Sunday 24 August 2008

What inspires you? And why?

What inspires people to write poems? Nature, life experience, paintings, literature? And do poems ever say anything new? Does it matter? Is it sufficient to be reminded?

Being a painfully private person, I feel more at ease writing about wildlife than people. I suppose it's the anonymity of it. It's a vehicle I can sometimes use to allude to the human experience without betraying confidentiality. I also find that walking in wild places helps my thinking - probably a combination of feeling relaxed and enjoying improved blood circulation to my brain.

That said, it doesn't always work. Earlier this week I spotted a peregrine resting on a bolder at the tide line (Allonby Bay). I'm still waiting for the poem to lift....

I'd love to know what everyone else thinks. Feel free to add a comment.

Above is a wheatear (this one photographed by Rick Spencer). I was pleased to spot some of those at Allonby too, along with linnet, whitethroat, merlin and ringed plover. I'm also pretty sure I saw a few first year kittiwakes alongside the expected gulls.

2 comments:

Susan Richardson said...

Like you, I find walking in wild places (especially of the coastal and insular kind) to be very inspiring.I need external space to clear/quieten my head and so get the internal space that's necessary for ideas to start coming through. But once I'm past the first draft stage, I can quite happily write in a busy, bustling café!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Mostly I'm inpsired by nature, also literature and film. I love collecting quotes and using them as a starting point, even if the end product bear no relation to the original quote...

At the moment I'm trying to keep an eye out for insppiration in unexpected places...

I saw a peregrine earlier this year, very dramatic bird. i haven't seen wheatears for a few years though...

from the field book

from the field book
An inspiring gift for anyone who enjoys watching nature.