Often, with a little nub of a poem - a good idea, an interesting image, an appealing line break or other start - I want to revise by adding new things in. I’ve got a brief memory from childhood, so why not add Greek myth, the parts of mass, the conjugation of a Latin verb? While that can be interesting, let’s try something different: let’s find a little nub and zoom in really close.
Poem #24: Close-Up
Look through your old notebooks or your files and find a little poem nub - an intriguing start that didn’t quite develop into a poem.
Identify the image or impulse in the poem and try to write more deeply into that. If it’s an image, you can zoom in - describe it more, give more details, enrich the language with sensory description. You could also try redefining it through simile or metaphor. But don’t flinch, don’t look away: what spoke to you in this moment? Why did you write it down?
If you want a form, write seven lines. Give it a title that frames the scene, then dive in.
Sharing your work helps sustain momentum. I’ll leave the comments open, so you can share a poem title, a snippet of a line, or something else about your writing life. I’m also on twitter (@nancy_reddy) and instagram (@nancy.o.reddy), if you want to check in there.