Digging Deeper

I think that there's a balance to be struck when writing, or in the case of today, re-writing poems. On the one hand, I am drawn to poems that have depth, by which I mean something important is going on underneath, between, or behind the lines. Or maybe there's a metaphor that makes me truly see something fresh, or language that makes me catch my breath. Or a universal truth brought to light in a new way.

Sometimes, the kind and insightful readers of my early drafts point out that the interesting bits that reveal something about myself or the world are only peeking through, and then tucked away again as though I didn't realize that they were significant. So, not hidden in a coy or clever way, but just not developed. To some degree, a lack of courage or self-confidence has prevented me from trusting the validity of that element of my work. But I think that to a greater level, I don't want to be an exhibitionist of dullness or aggressive with my self-importance. Because certainly, there are poems and poets guilty of both.

So today, I rewrote an older poem that I had, two years ago, considered fairly finished, but which I can see now avoids saying what it's there to say. And I had to draw out that raison d'être and let it complete the piece. Or at least try. Although if I think of it that way, every poem is an essay, an attempt.