The Poet Cleaning ~ (a poem about being a poet/writer)

February 18, 2019

The Poet Cleaning ~ (a poem about being a poet/writer)

Ripped from the belly of the sea
pregnant with vowels
our tails slap hard
pendulous swings,
our eyes are benign, panicked moons,
fibroadenomas
sitting inside our heads.

They must be plucked out.

We climb outside ourselves,
hold the knife steady,
scrape against the grain,
shedding our silvers
until we are clean,
carve a canoe-slice across our necks
another, neck to belly,
our insides slide free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is a great honor to be a writer. Pouring yourself out like we do is both burdensome and liberating. This poem is about the process of self-examination, opening up our authenticity, and putting our inner-most thoughts on display, even if that process can be uncomfortable or revealing.

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Please leave your thoughts, interpretations, and responses to The Poet Cleaning in the comment box below.

Thank you,

Christina

Blog, Creative Writing, Life, Nature Inspired Writing, Poetry, Writing

Life, poetry, Writing

Posted by:

Christina M. Ward

Poet, author of “organic”

7 responses to “The Poet Cleaning ~ (a poem about being a poet/writer)”

Walt Page, The Tennessee Poet

February 18, 2019 at 1:26 pm

The Mother Holy Crap of all Holy Craps! I’m trying hard to figure out what you are saying and I am failing miserably. It’s like you are using self-mutilation to get your poetry from inside you onto the paper. Is it that painful for you? Perhajps I am just to naive to understand your nuances. Nkn-cancerous breast tumors?? I give up, lol.

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LikeLiked by 1 person
Christina Ward

February 18, 2019 at 3:53 pm

HAHAHA love your response. Have you ever seen someone clean a fish? The imagery came from that, but it is 100% symbolic. EVERY image in this poem is symbolic Comparing the struggle and responsibility to release our INSIDES (our thoughts, our dreams, our fears, our POETRY) to the world. Even the ugly parts. There is a BRUTAL honesty that we, as poets, must share. Shedding our “silvers,” our “scales”…our SKIN and opening ourselves up for all the world to see. While it is a gift to be able to or called to do with our poetry (and most poets would agree—that we have no choice but to write!), it also makes the poet very, very vulnerable. Fibroadenomas…things you don’t ask for that grow there without your permission. Blockages to keep your eyes from seeing? However you want to interpret that ( I didn’t ask the poem why IT wanted to be that way lol.) All kinds of ways to interpret the symbolism but that is the gist of where I was coming from. Almost all of my poetry has many layers and lots of nature symbolism. Let me know if a re-read with this info in mind changes the way you see it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. This one is one of my favorites. ~Christina

LikeLiked by 1 person
Abby The great

February 18, 2019 at 4:03 pm

Oh my goodness! I was so confused when I first read this, but then i read the comments, I understood! It is so beautiful and symbolic!

LikeLiked by 1 person
Christina Ward

February 18, 2019 at 10:29 pm

Thank you.

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tinkablee

February 25, 2019 at 5:18 pm

I absolutely loved reading through this, as well as a few other of your posts! You’ve gained a follower in me 😀 I can’t wait to read more, you have a real gift x

LikeLiked by 1 person
Christina Ward

February 25, 2019 at 5:51 pm

Thank you so much. I really appreciate hearing what people think of my writing. I am happy to have earned your readership 🙂

LikeLiked by 1 person
Syzygy Poetry Challenge! ~~Parallel vs Juxtaposed – Fiddleheads & Floss

March 3, 2019 at 10:20 pm

[…] poem I wrote using this method: thoughts on being a poet + the cleaning of a fish (butchering) = The Poet Cleaning ~ (a poem about being a poet/writer) Now, anyone want to give it a try? Choose either of the above methods and write your poem. Post […]

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About Me

Christina M. Ward is an author and freelance writer from the beautiful state of NC where she resides with her two furbabies. She’s edited over 50 poetry collections from around the world, published three of her own, and is working on her second novel. Purchase Christina’s Books Here: AMAZON

Through Christina’s poetry editorial work she quickly gained support for her talents, propelling her into a full-time career in professional writing services for companies around the world. Christina formed Fiddleheads & Floss Writing Services in 2019. In just a few short years, through FFWS, Christina has developed a reputation for delivering high-quality content for health, wellness, clean beauty, and international CBD brands.

Today, Christina works with companies all over the world to provide voice-driven copy for their websites and blogs.

Christina M. Ward