People have often said to me, ‘I wish I could write poetry.’ I am not sure what they mean. It’s as though when a this question they believe that poetry is some mysterious element that just surfaces into the thought process.
Sometimes this is true. Something makes you grab that pen and paper or the laptop, but it is usually a sudden idea that makes you want to write and very rarely a complete poem.
So how to write a poem? The idea for it might have to be prompted so one way is to go out into a busy market and listen – listen to people, the people selling and those buying. I don’t mean their private conversations but the different tones and accents. Note humour, anger, and the occasional solemn note.