halfway over

...so it's National Poetry Month, the "official" celebration that happens every April. Though some of us breathe and live poetry all the time through a combination of reading it, writing it, thinking about it. Even when I'm reading a great novel or book of non-fiction, I'm still considering the lyricism of the author's language, figurative language, what kind of spin-off image or poem could occur.

The past few nights I've had some really lucid images in my mind while drifting off to sleep. The first time it happened, a really strange and beautiful image came to me in an entire line. I remember feeling really cool I had thought of it, and that I should write it down. But I was so cozy. The bed was warm, my husband was in a deep sleep and I was only a few seconds behind him. I didn't disturb my sleep to write it down. I actually said in my head, "This is so good, I won't forget this line." Zzzzzzzzz.....Zzzzzzzz.....

I still can't remember that damn good line. But last night, it happened again. "White ducks lined up like mannequin heads"...or something like that, at least that's how it started. I was half-asleep, but still able to think: "Ok, the lucid lines are starting to come. Let them." And then words started building into complete lines! I didn't want to turn on the light. I didn't want to move at all. I wished for a dictaphone to appear on my nightstand. I'm such a slave to my art, to my calling...obviously.

But I didn't want to miss the chance of writing that one really great poem that would be "the one" to first get published in a national literary magazine. (Oh, the ambitious hope I have!)

So I did it--turned on the light, grabbed the ballpoint pen by my clock, and scribbled on the back of a library check-out receipt until I had no more room.

What I read in the morning was a little...well, odd. I still need to sort it out. The World's Greatest Line of Poetry Conceived While Half-Asleep is not going to premiere today.

So sad.

But do read a great poem today.