she could wear a dress
her mother stitched
for her thirteenth birthday
or a maroon scarf
she salvaged from a chest
in the locked attic
no, it’s an oversized cloak
found in her brother’s closet
its pockets heavy with hiding
none of this matters
all of it matters
we are in the room together
when the journey begins
we step together
scene by scene
each decision conjuring
another
and another
everything
and nothing
in my control
in this scene
in this scene
*65/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. All photos are mine.
This has a lyrical feel to it.
Thanks! I realized this morning that the same struggles I have with editing photos is with writing-making all the tiny decisions and not second guessing them. It feels overwhelming, all the ways you can go with a story or editing a photo. I suppose the real craft is making decisions.
Very nice!
Thanks!
It is a lovely poem. I love how the small choices of dress, scarf and cloak gradually open into something much larger: the mysterious business of creating a story. “None of this matters / all of it matters” captures that beautifully.
Thank you so much. It occurred to me yesterday that the hardest part of creative writing is all the decision making. Each one is a possibility and a way the story *could* go. It’s confidently moving forward with my choices that I find difficult.
Very good 😊
Thank you!
You’re most welcome 🤗
So….living with your characters? My favorite line is “its pockets heavy with hiding”. I kind of see lights go down as that last line is repeated.
I was trying to capture that feeling of writing, all the decisions you have to make as you go. Not just word choice, but every little thing matters. I do feel like it’s a conversation with your characters and sometimes I listen, but often I’m too stubborn.