Pollock

"When I am in a painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc, because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well."

I read this quote by Jackson Pollock to my students today and halfway through I realized I needed to substitute painting for the word poetry. When I remember this about poetry, that there is nothing I can do to destroy it, when I let it have its own life force, it is amazing.

At the conference we were talking about, at small group time, why we were there and I found myself saying the most truthful thing. Poetry is who I love. I love writing the same way I love my children. It does not matter if they are good. It doesn’t even matter if they love me back. It is this thing that rises up inside I cannot explain and lately I am realizing I don’t have to.