A Poet’s Block

(and all manner of excuses!)

The subject of much of my thinking, when I wake early in the morning, usually around 3 or 4 am. In my semi-conscious state so often great sounding verse comes into my head and I will lie there going over and over the first few lines to try to fix it in my memory. Sometimes it stays and I can rise and write it down; but sometimes not and it disappears.

On occasions, I have had two separate poems running past me at the same time; sometimes only one, at best, will survive my getting out of bed! Only on one occasion, however, can I remember both surviving.

I also submitted this poem to the Edinburgh City of Literature ‘Carry A Poem’ project on 23rd January 2010– and it was published on their web site (whoopee!) on 4th Feb, well, at least the first verse was along with a particular favourite by Ella Wheeler Wilcox “I Told You”. Subsequently, I re-edited the first verse a little along with one or two others to give this hopefully final version.

(Read the Poem)