These involuntary fits of poetry. I listen to myself what I hear inside my head. I suspect if you could see inside my head, you'd understand.
Why, “Fits of Poetry?”
Have you ever had a compulsion that seemed out of your control to stop?
It might be a nervous tick, checking the lock on your door ten times in a row, or obsessively cleaning. It might be singing every moment of the day, painting until dawn, running daily, or writing until your fingers bleed.
Blackout poetry is my odd compulsion.
It started innocuously enough years ago – I had learned of Austin Kleon’s newspaper blackout poems and gave it a try. Check out his work online at: https://austinkleon.com/about/
Have you ever watched the movie Eat Pray Love? Or better yet, read the book? The scene where Elizabeth Gilbert and her friend Delia Shiraz each discuss their “box” – a small space that holds items that clue you in on a person’s hidden or public passions in life. Delia had collected baby items before her marriage was ready for a child. Elizabeth had a box filled with National Geographics and The Times travel section.
Most people have a box… except now-a-days, that box is most likely their Pinterest page. I realized the literal box tucked away in my closet was filled with hundreds of pages of blackout poetry that I had slowly created over the years.
What’s in your box?
Feel free to check out the blackout poetry on here, connect with me on social media, or drop me a line and let me know about that box of yours.
