How I Approach the Blank White Page

Posted bymarialbergPosted inpoetry, promptsTags:, ,

Tidying the Workbench

When I aim to write a poem
sitting with intention, holding my pen;
I am the small, tidying mouse in a shed
caught on night-vision video in Wales
and the blank page is my box.

I find the ideas scattered
all over the workbench
and set to task selecting
clothespins of connections
nuts and bolts of meaning
long straws of argument

I pull; I tug;
I lift and drag;
climbing up over the edge,
and dropping, arranging, shoving
each thought into order

I hoist ideas that are bigger than me, and slide them into place.
I fuss with the long and arduous until it fits when things shift.

When the ideas are cleared,
each word ordered,
I leave
and rest
only to find a mess
when I return.

For yesterday’s Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub, Dora challenged us to choose an animal as a metaphor for how we approach the blank page. It was a timely prompt as I had just seen this adorable video about a mouse that secretly tidies a workbench every night, and it instantly clicked for me that that mouse is me writing a poem.

Published by marialberg

I am an artist—abstract photographer, fiction writer, and poet—who loves to learn. Experience Writing is where I share my adventures and experiments. Time is precious, and I appreciate that you spend some of your time here, reading and learning along with me. I set up a buy me a coffee account, https://buymeacoffee.com/mariabergw (please copy and paste in your browser) so you can buy me a beverage to support what I do here. It will help a lot.

14 thoughts on “How I Approach the Blank White Page”

  3. First time seeing this video, thank you for sharing! I love that the poem combines diligence and organization into a crafting artform; and gives the Muse those positive chaos vibes to inspire.

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  4. I’ve seen that video too, Maria, and I love where it took you in this adorable poem. I especially love these lines:
    ‘I find the ideas scattered
    all over the workbench
    and set to task selecting
    clothespins of connections
    nuts and bolts of meaning
    long straws of argument’
    and
    ‘I hoist ideas that are bigger than me, and slide them into place.
    I fuss with the long and arduous until it fits when things shift.’

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  7. I love the idea of the mouse tidying up a poem and then coming back a mess. This part is my favorite: I hoist ideas that are bigger than me, and slide them into place.
    I fuss with the long and arduous until it fits when things shift.

    The video is amazing, thanks for sharing it.

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  8. How charming to picture a poet as a little mouse with ideas and words flung about, then diligently collected into order! Especially loved: “clothespins of connections/nuts and bolts of meaning/long straws of argument.” Given the video (so cute!), I can’t help but think the little mouse is getting something rather rewarding from it, as the readers (and viewers) are! Thanks for joining in the prompt, Maria.

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