I
have always been envious of poets who have an actual “Writing Practice.” Those
who block off time, sit diligently for hours, writing, thinking… It is these
poets who work hard and who get recognized fast.
I
will not call what I do a “practice,” although the Zen idea of living in the
moment has, indeed, been called a practice. I do not schedule when I write. I
can honestly say that I live from one moment to the next and have difficulty
planning ahead for more than one or two days. As such, the writing that I do
comes furiously in sporadic moments, and I can write 50 pages in 2 days. I
don’t usually edit much afterwards. The words and lines spill out pretty
well-formed. I may change a word here and there, but I never tinker with the
structure.
Margaret
Atwood once spoke about the “Thumb of God” touching her, and yes, I believe
there is an area somewhere, unseen and unheard, that houses the wily energy of
creation. I write in many styles, assume different voices, adhere to many
philosophies. I believe in fluidity and the unavoidable mix of good and evil, I
write because, when the time comes, I must.
From
Such a Winter, a manuscript I wrote
yesterday, when I was not doing something else…
What can be
done
To find the
body and mind in sync
Such
togetherness
Division
divided by
The steps of
The gorgon
Deep steps
Shaking the
earth like
Cast iron
This
pressure to complete
No where
Why do we
love?
Eleni Zisimatos is
Co-Editor-in-Chief of the poetry magazine, Vallum,
in Montreal. She was nominated for a National Magazine Award, and was a
finalist for the Robert Kroetsch Award and two Irving Layton Awards.
www.vallummag.com.
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