Friday, October 19, 2012

A Poem for the National Day on Writing


Today is the National Day on Writing and you can read more about it HERE. Thinking about “What I write” – which is this year’s theme – inspired a poem looking at what, and why, I write.

Last year I attended a conference,
Over and over the same question was repeated –
What are you writing?

They must have the wrong person.
I am not a writer.
What would I say?

But the seed was there.
Gnawing away at my inside.
Waiting to be acknowledged.

I came home, inspired.
By friends, teachers, authors.
Could I do it?

I stepped out.
Dipped a toe in.
Created a blog.

You all were there.
Left comments, tweets, messages.
Encouraged.

I kept writing.
Here and in journals.
Ideas filling up my head.

What I write changed
From emails, text, FB messages.
Grocery lists, plans, Goodreads posts.
To blogs, articles, the first pages of a book.

I write to be heard.
I write to inspire.
I write because the words burst forth,
Demanding to come out.
They will not be silent any more.