/plot there is the real challenge. Occasionally it's reversed though. Excellent write, keep that pen moving!
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Brilliant! This is so inspired and clever. Often when writing the end is clear but navigating the way there forms the challenge...in life too.
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wow!!!
wow!!!! great job! i can really relate to these feelings. sincerely, bluedance -
well done..interesting..is this meant to be read from top to bottom or bottom to top? If so, very cleverly worded as it flows pretty well both ways. Good luck
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Interesting. I never write this way. I guess it must be intriguing to fit everything that's coming with what has already come before, huh? - oce
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Indeed, Al... I can so identify with this "writing backwards" poem as mostly I write my poetry the same way. Isn't it an amazing feeling when we know "yes, this is the one". Indeed... - well written and beautifully done - a beginning written into the final chapter of paper.
~ Nicolette
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