Writer's Block

does this really need to be described? haven't we all been there?

Writer’s Block

 

The poet sits, brooding, at his desk by the window

Scuffling ‘round in an ocean of words.

Seeking what some say are lines for the birds,

And writing the things that whisper tomorrow.

 

His muse is a love that lay tattered and torn

And scatters the words that were already spoken;

The poet knows just how this love had been broken,

When he just should have taken the bull by the horns.

 

He looks out the window admiring the sun

As it falls oh, so slowly, toward the horizon.

The glare from that sun prompts the poet to action,

He closes the shutters and the poem comes undone.

 

As dusk fell before him, his dream fallen through

The door swung wide open and in walked the night.

The muse he’d been stung by was well out of sight,

So he had a stiff drink, wond’ring what he should do.

 

The poem he’d been writing is thrown into the fire

Where all kinds of others had entered to die

The muse that lay burning climbed up toward the sky

Reaching upward and onward, like a funeral pyre.

 

riki © 2015

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

writers block happens....i have had it now enough times that i no longer worry when it happens. i know sooner or later it will pass, the dam will break and the words will flow...but while it is happening it is unnerving isn't it?
and you describe it so perfectly in this poem...
we throw those ideas that won't come to fruition into the fire and upward they climb, even further away from us.

[dan]

Jacob, Anyone who writes has this happen from time to time, and I could take some of my words out of the write and replace them with yours...that's how 'in tune' you are to what I was saying. Thank you for your read and very insightful review. I'm heading to your page right now to check out more of your work. Thanks again! take care....dan

[Kelly Scheppers]

We could write a book on writer's block! What I'd like to know is where our muse goes...perhaps its just a thought process we need to painstakingly endure. At least with Microsoft Word, we are spared the crumpled sheets of paper, lying here and there and everywhere.

High five, my friend! ...hang in there!

[dan]

Kelly, I don't actually HAVE writer's block, I just wrote about it from past experience. When I do get it (I went about 3 weeks around the holidays) I just wait and eventually it passes. I like your description about Word saving all that paper laying around, you should write a poem about it. 8^) take care...dan

[~]

:) I am still waiting for my block :) I liked your take on it, and I really liked your clever picture! :)

[dan]

Thank you much....maybe too much. 8^) take care...dan

[~]

:) no no , not too much - joking!!!!

[Relic]

I've been experiencing it for quite a while now. You've expressed things in this poem I couldn't put into words. The emptiness is expressed well through your final stanza. Like a treasure out of site, a good burst of ideas is hard to find and most of them can go up in smoke.

Well done.

[dan]

Relic, I though this write would garner a lot of response, since writer's block is something every writer goes through at times. Although it upsets me when it happens, I find if I just wait it out it will come back eventually, and as another reviewer expressed, I might come back stronger for having gone through it. Best of luck! take care...dan (real name; riki is a pen name and the name of my ferret. Thanks, Relic!

[Relic]

Thanks, you too. You're welcome Dan.

[Jerome F Knox III pseud..]

The ABBA rhyme scheme worked through out the entire poem the images were crisp and vivid. Fine job.

[dan]

Rico, That's a rhyme scheme that I enjoy using. To me, it seems to be more emphatic than the standard ABAB. The fact that you noticed it tells me that you are very in tune with not only the content of things that you write, but also the structure. I had an 18 year career in restaurant/hotel kitchens, and in poetry, like cooking, presentation is half the battle. Thanks for your insightful review. take care...dan

[Jerome F Knox III pseudonym Nefarious J. Dorsey]

Most people think I am one trick pony, a magician with limited skills because I prefer ebs and flows of free verse. In order to do some of the complex rhyme schemes I had to study other writing styles before perfecting my own. I usually write in a mixture ABBBBA, ABCCBA and many more combinations. I am currently working on a style I call homorythmic a complex rhyme scheme using homonyms.

[dan]

Rico, Why do you say that most people think you're a one trick pony? You're a very talented writer who seemingly doesn't give himself enough credit. Being proud of your talent is not vanity. Take more ownership of what you DO write...I read your work and see a STAMPEDE of ponies! If I can say that about you why can't you see it yourself. Take pride in your abilities, try not to minimize them, you're better than that! I'll be checking in to your page later. Have a great day. take care...dan

[Shane Mohamed]

What you said was true: it doesn't matter if it's on paper or not, as long as it's in your head. You've left a great impression of a perplexed writer. You've mentioned your muse quite often. I mentioned mine too in "Beautiful Muse," but mine was pretty dark. Good job Dan.

[dan]

Thank you for your read and review. Writer's block is a great subject about which to write because we have all experienced it firsthand. I will look for "Beautiful Muse" to review it and return the favor. Thanks again, Shane. take care...dan

[Leviathus Fortes]

For me, free verse can cure writer's block.

What's intriguing is the fact that a writing comes out stronger after writer's block is conquered.

[dan]

Leviathus, You're so right that when the inspiration returns the writer often emerges as stronger for having gone through it. Great point. Thanks very much for your read and review. I've bookmarked your page and will return the favor later. take care...dan (my real name; riki is a pen name and the name of my ferret.)

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

End paragraph was the best, really loved the ending.
It sucks because every writer goes through this some more than others.
Can get writers block for a number of reasons.
Mine at the moment being, Im running out of topics to write about, so its been hard to write lately.
But brilliant piece, sure allot of others can relate to this to.
Keep on writing Dan :)

[dan]

Thank you, cimmy. Yeah, writer's block is a b***h, but it's a river all poets have to learn to swim upstream against. I can't recommend a strategy to beat it, for me it just passes eventually and I come back to my keyboard. You keep writing too, you have untapped talent. take care...dan

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Your welcome :)
Yes. Yes it is.
It is harder to beat when you have nothing new to inspire you, to write.
Thank you that means allot. :)