April 25–27, 2022

Poetry

Apr 27

JUST WRITE

The hardest task to finish is the one you never start,

And first drafts never manifest as perfect works of art.

Don’t say you can’t, don’t say you will at some point down the road

Don’t wait a moment more, my friend; you swallow that darn toad!

Just sit your butt down at your desk and start the blasted chore.

If writing’s what you need to do, just do it more and more.

Soon you’ll find your words are there, they come out when you force them.

They may be bad, cliched, or weird, but no one must endorse them.

All you need is diligence to get them on the page

Even if the process stinks and fills you with blind rage.

There’s never been a block at all, that’s just your fear of failing,

Of writing something really bad that leaves your reader wailing.

But that’s why editors exist, their job is to fix messes

So make the mess and write the book! The first step to success is

Finishing draft number one (or two, or three, or four)

Only then can you proceed to send it out the door.

Clip, clop, clip, clop, clip, clop, SPLASH!

Drip, drop, grumble, grumble, wiff, whoosh, BASH!

Zip zoom

Blip BOOM

Pow

Unforeseen obligations

Minor irritations

Moderate frustrations

Surprise tribulations

Unmet expectations

Complications

Stipulations

Warring nations

Price inflations

Wage stagnations

Oscillations