Photo By: Carrie
Clam Beach, McKinleyville CA
Like the wave of a wand
You are there and then gone
Warming my face, my eyes
Deeply squinting I can not look away
Your rays reaching out
Drawing paths to my dreams
Making me see where I am
Where I’ve been and all that is
Waiting for me
The Shady Tree 
I’ve been studying the structure, formatting, and word-flow of your beautiful poems like this one. I think I can learn from the ease and simplicity you bring to those elements. Perhaps it goes back to your advice to me to let the words tell me what to do with them. Maybe I’m too used to bossing words around.
Hi Janet 🙂 I can’t tell you how much it makes me smile that you enjoy my poems and their flow…thank you!
Yes, I am not technical at all about how I write. I literally sit down, take a breath, have the photograph large on the screen and free write. I don’t include punctuation either. Then I move to the “text” tab in the editor and start editing, Hard returns in strange places (mid-sentence) and see what comes out. I may have a couple edits, if a word doesn’t sound right in it’s new place, and then I look at the spacing. Then it’s done.
You should try it, it is like magic.
For example (I just thought about what writing poetry feels like, here is my free write): I have found that writing poetry makes my heart sing and my bones fill with hope it is an everlasting affair one that I hope will never leave the air these words this rhyme flowing right in time like the coming together of flavors in an aged bottle of beautiful red wine.
And the poem:
I have found that writing
Poetry makes my heart sing
My bones fill with hope
It is an everlasting affair
One that I hope will never leave
The air, these words
This rhyme flowing right
In time
Like the coming together
Flavors in an aged bottle
Of beautiful red
Wine
Ah so beautiful Carrie – words and image 😃
Such a lovely place to end the day.
It was a very beautiful way to end my day, yes. Sometimes you are just in the right place, I am so glad I was there watching this that afternoon 🙂 Thank you!
😃