I think one of the reasons I loved working on the newspaper in college was that I could do feature articles and include a lot of details about the person, place or event I was writing about. I am an empath so I can feel all types of energy if I choose to. I can tap into how people are feeling. I also notice details others might not. It’s a lot to take in at times, however, these abilities can serve me as well. For instance, if I am talking with someone, I can feel how they are feeling. I don’t pretend to know precisely how everyone feels as I haven’t been through every situation, but I can get a general sense. Sometimes I understand what these feeling mean, and if I choose to, I can immerse myself in this and other parts of the world around me.
In my poems, I like to take the reader to a place (that I may or may not have been) and describe it so that they understand where we are. This helps to deliver the messages of the poem. When people can relate to what I’m saying, they often times are thinking of a similar place or feeling that they’ve had in their own lives. In this way, we are bonded with a common understanding of the poem. At the end of the poem, I like to surprise the reader with my final thought.
(Daily inspiration outside my front door!)
As an example, if I go to the grocery store, I will see landscape along the way, I will notice the way the hawk flew over my car, the horses that sit in pasture, the way people parked their cars and the expressions on their faces, the energy people are exuding when we are near each other, how the shelves are stocked, what I want to buy, what music is playing overhead, what happens in the checkout lane, etc.
So for me, every moment I’m “checked into” life, there is inspiration and a chance to deliver messages from me to you. I do have secrets in my poems too – it’s fun to add mystery to them and add another layer for the reader to discover.
(From The Liminal Space, pg. 48)
I’d love to know what inspires you – feel free to tell me what inspires you in the comments.
Let’s talk again soon.
With affection,
Carrie VS