I was re-reading some of Robert Service’s poetry the other day preparing a new posting for my blog. And I happened across one I had not read before…..entitled ‘Inspiration’ I find it fascinating that writers are saying the same thing whether it is 1900 or 2013 .
It inspired me to share it with you because the poem talks about the same things that I’ve said. About being open to what’s around you; how it can inspire you. Who’s around you; it can inspire you. What you hear and see; it can inspire you.
INSPIRATION by Robert Service
How often have I started out
with no thought in my noddle,
and wandered here and there about,
where fancy bade me toddle;;
till feeling faunlike in my glee
I’ve voiced some gay dsitiches,
returning joyfully to tea,
a poem in my britches.
A-squatting on a thymy slope
with vast of sky about me,
I’ve scribbled on an envelope
the rhymes the hills would shout me;
the couplets that the trees would call,
the lays the breezes proffered…
oh no, I didn’t think at all-
I took what Nature offered.
For that’s the way you ought to write-
without a trace of trouble;
be super-charged with high delight
and let the words out-bubble;
be voice of vale and wood and stream
without design or proem:
then rouse from out a golden dream
to find you’ve made a poem.
So I’ll go forth with mind a blank,
and sea and sky will spell me;
and lolling on a thymy bank
I’ll take down what they tell me;
as Mother Nature speaks to me
her words I’ll gaily docket,
so I’ll come singing home to tea
a poem in my pocket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve mentioned before how nurturing my cabin is, tucked in a hollow in the Blue Ridge mountains of north Georgia. And like Robert Service I have responded to stream, vale, wood, sky and trees (particularly when I write Haiku). I have had some of my best writing hours there. A ripple on the pond, a single leaf floating down amidst the branches, the sun winking between trees, the song of a bird; all have given me inspiration and quieted this crazed thing between my ears. Open your heart, your mind, your eyes and ears and inspiration will find you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start your month off right!! DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS. INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS!
I have had a wonderful response from other authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal, Maya Angelou, Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Caroline Leavitt, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, and many others.
So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create! Mark Childress is our April author. Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June‘s author. July features Rhys Bowen. Sue Grafton is August’s author and September will feature Tasha Alexander. Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To receive my posts sign up for my 
Go to the home page; On the right side you’ll see a box where you can enter your email address. Click on “join my blog”. You need to confirm in an email from ‘Writer at Play’ . Thanks!