Writers on Writing
Poetry
If You're Lucky
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For James Laughlin
His muse called at 3:00 am from Greece dictating poems sure it was a pain in the ass and took half a Valium to get back to sleep but think that could be you-- if you’re lucky Your muse however totally irresponsible has no regard for timing or personal safety she’ll hijack consciousness at the most inconvenient moment get you killed on a lark words’ll stampede you while you’re driving leaving your knee to steer your left hand to write as your eyes yo-yo between the road and notebook giving an old-school twist to texting while driving; but you won’t hit anyone-- if you’re lucky Doc Williams on a bench beside his Buick muggy Rutherford summer day leaning forward dispatching plums out of hand waves of nectar breaking over his chin splashing his shoes they taste good to him taste good to him he spies a woman across the street he wants to but he’s eaten the last one the image kaleidoscoping in his eye words burning his ear jumps behind the wheel drives hell bent for 9 Ridge Road; you may have this sort of epiphany too-- if you’re lucky Doc’s bloody hands wresting Mrs. Corcoran’s daughter from the womb later trying to resurrect gems got tossed with placenta wrapped in casts drowned in croups long past midnight pouring through papers on his desk searching for notes to Patterson scratched on a prescription pad did he absent-mindedly hand that one to Mrs. Petrello instead of the sulfonamide for her son’s earache; you might have to sort through these sort of conundrums too-- if you’re lucky And you’ll find that next poem it won’t come gift- wrapped and tied with a bow it’ll be another all or nothing knock down drag out brawl smothered in doubt salted with pyrite punctuated with Fuck It! moments tears too tired to care whether sad or joyous but when you finally grasp it shivers’ll shoot up and down your spine goose bumps’ll light up your forearms and shoulders and this’ll give you enough tired breath to launch another day; this is what you have to look forward to-- if you’re lucky! |
