#poem #poetry #amwriting writer's block

writer's block

writing about writing is commonplace
   a heron flying past becomes a symbol
   for the pen that will not move

these are the words I fear the most
   'this is a poem about writing a poem'
usually followed by
   'something I am sure we all recognise'

                      and what follows goes like this
blank paper -
some petty angst (usually about love)
- heron - 
heron fills blank paper
(heron is incidental) -
heron becomes metaphor for  the petty angst
(partly because nature poems are verboten) -
aren't I emotionally subtle -
round of applause -
onto the next slim poem in the slim volume -
this one is also about the problem of writing poetry
(instead of a heron - now it is mother's shoes)

.....

whereas I suspect the poem
    most writers recognise
is the one lying unread and unloved
    in a forgotten drawer

The Blue Book