How to begin
Feeling one's feelings is not
as easy as it sounds--
especially for a writer.
It is all inside of you, just teach yourself
to get it out
let the bone fragments of your adolescence
break through the skin,
hold your heavy breath inside and
wait
wait
wait for a moment to rise to the surface
like the bubbles of a man overboard
that let his comrades know
he still has breath to give.
to share.
Not all inspiration is made of such waiting.
seduce the memories out of you
make them want to shine
make them want to comfort
someone other than just the secret corners
of your own body.
tattoos on your wrists of the
scars on your hearts
sing themselves into existence
if you let them.
Open a vein and bleed
onto the page, Vonnegut says,
but not all poetry is
self-mutilation.
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